The Garden Studio

Post-pandemic, we rethought the nature of work and wanted to transition into a small lightweight business. Our primary workspace is now our Garden Studio in Leigh-on-Sea, which we designed, procured, and managed the entire construction for ourselves. We are a team of three:- a director/architect, a quantity surveyor/director, and a project architect. We now work remotely between the garden studio and a shared London workspace, with most of our projects being based in London. The studio design is simple, with a workspace at the front overlooking the garden and storage at the rear. A split tilted roof creates a clerestory window for east-facing daylight, while the raised deck enjoys westering sun in the afternoon. A built-in bench in a deep window reveal provides a nook to look over the garden. The reveal hides a gutter which doubles up as small porch. A pocket door opens the space fully in summer, connecting the studio space seamlessly to the outdoors. While primarily a workspace, the studio doubles as overnight accommodation, as well as an exercise space positioned remotely from the house. It enables extended stays for our elderly parents. Built with sustainability in mind, the structure uses no concrete and is supported by 12 two-meter-long screw piles. The timber construction is clad in untreated accoya timber, with the roof and side finished in cost-effective galvanized sheeting. Internally, rejected birch plywood sheets clad the walls and black cork tiles cover the floor. There is a small toilet and bike store to the rear. High levels of insulation regulate energy usage, and heating is provided by a single air heating unit. usage, and heating is provided by a single air heating unit which is only required in winter. We bought every last screw ourselves and we love it!