RACHEL & JONNIE ALLEN

The couple commissioned Jonnie’s brother, architect Ben Allen, to build a studio in their garden. His design, referencing The Pineapple folly at Dunmore Park in Scotland, was unlike anything they were expecting

Our London flat is fairly small and we knew we needed more space but didn’t want to move. Since we live in an area with fairly high property prices, we felt that adding some extra living space could make financial sense, too.

Keep an open mind about what you want. We had an idea that we’d make some sort of workspace at the end of the garden with double doors and a desk against the back wall, but Ben totally turned that on its head. His design showed us that we could do something high-quality and fun, which our daughters (five and eight) enjoy and, most importantly for us, means we’re looking out onto the garden and house rather than staring at a wall.

We wanted it to be a sustainable, healthy build, which is achieved through the timber construction. It’s clad with digitally pre-cut ply panels, which are all drilled and slotted into place, avoiding the need for glues. The whole building, including the paint used, is very low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

We love the studio’s versatility. It’s been amazing during lockdown as a permanent workspace, but it also serves as an extra bedroom (the built-in seat hides a fold-out double bed) and a playroom. The children can have Zoom parties in there and feel like they have total independence, while we can keep watch from the house. studiobenallen.com

‘BEN’S DESIGN SHOWED US THAT WE COULD DO SOMETHING

HIGH-QUALITY AND FUN’