Expert advice on Small Garden Rooms for Small Garden Spaces.

A garden room gives you a stylish and practical space in which to relax, work, play or entertain. Even the smallest room would be an excellent investment that will both enhance your lifestyle and elevate your property.

Why should smaller garden owners give up the dream of having a garden outbuilding? Our Windsor range comes in a variety of sizes including small 3.5×3.7, make sure you have a look and contact us if you want more details or a quote.

Here’s how to create a practical and beautiful garden retreat when space is at a premium:

1. Establish the purpose of the room

As you won’t benefit from much space to work with, it is best to have a single or primary purpose in mind when designing your building. Determine whether your garden room is to be an office, a summer house, a playroom, an art studio or a therapy room.

It is important not to be too ambitious with your plans. If you try to design a building that will serve multiple purposes, it will likely become overly cluttered. A cluttered small room will feel even smaller.

2. Choose the right shape and location

Sometimes the most obvious place to position your garden room isn’t the best option. Take a good look at your garden and think about all possible locations for your building. This includes considering spots that would require removing an existing feature.

While most garden rooms are rectangular, they don’t have to be. Consider the shape of your garden. If it is narrow, choose a building that is deeper than it is wide. But if your garden lacks depth, think about creating a garden room that utilises the entire width. It should be only a few feet deep.

A corner garden room could enable you to use an area of your garden that is currently hidden away, overgrown or taken up by a flower bed. This type of building can be tucked into the smallest and narrowest area of your garden.

3. Think vertically

Most small garden rooms can be constructed under your permitted development rights and so don’t require planning permission. However, there are height restrictions. A higher roof will create the illusion of more space and offer greater vertical space. It could be worth applying for permission to build a garden room of greater height.

Whatever the height of your room, do make the most of the vertical space when you design the interior. Tall storage units or the addition of shelving might make all the difference. You could include suspended decorative features that will lift the room but not impact wall or floor space.

4. Select the right furniture

Your choice of furniture will make or break your garden room. Good options include:

• Multifunctional pieces – these will enable you to include more features in your building without taking up too much of the available floor space. Think about investing in seating that incorporates storage, lift up coffee tables and nesting tables.
• Narrow profiles – source a narrow desk or table, shallow storage units and compact seating. Many furniture ranges now include pieces with narrow profiles that have been designed specifically for smaller rooms.
• Foldable and stackable furniture – invest in tables and chairs that can be folded or stacked when not in use.
• Built-in seating – bench seating that doubles as storage always works well in smaller spaces.
• Modular furniture – pieces that can be rearranged or expanded will give you greater flexibility.

We liked the look of these elegant and stylish pieces at Nkuku

5. Go for minimal aesthetics

Less can certainly prove to be more in small rooms. A minimalist look with clean lines and light, neutral colours will enhance the sense of space. If you crave colour, include bolder tones by adding colourful cushions, rugs and wall art.

6. Kennedy Garden Retreats boost natural light

There’s no doubt that natural light helps to create the feeling of more space. Design a building like our Windsor range to include large areas of glazing. If possible, orientate your building to benefit from as much sunshine as possible. A well-placed mirror will help to reflect light into the room and will create the feeling of depth.

7. Choose underfloor heating

You can free up valuable wall space for furnishings if you install underfloor heating rather than radiators, storage heater or electric heaters. You will benefit from a cosy and warm interior with under floor heating. Better still, you won’t experience those awkward moments when you realise you can’t position furniture ideally because there is a heater in the way.

8. Plan your small garden office in order to succeed

Make sure you plan your tiny garden office, micro garden room, small office pod or however you want to label it. By doing so carefully and attending to every detail, you can give yourself a beautiful and attractive building, even when you are challenged for space. The devil is in the detail, and you will need to think about every aspect of your project. Do this before you commit to a design for your garden room or a location for it. Regardless of the dimensions of your garden, you can create a special addition to your outside space. This could change both the way you live and the appeal of your property.