Malvern Garden Buildings' Houseplant Studios at 2024 Chelsea Flower Show

Another garden office supplier to look out for at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show in late May is Malvern Garden Buildings who are bringing seven indoor gardens to the Houseplant Studios area in the Plateau area (pictured above is part of the company's stand at last year's event). Among the indoor plant stylists and botanical designers showing off their skills in MVG's various studios including their Victorian Greenhouse, Studio Pavilion, Studio Retreat, Astwood, and Studio Flat, will be 

* The Glasshouse: a social enterprise offering horticultural training to women based in UK prisons

*  Plants by There: a multisensory retro 1970s bedroom

* The Plant Parlour x GrowTropicals: exploring the potential of indoor spaces with biophilic design and naturalistic planting. 

* The Plant Warehouse: looking at turning homes of any size into indoor jungles with a focus on upcycling e.g. a living coffee table

* The Little Botanical: an immersive sanctuary showcasing sustainability through British grown and 100% peat free houseplants

* In the Garden: a maximalist layered indoor landscape in an eclectic city apartment, championing the importance of plant placement 

* Botanic York: an immersive, educational experience within a suburban home

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Blue Forest treehouse at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024

One of the trade stands at RHS Chelsea worth a look every year is Blue Forest's. Back again on the Main Avenue, the company will be presenting a two-storey garden treehouse (which they're calling an "entertainment tower"), co-created with landscape architecture experts Randle Siddeley Limited.

For 2024, they will be featuring in particular edible plants and fragrant botanicals which will complement the treehouse bar and entertainment deck which will offer smashing views over the show. There's also going to be a ground floor children's section with swinging seats.

“We are thrilled to unveil the Botanical Treehouse at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show,” said Andy Payne, Founder and MD of Blue Forest. “This project represents a true collaboration between nature and design, and we are delighted to once again be working with the prestigious Randle Siddeley to create something truly spectacular.”
 
This year, as ever, RHS is at Royal Hospital Chelsea in London May 21-25.

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Garden office photography studio

An interesting case study from Cosy Garden Rooms, the Roberts Twin Photography business based in Hastings, a five day build. Roberts Twins Photography is a professional photography business run by twin brothers Stuart and Lee which specialises in family, pet and wedding photography.

Stuart and Lee wanted a space from which they could grow their business. They were split between working from home, on location or hiring a studio by the hour, and wisely went down the garden office route (see images above). It measures 7m x 4m with durable Boothbay blue Hardie board cladding, a concrete foundation, floor to ceiling windows, central double sliding door, and overhang on two sides with remote sensor downlights.




"A garden room was a cheaper alternative than having an extension on the house," said Stuart. "I really wanted to grow our business and having a studio of our own, somewhere we could do our photography easily without all the massive outgoings of rent was the next key step for enabling that growth.
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"By having our own studio we were able to grow our business and do all the things we wanted to do, i.e. newborn photography and dog photography, families, etc. I can practice new ideas, work on our editing in peace away from my busy household. Our newborn photography can sometimes see us with clients for four hours, this wasn’t cost effective when renting a studio by the hour. ​I can do whatever ideas I like now, whenever I like, no big overheads, no booking slots.

"I now have a place that is cool in the hot summer and nice and toastie in the winter. I can use my studio all year around. Plus, it’s not only a studio but also an escape, a study, a dining room at Christmas for the whole family, a party room for New Years Eve, a poker room for myself and my loud mates; the list goes on – it’s brilliant!"

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Malvern Garden Buildings offer a premium collection of garden buildings, displayed at 11 UK showsites.

Workers and bosses have different views on working from home productivity

A new survey from YouGov indicates that not everybody has the same beliefs about productivity when working from home. It shows that 60% of those who work from home are more productive there than in a 'traditional' office environment, with a quarter saying it makes no difference, and just 17% saying that they get more done when they go in to work in an office.

On the other hand, bosses are rather more split - a third agree that working from home is more productive, a similar figure believe the opposite. When it comes to themselves working from home, 44% say it's the better place to work...

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Monday posts are sponsored by Cosy Garden Rooms, the UK's No. 1 bespoke garden room designer and builder.

 

Friday Finery: treehouse garden office

This week, a delightful treehouse garden office from treehouse specialists Cheeky Monkey.

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Garden studios at at Malvern Spring Festival 2024

While Chelsea is the biggest beast of the garden show season, there are plenty more great shows elsewhere around the county which showcase interesting garden offices and garden buildings. Here are a couple from this year's Malvern Spring Festival (May 9 - 12) featuring models from Malvern Garden Buildings.

Pictured top is Concrete 2.0, a show garden from garden designer Ian McBain of Tythorne Garden Design which features the company's Flat Roof Studio. With eco-friendliness and reclaimed/recycled materials at its heart, the garden is designed for a young professional couple and who also want to work from home in a garden office. “The paving is purposely shaped to lead towards the studio, and the planting has been designed so that it will ‘ground’ the building and surround it with texture, colour and interest,” said Ian. “I really like the clean and contemporary feel of the garden studio. It is an attractive, practical and comfortable space, perfect for the Concrete 2.0 garden.”

Also worth looking out for is the Grand Appeal Garden (pictured above) from Bristol garden designers  Suzy Dean and Isabel Devaney of Ammil Garden Design Studio who will be making use of a bespoke Woodland Lodge for their family-friendly creation. According to Suzy: “The garden building helps to bring a family together surrounded by nature, whatever the season and whatever challenges they may be facing. It’s their safe haven. The barn style cladding and shingle roof really complement the rustic woodland styling of the garden. The inside is cosy, while the veranda allows you to be immersed in the garden whatever the weather.”

 

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Wednesday posts are sponsored by Booths Garden Studios, the UK's No.1 supplier of zero maintenance and portable garden studios

 

 

 

Beautiful Proctor & Shaw garden studio

The Shedworking interns saw this property in Clapham, London, advertised on Wilfords and were naturally immediately taken with the view of the back garden. The garden office pictured actually mirrors the style of the oak bay window in this rear room, and is in a pleasant south-facing garden with fire pit and lawn. It's on at around the £2 million mark, but then you also get a five-bedroom house built around 1910 and sensitively redesigned by awardwinning architects Proctor & Shaw thrown in to sweeten the deal.

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Malvern Garden Buildings offer a premium collection of garden buildings, displayed at 11 UK showsites.