*In collaboration with Malvern Garden Buildings
Since I became self employed and working from home I always dreamt of having a studio in the garden to work in, particularly whilst living through a renovation, a place to get away from the chaos, to have peace and time to be more creative. When we moved here it was one of the things on the ‘must have’ renovations list - particularly when I saw the perfect spot to the side of the house where an old greenhouse and shed currently stood looking down the garden
It took 4 years though from us moving in to be ready to clear the area and lay the concrete base ready for the studio….
When it came to deciding on which company to use it was an easy decision for me, Malvern Garden Buildings have a show site at a garden centre local to us and on every visit over the last seven years or so since I set up my own business I’ve been dragging Jim around all the buildings there! After looking and speaking to the people at Malvern I decided on the 10’ x 12’ Pent Roof Garden Studio, with double glazed units, lockable windows and doors. And as I needed to use the space all year round most importantly it being fully insulated
There is a wide selection of colours to choose from and you can have the glazing on the front of the building how you’d like it, I went for full length panels with double doors to let in as much light as possible, I also upgraded to the rubber roof as there are a lot of trees around the building. I added black ironmongery and went for the colour ‘Cornsilk’ a beautiful soft off white to match the colour of the outside decking and soon to be outdoor kitchen
Once I was happy with the design it was time for Malvern to come and construct the building, it was all put together in a day….
It was then time for Jim to landscape the outside and for me to decide on the interior….
The Studio is mainly used as my office space but I wanted it to feel cosy and homely, almost like an extension of our home, rather than just as an office, I also wanted it to be a space that my older children could use of an evening to chill out - We had the studio built in the autumn so I wanted it to feel cosy straight away!
With all this in mind I set about adding different colours and textures to the space - I painted the wall cladding in two different shades adding a dado rail in between the two, with a darker shade at the bottom and a lighter one above it draws the eye up and extends the ceiling height. I decided to keep the timber ceiling and floor to add natural texture to the space which is something I love
The furniture includes a desk in a dark wood, a boucle chair opposite, a sofa against the side wall with a velvet footstool and a large wool rug on the floor. A glass cabinet for my books and samples and the main feature in the middle of the space, an electric stove with a marble tile and hearth. For the lighting I had asked Malvern to provide two wall light points on the rear wall and a ceiling pendant fixture in the front left corner. I added a feature glass pendant fitting here which sits opposite my desk and reflects the light through the space on a sunny day. I love that even being a fairly small space I was able to add some standout features in my style to make it my own
Not long after I’d finished the interior it was December and as well as decorating the house I decorated the studio too - It felt so cosy and festive with the little wood burner going and I absolutely loved working out there every day, especially when it was cold and raining outside and I was all warm inside looking down the garden at the inclement weather….
From January through to Spring I never once felt cold in the studio and I’m so glad I went for a quality building with full insulation, it really was lovely being in there watching the changing weather in the peace and quiet - it has totally changed the way I work - I am so much more productive now! When my daughter is home from uni she sometimes comes to the Studio to work too and of course Thor our Cavapoo can often be found sleeping on the rug…. Even Jim joins me sometimes for a cuppa!
As Spring moved into Summer seeing the garden bloom outside the windows was a real joy, we are lucky enough to live in the countryside and finally being able to have the doors open whilst I worked, listening to the sounds of Summer was one of the things I had most looked forward to in having a garden studio…. One thing that I hadn’t expected was seeing the garden reflected back at me with the morning sun on the glass as I came out to the studio first thing, it just looked so beautiful. I really feel that being in, and listening to, the sounds of the garden really boosted my mood and creativity for the day ahead
So now we are heading into Autumn once again and it’s the time of year I get really busy with work, but I can honestly say as I sit in here writing this and looking around, I feel much less stressed about it this year having this lovely space to work in, it really has made the world of difference and I’m so glad we decided to get a garden studio.
I couldn’t be happier with the service and quality from Malvern Garden Buildings and a year on the studio looks as good as new, in fact right now I’m surrounded by Christmas decorations for a styling job I’m going out to tomorrow and it’s got me really looking forward to decorating in here again this year!
If you have any questions please feel free to message me and I’ll be more than happy to answer them
* Malvern Garden Buildings gave me a discount on the studio
