If dreams of long summer days ahead and the desire to connect with nature in fresh ways have you pondering backyard sheds…this may entice. Folks use them for workplaces, garden rooms, potting sheds, reading nooks, guest rooms, at home camping, and relaxing. Me? I’m looking forward to enjoying a courtyard we are sprucing up this very moment. Will there be a backyard shed in my future? Hmmmmm. I’m more of a screen porch girl. Is a screened shed a thing? Fantasy Level Backyard Sheds: Realistic Ideas has the inspo you need.
Backyard Sheds: Realistic Ideas + Dreamy Inspiration
There is more variety in the land of fantasy sheds, she sheds, he sheds, and backyard shelters than you may imagine!
1. Fantasy Garden Studios & Backyard Sheds
I love this transformation of a one-car garage into a beyond chic garden studio by Mar Jennings. A few ideas to steal?
Who doesn’t love a two story shed, floor to ceiling shelves to utilize every vertical inch, and a work island to arrange flowers and do all the gardening things? Psst. I noticed Mar upgraded the work island from the above photo as you’ll see in the video tour above.
Did you notice the garden studio’s cement floor is painted with black and white checks! How sweet is that? Additional windows welcome more sunshine, and a plain ol’ garage door made way for an enchanting carriage door.
Don’t you need to see more of his internet famous Connecticut garden with its various outdoor rooms (on a small lot!)? Yes; yes, you do.
A window in the dining area made way for a door and new terrace (above).
Are you loving the deep forest green/black of the bench? Me too. While I don’t know the exact color, it reminds me of Benjamin Moore Essex Green:
What a romantic space to dine near the garden studio, and so many smart ideas to steal here. The mirror flanked by the lanterns, and the built-in bench beneath it. Feels like a window and window seat!
2. Minimal Simplicity Shed
Sometimes the vision is far from over the top. Here’s a cozy backyard den and summer sleeping space by Simply the Nest:
Should you find yourself without a garden, shed potential, or interest in grownup playhouses, mosey over to shop sales HERE. (Also peek at any sales happening at Jenni Kayne if you care to splurge where sales are rare.)
A few JK bestsellers are on this mood board:
I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
The only waterfront near me is a creek running through the backyard, but that won’t keep me from going coastal in my mind…if you’re in a #lakelife state of mind, see this.
3. Greenhouses & Backyard Garden Rooms to Inspire
Backyard sheds and garden rooms are daydreamy notions for most of us. I personally daydream about tricking out a vintage camper and filling it with retro nostalgia. It won’t likely happen, yet designing the perfect she shed in my mind is sweet relief from unsavory aspects of modern life.
Aren’t greenhouse kits an amazing prospect?
Did you spot the sink just outside the structure above!?!
Beautiful Shed Kits
If you’re handy or know someone who is the DIY type, shed kits, sheds and even pre-assembled greenhouses can be snagged online.
There are so many choices, plain and simple:
teeny tiny:
and more elaborate:
And don’t think that she sheds are only for farm girls or master gardeners.
Because a mini-getaway is highly customizable and can be tailored to your taste and whims.
I like the idea of a backyard shed or garden studio as a way of spending a summer afternoon (since we can’t take the afternoons with us – we may as well spend them!).
5. Sophisticated Sheds of Glory
Garden sheds can be an excuse to shoot the moon. The Rosebrook Gardens garden studio mentioned earlier just keeps evolving. The magic of a small lot with big dreams is real! Who knows what Mar Jennings will have up his sleeve for its next incarnation.
The studio above has an office on its second floor, and backyard sheds sometimes function as tiny guest cottages and home offices.
Notice the magical fantasy of a sophisticated potting shed with it stunning good looks outside AND inside designed by Loi Thai:
You know it’s a timeless potting shed when anyone would assume it is old and existed forever!
DIY Sheds from Kits
With such a cozy little footprint, every square inch of a backyard shelter must be considered. But there are so many ways of customizing these structures! Whether you hire a builder, order a DIY kit, or buy something ready to paint, the possibilities for creative customization are endless.
6. Outdoor Grownup Forts
Hmmmmm. Is it a she shed, a he shed, a non-binary shed that we need or just a fabulous outdoor grownup fort?
Imagine how you could add custom curtains to the above daybed, surround it with blooming containers, and maybe add these nearby:
Fantasy Treehouse
Made from reclaimed windows, doors, and lumber, the tree house was thoughtfully constructed so that it moves with the natural movement and growth of the trees. To understand what that means, this is a must watch below!
Less elaborate, but still fantasy territory for sure:
7. She Shed Art Studio
This nearly 500 sf she shed in Alabama boasts a picturesque setting, and its owner (an antiques dealer) describes the design as “Victorian greenhouse meets Alabama farmhouse.”
Wow! She sheds are proof that living small can be synonymous with living beautifully. Whitney Leigh Morris is a wonderful teacher about this. Here is her own home in Venice Beach:
and here is her book Small Space Style:
If your art is writing…
Who knows how nature will inspire you in such a shelter!
8. Backyard Potting Sheds
Known as The Hobby House, this Sharpsville, Indiana backyard oasis potting shed has been graced with dreamy robin’s egg blue paint and superb styling by its creator, Donna Jenkins.
Oh, these colors! If you too admire pretty blues and greens, ideas from these coastal accents may charm you.
9. Mini Barn Backyard Shelter
Remember when Brooke and Steve Giannetti were designing outdoor structures at Patina Farm and dreamed up a creative solution for a little barn shed for these guys?
When the estimate to build the original design dreamed up by Steve Giannetti came back on the astronomical side, they found this alternative:
The beautiful creatures at Patina Farm lived a charmed existence in Ojai, California. Remember the chicken coop accessed through the greenhouse?
Custom Shed Inspiration
10. DIY Shed Inspiration
A young couple with a century old Nashville home reimagined a broken down garage as a functional backyard greenhouse! With their collection of vintage windows and help from The Home Depot, they created this:
Built from recycled wood pallets and architectural salvage, Alice Collyer’s rustic backyard garden storage she shed evolves with the times. Currently, it provides a work and play space for her children.
But grownups can also enjoy a backyard getaway:
Bougie Fantasy Sheds
139 windows plus five French doors and a glorious imagination add up to 600 square feet of backyard garden bliss in Georgia…
See this post for more info about Tarrytown Green, and PIN THIS lovely PAINT SWATCH for future reference!
Chic Shed (and Stunning Spanish Style)
She Sheds, Backyard Garden Sheds, Potting Sheds, and Shed Kits to Consider
Find a collection of shed kit ideas in a collection HERE.
Watch This!
No dangerous cuts to make with a kit like this.
Rustic Elegance for Backyard and Indoor Decor
If you have a moment to visit slightly more spacious she sheds, see this story with tiny cottages!
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
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