Recipe for happiness: Take one ramshackle hut filled with spider webs and asbestos. Replace with a light-filled work studio with full-height retractable doors. Here's how:
In London's north central Hackney, UK-based architecture firm Office Sian worked with a limited budget and the size constraints of a small backyard to design an elegant freestanding shed that functions as both a work space and a library, with retractable doors and a clear view of the garden.
Photography via Office Sian.
Above: Oak-framed doors are completely retractable, inviting the garden to come inside.
Above: Shallow bookshelves maximize the usable space.
Above: A poster depicting "Endangered species of the UK" hangs on one wall. To create a similar look, see "Flora and Fauna for the Walls."
Above: A simple lighting solution.
Above: At the rear of the shed, a roof light offers a view of a slice of sky.
N.B.: To see 189 more photos of Work Studios, visit our Gallery of rooms and spaces.
This is an update of a post originally published July 12, 2012.