Best shed accessories

The Independent [disclaimer: I still do some work for them] runs a regular IndyBest section looking at the best things on the market for anything from cookbooks to night lights. The latest is the eight best shed accessories which is worth a quick browse. It's aimed more towards the traditional shed rather than shedworking setup but useful nonetheless. ------------------------------------

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Black garden office

Black is a surprisingly popular choice among shedworkers (and professional garden designers) for their exterior garden office colour. Here's a particular nice example from Sussex-based Urban Escape Studios which is almost hidden in the corner of the clients' garden. It's one from their Astana range, 4m x 2.5m, with dark grey aluminium French doors, full length picture window, and cladding which was stained with Black Ash to blend into the greenery.
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The sequel to Cabin Porn

I know many of you enjoyed the first Cabin Porn book (though I wish they'd have called it something else) so you will be pleased to hear that work is underway on a follow-up called Cabin Porn: Inside which will go through the keyhole to take a look inside readers' cabins. As they put it: "We’re excited to share that we’ve started our second book inspired by the most common question we receive, 'Can I see the inside of this cabin?'"

"Inside, will serve as a valuable reference for both the cabin builder and everyone seeking perspective on how to create spaces that just work — the ones that spellbind us in their warmth and ingenious simplicity. Inside will fill in where our first book left off, intimately showcasing hundreds more cabins and the small details their builders gave them.

Click the link above to submit your shedlike atmosphere for possible inclusion.
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Koto cabins

North Devon-based Koto (which means cosy in Finnish) is run by Johnathon and Zoë Little who design modern Scandinavian-inspired cabins ideal for use as garden offices or tiny homes (the actual build is by Kudos based in Northern Ireland).

The cabins are a timber and steel composite structure with interesting pitched roof and Siberian larch cladding. They come in a range of sizes, the one above at 15 sq m is the smallest, but they range from one to four bedroom builds. Features include a fold-down bed, underfloor heating, aluminium windows and doors, and a covered entrance porch and deck. Option extras include the ever-popular sedum roof, sauna, and outdoor shower. The concept behind the cabin is very much that it fits in with the natural world and a healthy lifestyle, or as they put it: "Open floor spaces, high ceilings and large facade openings allow for free flowing space with connection to the outside world."

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Woking Football Club’s new Programme Shed

Mark Burton from Tiny House UK was contacted by an old friend of who is an avid fan and helper at Woking Football Club to sponsor a programme shed. "It had to be strong, secure and be able to last many years," says Mark. And here it is. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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How a shed can save your life

A remarkable shed-based story reported in the media, including the Guardian, about how 19-year-old Indondeisan Aldi Novel Adilang survived seven weeks adrift in the sea in his fishing hut/boat when its moorings came free. He kept alive by catching fish and cooking them over a fire built from bits of his wooden shed. More details at the link above.

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Composer Will Todd's composing shed

Composer and conductor Will Todd (whose work ranges from President Obama’s Inauguration Day and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations to choral jazz) has a composing shed at the bottom of his garden. There's a clip of him improvising for Classic FM here and above hs talks about the Kyrie from one of his best know pieces, Mass in Blue.
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Garden office case studies, conversions, and tips

For some reason the Telegraph has always been very pro-shed and there is an excellent series of articles produced in assocation with Cuprinol on their web site. Clicking the link will take you to the story above about writing sheds, but will also suggest others in the series. Here's a snippet by shedworker Tim Gibson pictured above:

I guess that’s the thing about sheds. They’re the repository of a person’s ambitions; a statement of who we are and who we long to be. If you want to understand the person, first look at their shed.

Well worth a look. -------------------------------------------------------

Friday posts are sponsored by Warwick Buildings, manufacturers of outstanding quality timber buildings. Click here for more information.

George Saunders: shedworker

On the day the Man Booker Prize shortlist is revealed, it's interesting to discover that last year's winner (for Lincoln in the Bardo) George Saunders is a shedworker. He tells Writers & Artists that: "I have a writing shed in New York that I go to. It was actually a tool shed and my wife, very sweetly, remade it and now the family joke is that I’m the only tool in the tool shed"

Here he is waxing lyrical for The Letters Page magazine about his shedlife:

Here in my writing shed, door open, dog at my feet, on a clear fall day, on which the quality of light is so clean that it has all day been landing on the autumnal woods in a way that makes a person just want to stand there and stare

And here's a good description of it from the New York Times:

Saunders writes in a shed across the driveway from his house, where we sat for a couple hours one morning while his two yellow labs nosed around outside the door. There’s the desk and a sofa and a table stacked with books that he has been researching for his next project. On the shelves there are pictures of him and [his wife] Paula and the girls and a great one from his jazz-fusion days of him playing a Fender Telecaster, with white-blond Johnny Winter hair to his shoulders. “In our lives, we’re many people,” he said as he lifted the photo off the shelf.

