Bottom Of The Garden
The perfect place to relax or express yourself is closer than you think.
The bottom of the garden, as folklore has it, is always an enchanting landscape inhabited by fairies, elves andwoodnymphs.Thecontemporarynotion,while less ethereal, is just as alluring. These days, anyone who can refer to ‘the bottom of my garden’ is in possession of a luxurious commodity: space, glorious space. Putting things bluntly, it’s important real estate.
Of course, there have always been backyard cubbies and granny flats. But with increased pressure on urban communities,peopleareviewingthebottomofthegarden with renewed interest, applying new ways of thinking and new forms of expression to this space. It has become fertile ground for the rise of architect-designed garden offices, creative workshops, whimsical reading rooms, thinking spaces, man caves and she sheds, teen retreats and, increasingly, accommodation enterprises.
According to research by Gateway Credit Union, 33 per cent of owners of freestanding homes are contemplating building such a structure. “Homeowners are realising the financial and lifestyle value sitting in their own backyard,” says the credit union’s CEO, Paul Thomas.
For creative types, there are great rewards in turning to the outdoors, even if it’s merely a short walk from the back door. The concept of the writing shed has a long and distinguished history. Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw was a trailblazer, famously working from a purpose-built outdoor writing hut for the last 20 years of his life. His structure was compact and basic, but its true stroke of genius was that it was built on a revolving base, so it could be repositioned to follow the sun.
Not everyone has a book in them, but the value of having a creative space, separated from domestic life via the back garden, is priceless. Here are some modern-day backyard beauties to inspire and enchant…