Ten "playful and beautiful" garden studios from around the world

A stilted hut for ceramics and an artichoke-like garden room are among the home studios featured in Work From Shed, a book that explores the "new fluidity about where we work".

Published by Hoxton Mini Press, Work From Shed brings together garden studios, garages and sheds from around the world that give their owners a space to work from home.

According to its publisher, the book was produced in response to the "new fluidity about where we work and how", prompted by the coronavirus pandemic and national lockdowns.

The spaces featured in it range from simple structures that reinterpret traditional sheds to more elaborate and extravagant buildings tailored to the needs of their owner.

Hoxton Mini Press' creative director Martin Usborne said that this illustrates the "architectural possibilities" of outhouses used as workspaces.

"Working from home is so personal it allows for much greater expression as to what a working space can look like," Usborne told Dezeen.

"We wanted to explore and celebrate that. We wanted a selection of sheds that were surprising and playful and beautiful but also as varied from each other as possible – some more extravagant, some more achievable," Usborne continued.

"Clearly there are no rules when you make a space in your garden. Other than not pissing off your neighbour."

Read on for Dezeen's selection of 10 home studios featured in the book.

Remisen-Pavilion, Germany, by Wirth Architekten

This brick garden office in Lower Saxony was designed by studio Wirth Architekten to double as everything from a parking space to a dining room.

Its exterior is broken up by large oak wood doors and perforations in the red brickwork that both naturally ventilate and light the interior.

Find out more about Remisen-Pavilion ›

Writer's Studio, Scotland, by WT Architecture

WT Architecture created this tiny garden studio for a pair of writers outside their Victorian house in Edinburgh.

It marries a low brick base with an exposed timber and steel structure, designed to be visually simple and echo a dilapidated greenhouse that previously occupied the site.

Find out more about Writer's Studio ›

LA Pottery Studio, USA, by Raina Lee and Mark Watanabe

Nestled amongst trees and accessed by a wooden bridge, this stilted shed is used as a studio and display space for ceramicist Raina Lee.

It was created by Lee with her partner, architect Mark Watanabe, from an existing structure in their backyard in Los Angeles. Pottery is displayed on shelving salvaged from shipping crates and branches from the surrounding trees.

Find out more about LA Pottery Studio ›

Two Pavilions, England, by Carmody Groarke

This artist studio was one of two pavilions that architecture studio Carmody Groarke created in the garden of a house in rural Sussex.

The workspace occupies the brick walls of a ruined 18th-century farmhouse, extended with weathered-steel panels that frame large windows and create a sheltered outdoor space.

Find out more about Two Pavilions ›

Light Shed, Japan, by FT Architects

A timber framework supports corrugated plastic walls at the Light Studio, an open-plan photography studio that FT Architects created in Japan.

Its unusually-shaped roof was engineered to maximise open space and minimise structural elements that may prevent the photographer owner from taking a clear photo.

Find out more about Light Shed ›

A Room in the Garden, England, Studio Ben Allen

The form and colour of an artichoke were among the visual influences on this garden room, which Studio Ben Allen covered in green shingles.

Built from a flat-pack kit of CNC-cut timber elements, the structure can be easily dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere if its owners ever move house.

Find out more about A Room in the Garden ›

Enchanted Shed, Austria, by Franz&Sue

A light-filled writing studio sits on the upper level of this black timber shed, which Franz&Sue created by converting a 1930s outhouse near Vienna.

Accessed through a brass hatch, the space features a glazed gable end and upholstered seating and sleeping area. It can also be used as a guestroom or playspace.

Find out more about Enchanted Shed ›

Forest Pond House, England, by TDO

Aptly named the Forest Pond House, this studio is suspended over a body of water hidden in the garden of a family home in Hampshire.

The structure features a curved plywood shell with a glazed end wall that studio TDO incorporated to immerse occupants in nature and help them relax and focus.

Find out more about Forest Pond House ›

Art Warehouse, Greece, by A31 Architecture

A curved concrete shell encloses this art studio in Boeotia, designed by A31 Architecture for an artist on a site adjacent to his home.

Accessed by a wooden door within a glass-fronted entrance, it features a spacious open-plan interior to allow the owner to construct large sculptures. Floating steps on one side lead to a mezzanine storage level.

Find out more about Art Warehouse ›

Tini, Spain, by Delavegacanolasso

This wooden office in Madrid is a prototype of Tini, a prefabricated structure that is designed to be ordered online and delivered on the back of a truck.

Architecture studio Delavegacanolasso developed it to be constructed from galvanised steel, orientated strand boards (OSB) and local pine wood. It was lowered into this garden by crane, preventing damage to the site.

Find out more about Tini ›

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