Photo via Dezeen
Some aspiring writers are holding off on their true calling until they’ve “done enough living.” Others have demanding day jobs, dogs to walk, Peace Lilies to water. Here’s another excuse to add to the pile: not having a super natty writing shed to type away in. This cabin, completed in April of 2013 and recently shortlisted for the 2014 Architects Journal Small Projects Award, would fit the bill rather nicely. Unlike the Walden-chic abodes of rural wordsmiths, this one’s an urban retreat, sitting in a backyard garden in the London borough of Hackney. Described by its designers, the firm Weston, Surman & Deane, as “a haven in the city; a fairy-tale hut” responding to their client’s “passion for children’s literature and mythologies,” it glows like a cottage in a treacly pastoral scene.
That nice orange hue was achieved by situating a sliding glass door behind a facade of cedar slats. For daytime writing sessions, there’s a large north-facing skylight. Heat is provided by a wood-burning stove, which can be fed with the wood kept in a thin storage area on the porch. Around the stove, there’s a staggered bookcase built from rectangular partitions of oiled chipboard, the largest of which frames a reclaimed sink with garden taps and a brass splash back.