Building your own, unique Shoffice_a case study
With a dash of initiative and more than a sprinkle of inspiration, architect Priscilla Fernandes and husband Carl designed and built their own home office, or as the cognoscenti call it, a "Shoffice". (That's a shed-office to you and me).
This insulated and unique garden room in Kent was built by Carl in collaboration with their neighbour Graeme Nisbet (of @dr.homes_london, who is an experienced joiner) over the course of the last six months. Recently completed, it was featured on last Monday's BBC1 Morning Live show (8th February) and you can still catch the session on BBC's iPlayer or pop over to @prissydesigner and #CarlsShed to see more.
Carl is a Design Manager in the construction industry and Priscilla an architect, and the finished building is an accurate representation of her original designs. During the first lockdown in 2020, the couple were both working from home and found working in the same room somewhat challenging. The demands of both of their jobs meant that they were constantly interrupting each other and needed to find a way to create a separate work-space for at least one of them. This was all the motivation they needed to finally pull down an existing garden shed that was "on the point of collapse", to make space for the new framework.
The colour palette was inspired by images of English artist and film director Derek Jarman's 'Prospect Cottage' in Dungenes. The timber walls of Jarman's cottage were weatherproofed with pitch-black tar in keeping with the tradition of the iconic, tall fishing sheds of Kent.
In homage, the external cladding of 'Carl's Shed' is constructed of vertical, black-stained Douglas fir, with window frames and details highlighted in yellow and an orange linoleum floor. It's a bright, cheerful and inviting space. A large picture-window looks back up towards the house and has a deep roof overhang that protects the extended window-sill/garden bar below. Internally insulated and lined with plywood panels, the blonde wood complements the choice of trim.
To make the space as versatile as possible, they fitted a deep workbench beneath the window on the right elevation, mounted at 900mm (from the floor), which makes it ideal for standing to work or pottering "for a short while" says Priscilla. "For (a more comfortable) computer work station, we needed to install a desk at 750mm and it works really well". On the left elevation, they fitted a Norbo wall' mounted, drop-leaf table in Birch (sourced from Ikea for just £35). "...it's really simple and affordable and fits the 'sheddy' aesthetic of our build". This building shows just what can be achieved by designers on a budget, with a little ingenuity (and the good fortune to have a friendly carpenter living next door). And I particularly love the wall-hung bicycle.
******************
Images reproduced here with the very kind permission of Priscilla & Carl (thank you!)
Architect: Priscilla Fern, @prissydesigner
Build by: Graeme Nisbet, @dr.homes_london and Carl, #CarlsShed
Location: Bromley, Kent
Inspiration: Derek Jarman's wind-swept home is part of a campaign to save and restore both the cottage and the shingle garden surrounding it #SaveProspectCottage
