Why not staycation in the back yard? Photos by Brad Dillon Photography
In a time where staycationing is the new vacationing, what better way to retreat in the summer than a little oasis in the backyard!
The She Shed has become an outdoor decor dream in recent years. You can hardly scroll Pinterest during the spring without coming across inspired images of tiny backyard cottages. Whether used for a potters paradise, nightly back yard tiki hut, or cozy reading nook, whatever its purpose who wouldn't want a little creative space of their own?
Originally called The Boat House, the project began as a space to house the kayaks year-round. It's been a number of years since we turned two old sheds on our property into what is now known as The She Shed. Lit only by twinkle lights and a repurposed old chandelier, she's not hard-wired and has no heat but with a very small budget and lots of repurposed materials my little space became the highlight of summer.
The original shed from the previous owners sat in our backyard as a storage shed attached to a smaller shed for yard tools and gardening items. A lot of landscaping was left to do on our property but the large shed was no longer serving a purpose.
With the help of friends we punched a hole in the side and repurposed a larger window in the side for extra light. The neighborhood squirrels were given their eviction notice and then we got to it with a whole lot of white paint!
We used as much repurposed materials as we could. The workbench at the back of the shed was taken apart and rebuilt for the Margaritaville margarita maker and bar. And what furniture wasn't taken from the left behind furniture in the basement of our house (think 1970's bar!) was purchased on auction.
The doors are often open to the yard during celebrations and people mill about inside and out and around the firepit. The metal wood shelf was too heavy to move so we painted it a sunny yellow to match the rest of the shed.
Our first pallet project was the bench sofa. 4 pallets and a little trial and error, the only large expenditure was four patio lounge chair cushions tied with ribbons for upholstery and a few outdoor cushions from Walmart.
This summer's project is to give her a little TLC and a few small upgrades. It's been a couple of years since we've opened her up for a good time. Hopefully after a long spring spent indoors, we can welcome friends again and those long Labrador summer nights.
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~Shelley