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New shepherd's hut brochure

Plankbridge has just published its latest mouthwatering brochure of shepherd's hut possibilities, photos by Joss Barratt. Well worth a look (order via the link above). ------------------------------------------

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Henri Cole's writing shed

My little writing shed, where the poems emerge, like bubbles from a mouth. pic.twitter.com/jMK4X1XdRO

— Henri Cole (@ColeHenri) September 17, 2018

Boston-based awardwinning poet Henri Cole has published nine collections including most recently Nothing to Declare. He encourages members of his family to whistle as they approach the shed when he is writing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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PassivPod

The garden office trend for 2018 seems to be 'round'. Here's the latest, the 15m² PassivPod, which is inspired by nature and natural shapes (i.e. along biophilic lines) to improve our shedworking conditions and improving lifestyle and productivity. Built along PassivHaus principles, the prefab build is transported to site in modules for quick assembly. Tthe designeers describe it as 'zero carbon in operation with very low embodied carbon' and there's a large window to the front so you can see your garden really well.

  
PassivPod 2017 from Koru Architects on Vimeo. -------------------------------------------------
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How to mediate shed disputes

If you're in the middle of dispute with your neighbours over the siting of your garden office or some aspect of your shedlife, then this is an excellent little radio programme on the BBC presented by Timandra Harkness about the best ways to disagree with other people (but in a good way). Using her own shed as an example, she talks to various mediation experts about how to achieve a result with which everybody is happy. The rest of the episodes in the series are also well worth a listen.
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Jessie Burton's writing shed space at Heals

We mentioned last month that awardwinning novelist Jessie Burton would be recreating her writing shed space at Heals as part of the London Design Festival and so she has. Here is a video of her talking to the fine people at The Pool about her garden office and shedworking life from the Heals space:


And now compare it to the real thing - it's a pretty good replica.
 



Finally, there's an excellent interview at the Creative Review in which she discusses how her shed has influenced her writing. -------------------------------------------------------

Friday posts are sponsored by Warwick Buildings, manufacturers of outstanding quality timber buildings. Click here for more information.

Roald Dahl Day

It's Roald Dahl Day today as it is every September 13 to mark his birthday. There's a huge amount of material about Roald Dahl on Shedworking as he is arguably the most famous shedworker of all time but we particularly like this photo essay about the inside of his garden office and the video below which sees him discussing the life of a shedworker.

This is wonderful. From 1982, Roald Dahl on his writing shed, work habits and loves (and snooker & sausages). pic.twitter.com/OWfBfnmpDx

— IanSanders (@IanSanders) October 18, 2017

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Garden office build timelapse

 We haven't had a good time lapse for ages, so here's one of a Warwick Buildings garden office which provided the clients with space in an upstairs bedroom for the arrival of their first child. Five hours in three minutes...

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2018 Shed of the Year winner is Bee Eco Shed

The ‘Bee Eco Shed’ from Sheffield has won the Cuprinol Shed of the Year 2018 which featured 2,900 entries and over 16,000 public votes. George Smallwood’s sheddie ecosystem was selected by competition founder Andrew Wilcox from readersheds.co.uk, Cuprinol’s creative director Marianne Shillingford, and 2017 Shed of the Year winner Ben Swanborough.

George Smallwood started out building a base for a ready-made shed, but felt inspired and decided to create the whole structure himself. Today, it is used as a space of discovery as George interacts with the different species occupying his shed. In this entirely self-watering and self-sufficient space, the vegetables, herb garden, bugs and bees can truly thrive.

Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director at Cuprinol said: “As we move into an age of sustainability the fifth room of the home is going to become increasingly important in helping create environmentally friendly, functional solutions for the family and community which are also appealing to the eye!"

George takes the coveted title along with £1,000 courtesy of sponsors Cuprinol, £100 of Cuprinol products, a winner’s plaque and a giant crown for his shed.

“Coming in at the top spot was such a welcome suprise!" he said. "When we started the project we never could have dreamed we’d be here now. We’re so proud that our shed has become a habitat for nature in a small urban garden, showing you can always do your bit for making a home for nature. We hope our shed will inspire others around the UK to create spaces for wildlife in their gardens."

Andrew Wilcox added: “The competition was extremely tough this year, from a musical shed on the water, to a taxi, to an authentic Irish pub. With strong contenders winning all eight category awards it was a difficult decision for the judges. George’s shed stood due to its impressive, hand-made structure but also because of its unique story and special purpose. We couldn’t be happier with our decision to crown ‘Bee Eco Shed’ the winner.”

Although there is no specific garden office category any more, there is a workshop and studio one which features lots of shedworkers. The marvellous category winner here was the Viking Bauhutte owned by Chris Walter in Hampshire




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Compost toilet company merger is good news for garden office workers

West Midlands compost toilet manufacturer The Little House Co has joined Skipton-based Kildwick to create what is claimed to be the largest compost toilet company in the UK. It brings together The Little House Co’s specialism for land-based customers and Kildwick’s canal/boating users into one, combining the manufacturing, development and marketing skills of both businesses.

