She Sheds Style: Make Your Space Your Own

One of the most fulfilling additions to my outdoor space wasn’t a plant. It was my shed. In this quiet refuge, I putter around with seeds, daydream and make plans for the next gardening project. When it’s raining outside or nippy, I pot up plants and do seeding in my shed.

I’m located in Southern California, so the truth is a shed for seeking refuge from the elements isn’t a “necessity,” as it might be for gardeners in more extreme climates. As a matter of fact, most months of the year I spend outdoors in the garden. Yet, for many years, my inner gardener dreamed of having a shed.

It turns out I’m not the only gardener who has yearned for a shed. In the book She Sheds: A Room of Your Own, home and lifestyle expert Erika Kotite, shares details of garden shed retreats. Kotite just released the follow-up book, She Sheds Style: Make Your Space Your Own. The book focuses on how you can give your shed its own unique style.

According to Kotite, the best sheds are built, designed and decorated with intention. They can also be used for whatever you wish. For instance, snoozing, reading, eating, drinking, restoring—or more creative pursuits like painting, writing or gardening.

The book includes plenty of photographs of sheds, giving you a plethora of ideas for making or decorating your own shed. You’ll find DIY project ideas from shed owners around the world.

Fun projects highlighted in the book include how to create a drop-down bar in your shed for spontaneous entertaining and tips for making a faux brick floor. Also learn how to make decorative window frames and a built-in sewing table. Furnishing your shed is covered, including with re-purposed furniture, and there are great ideas for creating storage.

Sidebars throughout the book give helpful information. These include “The 5 Best Places for a She Shed.” Others are “Vine-Gathering Tips,” “Ceiling Style” and “Tiny Feng Shui Tips.”

She Sheds Style is a great book for current and future shed owners. The practical and stylish tips throughout the book give you oodles of inspiration for creating your own shed getaway.

Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, The American Gardener, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of 10 books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story Series, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com. Her backyard is a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.