Here at Inhabitat, we love the trend of creative backyard studios, including the gorgeous Writer’s Shed that seamlessly blends into the verdant suburban surroundings of Melbourne. Designed by Australian practice Matt Gibson Architecture + Design in collaboration with landscape garden designer Ben Scott, the Writer’s Studio is a compact dwelling that uses a blanket of Boston Ivy for camouflage. Sustainability also played a large part in the energy-efficient design, which is based on passive solar principles and largely incorporated the use of renewable and sustainably sourced timber.
Conceived as “a living part of the garden rather than an imposition on it,” the Writer’s Shed spans a modest 107 square feet. Despite its small footprint, the interior feels spacious thanks to a minimalist design and the abundance of glass that includes a large window, skylight and glazed door, all of which are fitted with double-glazed low-E glass and bathe the workspace in natural light. In contrast to its Boston Ivy-covered exterior that’s sealed with a rolled Butynol “wet-suit,” the light-filled interior is lined with Hoop Pine plywood panels (AFS- and FSC-Certified). The engineered timber floor sits atop a concrete slab.
Related: Elegant cork-clad artists’ studio slots into a bijou London garden
“As the ways we work and live continue to adapt and change to our environment and technology, traditional notions are challenged and new opportunities appear,” the architects explained in their project statement. “An antidote is often needed to balance the overstimulating, populous and constantly-contactable workplaces where we spend much of our modern lives. More people are opting to work from a variety of locations, sometimes rejecting the rigid and sealed open plan office for the benefits of more natural surroundings. As a detached and flexible workspace, the Writer’s Shed provides an intimate private space to recoup, reflect and recharge the imagination.”
+ Matt Gibson Architecture + Design
Images via Matt Gibson Architecture + Design
