SHEDDING LIGHT:
why She Sheds are great sanctuaries for women
As the former editor of Victorian and Romantic Homes magazines, Erika Kotite has long been smitten with outbuildings. “If it’s small, picturesque and practical, I love it – potting sheds, lean-tos, chicken coops, you name it...” she says. “So when I was asked to explore the emerging She Shed trend as a book,
I dove in body and soul.”
She discovered that while the name might seem overly cute to some, She
Shed is actually more than just an alliteration – the word “shed” is an extremely practical and functional term. It means shelter, even sanctuary.
Put together, the words describe exactly what the space is.
“While there may be spaces within the house to relax, there is never true quiet unless you step outside the house,” says Erika. “Unless you live alone, solitude is rare.
What’s more, the siren songs from the dishwasher, overflowing laundry baskets and bill pile cannot be heard from a She Shed.
“I like that She Sheds are especially for women and I love them for their uniqueness, cleverness and beauty,” she explains. “I love the fact that rather than detract from the visual appeal of a backyard, they enhance it. She Sheds give women quiet and privacy. They provide a canvas for artistry. They invite us to putter and decorate, think and create.”
For Erika, She Sheds are a startling reversal to what you might think is a typical division of space between a couple – the fact that it’s the men who are nesting inside the home or garage with their man caves, while women are venturing outside to a completely detached structure.
However, she says, women are often the gardeners of the household and garden sheds would then logically be their domain. “If you think historically about women in agriculture, they spent a great deal of time in outbuildings such as the chicken coop or the dairy barn.”
Falling in love with She Sheds while writing the first book, She Sheds: A Room of Your Own, Erika was adamant that she needed a shed of her own. With only a small backyard, her “reading shed” is just 1.8 x 1.8 metres, a cottage-style structure with lots of colour, made with odds and ends, salvaged and scrounged. “It has just enough room for a comfortable chair, a book table and footstool. The two leaded glass windows in the front are my splurges,” says Erika.
The good news for those with little building experience is that kit sheds are available. Erika recommends to pick a spot in your backyard that receives light, has a bit of shade from trees and is as level as possible.
“She Sheds aren’t difficult to build but they must be sturdy and water tight. After all, you’re going to spend a lot of time in there! If you aren’t a DIYer, figure out which clever and handy friends you can ask to help out. Throw a shed-raising party – you’ll be surprised at the enthusiasm from people who turn up to help. We humans were made to band together when it comes to building shelter for ourselves.”