Unique garden office meets woodland retreat - Grand Designs Magazine

Unique garden office meets woodland retreat

One couple in West Sussex wanted a permanent home office that catered to their specific needs

Promotional Feature By Victoria Jane Smith |

With the shift to working from home becoming a more permanent reality for people all over the UK, finding extra space for an office has never been more important. For one West Sussex-based lawyer, the solution lay in his garden.

“I never thought I’d be suited to working from home”, he says. “I always had the view that work and home life had to be separated, but during the early part of lockdown, my wife and I were sitting outside and thought, ‘wouldn’t it be something if we were to develop the end of the garden?’.”

Enter: A Room in the Garden, a husband-and-wife run bespoke garden room company that worked with the client to design and build an insulated garden office that they could use all year round. Here’s how they did it…

an insulated garden office with terrace for use all year round

Photo: A Room in the Garden

Client requirements

The first part of the process was to identify everything the space needed to provide. Plenty of desk and storage space was essential, as was a view out over the garden and ornamental pond for much-need moments of calm throughout the day. The client also asked the team to address his journey to the office so he could avoid muddy conditions in autumn and winter. Using it all year round also meant that they need a well insulated garden office.

large insulated garden office overlooking a frozen pond in winter

Photo: A Room in the Garden

The great outdoors, indoors

To ensure the new structure made the most of its leafy surroundings, A Room in the Garden’s designers looked at the way the sun hit the garden during different times of the day, and which angles offered the best outlook, and positioned it accordingly. They also included single doors at both ends and bi-folding doors centrally to create a completely open feel and added an outdoor covered seating area for use on warmer days.

large garden office with storage and bifold doors opening onto a terrace

Photo: A Room in the Garden

With the shift to working from home becoming a more permanent reality for people all over the UK, finding extra space for an office has never been more important. For one West Sussex-based lawyer, the solution lay in his garden.

“I never thought I’d be suited to working from home”, he says. “I always had the view that work and home life had to be separated, but during the early part of lockdown, my wife and I were sitting outside and thought, ‘wouldn’t it be something if we were to develop the end of the garden?’.”

Enter: A Room in the Garden, a husband-and-wife run bespoke garden room company that worked with the client to design and build an insulated garden office that they could use all year round. Here’s how they did it…

an insulated garden office with terrace for use all year round

Photo: A Room in the Garden

Client requirements

The first part of the process was to identify everything the space needed to provide. Plenty of desk and storage space was essential, as was a view out over the garden and ornamental pond for much-need moments of calm throughout the day. The client also asked the team to address his journey to the office so he could avoid muddy conditions in autumn and winter. Using it all year round also meant that they need a well insulated garden office.

large insulated garden office overlooking a frozen pond in winter

Photo: A Room in the Garden

The great outdoors, indoors

To ensure the new structure made the most of its leafy surroundings, A Room in the Garden’s designers looked at the way the sun hit the garden during different times of the day, and which angles offered the best outlook, and positioned it accordingly. They also included single doors at both ends and bi-folding doors centrally to create a completely open feel and added an outdoor covered seating area for use on warmer days.

large garden office with storage and bifold doors opening onto a terrace

Photo: A Room in the Garden

A place for everything

Storage-wise, the team created a vast shelving unit spanning the entire length of the office. Not only does it function as a spacious sorting area for documents and stationery, it’s also a great spot for displaying decorative objects and artwork, which bring an all-important hit of personality to the space. And then there’s the desk, which was proportioned ergonomically, taking the client’s movement and work habits into account to provide ultimate comfort and usability.

timber garden room overlooking a large pond

Photo: A Room in the Garden

Making an entrance

To ensure the journey from home to office was as smooth as possible, the team from A Room in the Garden created a 29m-long bridge leading across the garden to the office’s decking area. The bridge is well lit so can be used at night and features a retractable section that allows a ride-on lawnmower to travel through the garden and into a wooded area at the rear.

garden room with bridge for access to avoid muddy patches when its raining

Photo: A Room in the Garden

Insulated for energy efficiency 

The total footprint of the finished structure is 9m x 5m, comprising 7.2m x 4.2m of internal space, and a 3m x 9m decking area. Walls are highly insulated for warmth and energy efficiency, there’s underfloor heating, full electricity and internet, a plastered internal finish, and cedar cladding. The space also features underfloor sockets, two independent internet connections, and fully automated and voice-controlled electrics.

Visit A Room in the Garden’s website to explore more of this remarkable project, or watch the step-by-step video below:

To find out about designing your own garden room, visit aroominthegarden.co.uk

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