A garden studio, the perfect work from home space

All types of people and businesses are working from an insulated garden studio sited at the end of the garden. Designers like JML Garden Rooms in Scotland can design their buildings around the specific needs of your work, creating the perfect workspace, with all the benefits of working from home, but with the distinction of still leaving the house to go to work.

Work from home studio by JML Garden Rooms

JML Garden Rooms designed and built this 9sqm garden studio for Glasgow based textile designer Laura Spring who has worked on commissions for the V&A Dundee amongst others.

A garden studio helps with juggling work & family life

Designer Laura Spring in her JML Garden Room

Laura wanted to create a designated workspace at home as she juggles the roles of mother and designer. She wanted to cut out the commute into Glasgow, and having worked from a room inside her house before, looked to a sunny spot in her garden as a place to set up her new design studio. Having the discipline of going out of the house to work helps Laura, as she explains:

“I knew I didn’t want to work in a room in the house as I have done this in the past and it just didn’t work for me. I realise it’s important to me to be able to walk, even just a few steps into a different building, somewhere I can shut the door at the end of the day, turn off the light and leave in a total mess if I want to, without seeing it again until the next morning.

It definitely allows me to have a much healthier relationship with my work, something I think is important in order to be successful as there is always something to do when running your own business. I find this arrangement is the best way for me to keep a healthy work/life balance as much as possible.”

Choosing a garden studio that will be warm

Work from home studio designed for year round use by JML Garden Rooms

Laura doesn't like being cold, so she wanted to be sure her work from home building would be warm in winter. She chose to work with JML Garden Rooms because they use highly insulated SIP's panels as the core structure of their buildings. Because of the way SIP's are designed, they create an envelope of insulation around the building.

The multi-layer build-up of JML Garden Rooms, and performance glazing in the doors and windows, means they will be a warm place to work in the winter months, yet stay cool in the summer months.

“I can’t bear working in the cold, so the quality of insulation was high on my agenda and I’ve found the studio heats up very quickly and stays cosy. As a designer, the space I work in is incredibly important to me. Aesthetically the garden room fits in with my taste and the amazing silence the insulated walls give are ideal to focus my mind. I love that I can have the doors open wide in summer and feel like I’m almost working outside. My dog Chips is also very happy about this new working arrangement: he loves sitting, watching and smelling the activities in the garden, all from the luxury of his studio bed!”

Garden design studio by JML Garden Rooms

Laura chose a Lowlander 1 building from the JML Garden Rooms range. This offers an internal footprint of 3.6m x 2.8m, which is by no means huge, but the smart way Laura has worked with a cabinet maker friend has maximised every inch of space.

Floor plan of the garden studio by JML Garden Rooms

The inside of the studio has been fitted out with lots of storage

Having a dedicated space to work from has given Laura the freedom to grow her award-winning business alongside maintaining her family life. “Working with JML was so easy,” concludes Laura, “They were all so friendly and helpful from the very beginning to the final sign over. I loved the fact they took care of everything as I didn’t want to have to project manage it myself. I couldn’t believe the speed they built it in, and there was minimal mess or fuss, it was seamless from start to finish.”