A relaxing getaway conducive to creative thinking is just steps from an author’s back door with this lantern-like design tucked away in a fenced London garden. Designed by British studio Surman & Deane, ‘Writer’s Shed’ feels simultaneously cozy and wide-open thanks to its small footprint, wood stove, and glazed front wall slightly shaded by a vertical cedar screen.

The architects responded to the author’s interest in children’s literature and mythologies by creating a space that acts as “a haven in the city; a fairy-tale hut at the bottom of the garden where the client can retreat and immerse himself in his work.”

It may be accurate to call it a shed based on its size, but it’s not lacking in comfort and amenities. One wall is entirely covered in bookshelves, and a vintage desk is tucked into one corner. The interior is painted white to reflect all of the daylight that comes streaming in through the large north-facing skylight. A glazed sliding door leads out into the garden.

Cedar was chosen for the natural aging process it goes through as it’s exposed to the weather, deepening its beauty. The chimney, vertical log storage on the small veranda and cedar shingles give the mini retreat the feel of a woodland cabin.

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Here’s a description from the firm:

“Weston Surman & Deane Architecture were commissioned by an author and illustrator to design and build a studio space in Hackney, East London. The design sought to satisfy the client’s need for a functional workspace, but moreover to create a building that reflected his passion for children’s literature and mythologies. Drawing on the historically intimate relationship between writers and their shed’s, the space was conceived as a haven in the city; a fairy-tale hut at the bottom of the garden where the client could retreat and immerse himself in his work.”

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