Ark Design/Build are making a name for themselves designing contemporary style garden offices in Kent and South East England. We have featured several examples recently:
- Micro garden office, a 3m x 2m building that was supplied complete with data cabling to plug in and play.
- Thermowood garden office. A stylish finish, Thermowood is a durable cladding finish that can be more cost-effective than Cedar.
- Garden office shed combo - this 5m x 3m houses two distinct uses under one well-designed roof.
One garden building, two uses
Like the last example in the list above, this recent project by the Ark Design/Build team is a home office with secret storage room. In this case, the building is slightly bigger at 5m wide by 3.5m deep. A partitional wall divides the space into two rooms.
The main office space is accessed via a 3-leaf set of bi-fold doors. The doors and windows used in this project are black uPVC. Black finishes are becoming a popular alternative to Anthracite Grey which has been the fashion for the last few years. Like the grey, the black finish offers a sharp contrast with Cedar cladding, as has been used on this project.
The office space features a laminate wood floor and fully plastered and decorated walls and ceiling. This bounces the light around the room, perfect for a workspace. A narrow rectangular window has been fitted high in the rear wall. This is a clever design trick. Such windows might not frame the best views in the garden, but they let in extra light and can be easily opened to let air into the room.
Secret storage room
Alongside the office, sits a storage room. This is accessed via its own 'secret' door which has been finished in the same cladding as the walls. Incorporating storage into a garden office design is becoming more and more popular. It is not only practical but streamlines the garden meaning you don't have to have additional sheds etc.
Composite entrance deck
A composite wood deck has been fitted along the front elevation of the building, creating an entrance to both rooms. Composite decking is becoming more and more popular with designers as it does not require maintenance to retain its colour and does not become slippery as wooden decking can.
A complete project
The Ark Design/Build team handled the whole project for their clients from the installation of the foundation to the final connection of the electrics to the mains supply. The Ark Design/Build team pride themselves on no hidden extras, so the package includes heating and Cat6 data cabling for reliable internet connections.