With the widest range of waterless, off-grid compost toilets that can be installed virtually anywhere in houses, including garden offices, sheds, summerhouses, shepherds huts, and boats, either temporarily or permanently. The combined business will benefit from the design, technical and manufacturing expertise that Kildwick Ltd has created, with the marketing and promotion skills and different customer base of The Little House Co.

“The first time I met Colin and Maria (Kildwick Ltd) was back in 2014," said Martin Doyle of the Little House Co, "and we instantly became friends. Joining Kildwick seemed a natural thing to do and enables me to utilise their manufacturing and development skills so I can concentrate on the marketing and promotion aspects to bring all our products to the widest audience.”

Colin and Maria added that the two companies had been working “in cooperative competition" for the last three years. “Each of us tended to specialise in a different market segment, but with common values of quality, customer service and value for money. Bringing the businesses together will help us combine our strengths and eliminate our weaknesses”.

The Little House Co was formed in 2012 by Martin Doyle and manufactures the Eco-Loo range of compost toilets, as well as reselling toilets from Swedish manufacturer, Separett. Kildwick was formed in 2014 by Colin Ives and Maria Matthews and using innovative production methods including fibre glass and 3D printed components, combined with traditional woodwork and metal crafts, they have created a unique range of products including the Kildwick Koodle, the smallest compost toilet on the market. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Reclaimed scaffold boards garden office

A lovely, and short, video cataloguing a garden office build by Recycled Woodworking and Iron. -------------------------------------------------
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Trekking to Heidegger’s writing ‘hut’

Martin Heidegger is one of the few major philosophers who was also a shedworker (see here for more on him and his Hütte and the book pictured above by Adam Sharr which is marvellous) although this aspect of his lifestyle is often sadly overlooked. Thank heavens then for this lovely piece by Walter Nicklin in The Washington Post about his Black Forest pilgrimmage to Heidegger's writing shed. Here's a snippet:

In a meadow surrounded by trees, it was all but invisible. No wonder I had first missed it! Unverborgenheit, or “unconcealment,” is a word Heidegger coined for the sudden discovery of truth, as if stumbling upon a clearing in a forest. I left the manicured trail for an overgrown path laced with electrified fencing (to keep cattle from wandering). On hands and knees to duck under one set of wires, I couldn’t help but laugh as I thought of the celebrated Heidegger trope of the woodcutter’s labors seeking to hack out a path to the clearing, to the bright “thereness of what is.”

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Garden office gym

To end the week on a get up and go note, here are photos from a Garden2Office build of their Malmo studios kits bought by the owner of Aldersbrook Personal Training in Wanstead, Sylvain Vidot, who wanted a 30sq m gym to offer a range of cross training equipment close to home for many of his City clients. -------------------------------------------------------

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Rise in homeworking means people increasingly want to live near water

Strutt & Parker’s latest Waterside Survey shows that twentysomethings and thirtysomethings are increasingly moving towards waterside living in the UK, largely due to increased flexible working patterns and shedworking.

More than a quarter of under-35s polled and over a third of 35-39s are actively looking to live near water within five years, as well as 27% of 40-44s.
Interestingly, among employed adults already living in waterside properties, just under a half already work from home, rising to nearly two thirds in their early 30s and over three-quarters in their early 40s. On average, those working from their waterside properties do so for three days a week, in particular those in the tech, education and healthcare sectors.

Richard Speedy, Head of Waterside at Strutt & Parker, said: “Waterside living has so much to offer – inspiring a more active outdoors lifestyle and a really sociable environment for spending time with friends and family. This year it’s been interesting to see that more people are being lured to the waterside by the promise of good food – 15% up from 7% in 2017.”

Compared to last year, more people are choosing to live near water for better air quality (47% up from 41% in 2017) and for mental wellbeing (35% up from 29% in 2017).
 Among those who live near the water or would like to in the future, the preferred type of location is the seaside/coast (52%), followed by lakes/lochs (17%) then rivers/estuaries (13%). There has been a big jump in numbers who desire to live near to docklands (7% compared to 1% in 2017).

Those living in London currently are the most likely to be seeking a property with direct water access for a boat such as a mooring (69%), paying up to 10% extra for this (43%). 

Image courtesy Garden Affairs

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Wanderlust: Starring role for garden office

The new BBC series Wanderlust by Nick Payne which debuted last night starring Toni Colette and Steven Mackintosh has attracted attention due to its supposedly 'steamy' nature as a kind of sex comedy. Which is all very well, but the chief reason for watching is of course the marvellous garden office out of which Colette's character Joy Richards who works from home as a therapist. As the shots above indicate, it's pretty spacious with plenty of bookshelf space, various comfortable furnishings, and some huge windows (the blinds of which Joy closes when things get 'steamy' inside).

Suffering garden office envy watching #wanderlust

— Ian Critchley (@iancritchley4) September 4, 2018

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