Immersive cocoon: the future of shedworking?

How will technology change how we work from our garden office and from home in general? Here's an intriguing possibility, the Immersive Cocoon, a spherical-ish shedlike atmosphere with a surround visual-audio wraparound interior display including motion-sensoring capabilities (think Minority Report) to recreate 3D space. Lots more information and moody meaningful videos at the site.

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New shed books for 2012

2012 looks like it could be a bumper year for books about sheds. Here are two early contenders for shed book of the year. First in line is My Cool Shed: An Inspirational Guide to Stylish Hideaways by Jane Field-Lewis, published by Pavilion towards the end of June. Here's the blurb:

"Building on the success of My Cool Caravan and My Cool Campervan in 2010 and 2011, this follow-up book celebrates the humble and not so humble shed, from artists' studios to beach huts, and the diverse ways in which owners are styling them. My Cool Shed features 35 sheds, small cabins, garden rooms, beach huts, modern architectural mini masterpieces and other small spaces given purpose by their owners to pursue their hobbies, careers, creative endeavours or just to find some peace and solitude. The book includes high-quality stylish photography to show a wide range of well styled and elegant sheds, cabins, dens and hidewaways in attractive locations. The owners' stories and accompanying style notes offer insight as well as inspiration. This is not a 'how to' book, although a sourcebook will be included, but more of a 'feel good' book and provider of inspiration."

And then there's The Joy of Sheds: Because a Man's Place Isn't in the Home by Frank Hopkinson published by Portico in May. And here's the blurb: "The Joy of Sheds is a shed miscellany that chronicles man's need for a small space on his own. It's a humorous look at every aspect of the shed experience, mixed with shed facts and some practical information too. Many famous people have created in sheds. Inventor Trevor Baylis thought up the clockwork radio in a shed, George Bernard Shaw wrote Pygmalian in one and Dylan Thomas would compose poetry in his. The average UK male does not tend to devote his shed to poetry, though. Along with chapters on how to customize your shed into an exotic creation, "Pimp Your Shed", there are "Shed Facts": Almost a fifth of men have had an accident in a shed, it's the single most dangerous place in the home after the kitchen. Other chapters include "Shed Vision", on the typical items stored in sheds, and "The Genus Shed", which places the shed in the Linnaean order of buildings. "Shed Experience" pulls in shed stories from around the world, but particularly Australia, and there are also tales of the "Euro-Shed". There are chapters on "Sheds in Literature" (Lady Chatterly's Lover and Cold Comfort Farm), "Sheds at the Movies", and "Sheds in Music".

And of course, if you don't yet own a copy, Shedworking: The Alternative Workplace Revolution is also a decent read...
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Garden office, studio, gymnasium and store

Aarco is one of the longest-established garden office companies and have a good case studies section for those wanting to get information about their builds including the client's initial request, design criteria, the main spec and - importantly - the actual costs of the entire build.

Pictured above is one example in the Wirral. According to Aarco: "With a busy work life and both partners in responsible jobs they needed a retreat in the garden where he could work on occassions in particular managing conference calls across different time zones over the web. Also the occasional days working at home both needed a space uninterupted by normal family going on in the busy household." The new building also needed to house a gym and provide general gardening storage (with an eye to using it as guest accommodation in the future).
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GetawayStyle

While there are various microarchitecture-ish web sites and blogs (and indeed books), there are far fewer places to go for advice on the fitting out of your shedlike structure. A welcome addition to this happy band is the newly launched GetawayStyle set up by Jennifer Knight who is particularly interested in home design/decor for "casual, sustainable and economical retreats". Although the site is aimed at those with vacation homes, there is plenty of inspiration for shedworkers too. Here's how Jennifer describes it:

"GetawayStyle is a resource guide for vacation homeowners and anyone who wants their space to feel like a retreat. Our mission is to help save you time and money by finding authentic home furnishings and inspiring ideas that let us get away from our fast-paced lives.

We are not design snobs with unlimited budgets; we look for well-made products sold at a fair price. We make recommendations based on our instincts for good design, quality and value. Beyond style, we’re passionate about products that improve the world we live in. We support global craftsmanship, being conscious of the environment, and design that helps people enjoy their homes at every age and ability level."

Well worth a browse.
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Treehouses: Small Spaces in Nature

The marvellous treehouse specialists Baumraum have published their own book of their lovely designs. It comes in at 290 pages with more than 450 photos of 30 finished treehouse projects around the world and is available in both German and English. The book includes a look at the history of building treehouses and the engineering behind the designs. The book is written by Baumraum founder Andreas Wenning and is available from Dom Publishers.

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Chris Riddell: shedworker

Artist and illustrator Chris Riddell is probably best known for his collaboration with Paul Stewart for The Edge Chronicles series of books. He produces his work in a converted barn (complete with hay loft) in the garden at his home in Brighton which he shares with his wife Jo, a printmaker and painter. There's an excellent feature (with very nice photos including plenty of Chris's sketchbooks as well as the studio) by Sarah McIntyre at her jabberworks blog.
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Thursday posts are sponsored by Atelier garden studios which are sustainable, stylish, flexible, functional and future proofed

What jobs CAN'T you do in a garden office?

If you're considering shedworking, it's absolutely vital that you ensure you have the correct official permissions in place. Drum teacher Darren Hasson-Davis in Oxford has recently been told to stop teaching children from his garden shed office after neighbours complained about the noise. According to the Oxford Times: "He had won a planning application to build the shed, but council planners said it could only be used for pastimes “incidental” to his use of the house." Officers then ruled that drumming lessons are not covered by the planning permissions. Mr Hasson-Davis said that he had spent thousands soundproofing the shed but accepted it was not perfect.
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Wednesday posts are sponsored by The Stable Company®, the UK's premier supplier of garden offices and garden rooms. Click here.