Garden office designed around the garden setting
A 3.5m × 3.5m garden office set into an established garden around a willow tree, with French doors, a side window onto an extended deck, and screw piles chosen for the roots.
Garden Spaces has recently completed a bespoke garden office project that balances functionality with sensitivity to its natural surroundings. Measuring 3.5m x 3.5m, the building has been designed to meet the client’s vision of enhancing family life by creating a dedicated workspace, freeing up space within the house, and blending seamlessly into the garden landscape.
From the outset, the client emphasised the importance of integrating the new building into the garden without disturbing its established character-particularly a well-developed willow tree that had to be carefully worked around. While the overall design was left in the capable hands of the Garden Spaces team, the client was clear on their desire for a warm, practical space that offered garden views from multiple angles and invited the outdoors in.
At a glance
- Size: 3.5m × 3.5m.
- Built for: A dedicated workspace, freeing up room in the house.
- Glazing: Wide French doors and a full-height side window looking onto the deck.
- The site: A mature willow and moisture-retentive soil, so screw piles of mixed lengths.
- Company: Garden Spaces, with the side window and deck added during the design.
Designed to integrate with the garden
The finished design features wide French doors on the front elevation, framing views of the garden and allowing natural light to fill the interior. These are paired with a full-height window on the right-hand wall, which looks out onto an extended deck area-an ideal spot for a chair, perfect for coffee breaks in the sunshine.
A deep canopy runs along the front elevation, fitted with downlights to create a welcoming glow after dark and a sheltered threshold during the day. Vertical Western Red Cedar cladding gives the building a timeless, natural character. The cladding wraps around the front and side walls before meeting a durable cement particle board on the rear sections. This board is finished in the same dark grey as the aluminium doors, window frames, and external trims, creating a sleek, cohesive appearance.
As part of their design process, Garden Spaces produce detailed floor plans and 3D models of the proposed building. These visual aids allow clients to understand how the arrangement of glazing will work with the space and see how materials and finishes will come together. It’s a valuable step that helps turn ideas into a clearly visualised structure before any work begins.
Tree-friendly foundations
Given the presence of mature trees and moisture-retentive soil, a screw pile foundation system was chosen for this build. Garden Spaces used a combination of screw lengths to cater for varying ground conditions and root zones, ensuring the structure’s long-term stability while protecting the health of the trees. Several foundation tests were carried out in consultation with trusted suppliers before work began-part of their thorough, site-specific approach.
Unlike some companies that take a one-size-fits-all approach to foundations, Garden Spaces tailor this critical stage of the build to suit the unique characteristics of each site. Their experience means they consider both the immediate ground conditions and the long-term integrity of the foundation-something particularly important when building close to established trees or in areas of high moisture. It’s this level of care that helps ensure their buildings stand the test of time without compromising the garden environment.
Year-round comfort and turnkey service
Internally, the office is finished to a high standard. The plastered and decorated walls and ceiling give it a light, contemporary feel, while the rich, dark laminate flooring adds contrast and warmth underfoot. The highly insulated SIPs core ensures excellent thermal performance throughout the seasons, complemented by a slimline electric radiator to take the edge off on cooler days.
As with all their projects, Garden Spaces managed the build from start to finish as part of their turnkey service, working closely with the client throughout the iterative design process. This collaborative approach allowed for additions such as the side window and extended decking, both of which increase the building’s connection with the surrounding garden.
This project is another example of how Garden Spaces combines their extensive experience with a flexible, client-led approach to create bespoke, ‘fit for purpose’ buildings that are both beautiful and practical.
Learn more about Garden Spaces
If you’re planning a garden office or outdoor room and want a team who will take time to understand your space and work with you on a design that complements your garden, speak to Garden Spaces on 0845 387 9 387 or by emailing info@gardenspaces.co.uk. Explore more of their work at www.gardenspaces.co.uk
