She Shed - The finest garden sheds for women

Forget man caves: the feminine garden retreat is the hottest property around!

We had a couple in at the Garden Affairs show site the other day. He had a look of slight impatience. She was quietly purposeful. He said, “I don’t see why we need a summerhouse. We have a perfectly good garage with plenty of space.” She said nothing but looked carefully through the brochures and sat quietly in the summerhouses. He said, “Well, I definitely won’t use it.”.  Her smile seemed to say, “I know”.

At Garden Affairs we’ve sold summerhouses, gazebos, art & craft studios and garden offices to women for years. You can read the case study about our lovely client Nancy and her garden room she works and studies in, then shares with her visiting mother like they’re on holiday.

We’ve always known that our garden cabins appeal every bit as much to women as to men, but it seems the world has caught up. Forget man caves, it’s official: ‘She Sheds’ are the season’s most fashionable accessory. “You Will Want One Of These Sooooo Much It Will Actually Hurt,” gushes one blog. Another: “When I Saw What’s She’d Done To Her Shed, I Gasped.”

Of course, she sheds reflect the same truth the man cave has always been about: however much we love the people we live with, we all need a little space to call our own.

The man cave is a haven of masculine peace away from domesticity. We expect it to have man things like a bar, darts board, tools or computer games. The She Shed is an unashamedly feminine retreat and celebrates whatever its proud owner loves, from books to yoga to crafts, from fairy tale chandeliers to bunting to urban edge.

It might be a studious, solitary space. It might be a place where the owner and her (invited) guests gather to kick back, drink wine and put the world to rights, and only talk about sport if they’re actually interested.

And whether you’re inspired by shabby chic beach hut or Moroccan souk styling, you can stamp your identity and your purpose on your woman’s shed far more quickly and cheaply than on a ‘real’ house. Thanks to the media getting a hold of the trend, you’ll find plenty of design inspiration online, but be sure to make your She Shed your own.

Always secretly wanted a thatched cottage with roses round the door? Have one in the garden. Shutters, overstuffed armchairs and a wood-burning stove? Do it. Huge Twilight fan? Get vampish with colours and accessories, and you’ll scare off every unwelcome visitor.

As you’d expect, we’re not going to recommend that you invest all this time and energy into a DIY-store flat-pack shed. Not for us ladies a leaky shack and spiders. Your She Shed is a shed in name only: it’s a solid, four-season cabin with heating, insulation and double glazing. It can be fully plumbed and wired and fitted with bespoke furniture and storage. Lavish or petite, it needs to welcome you blissfully all year round.

Have your feminine retreat installed for you (usually not requiring planning, but we can advise) or build from a kit yourself. Choose colours and planting to suit your setting. Design your fabulous, feminine interior to suit you. Take ownership of the space, and your time to be in it. Then decide who’s invited to visit you in your She Shed, and put the wine in to chill.