Multi-Use Garden Room in Essex by Eden Garden Rooms
Published: 1 September 2026
Reading Time: 2 minutes 20 seconds
Working with a company that designs each building from scratch means the internal layout is yours to decide. Where the walls go, how many rooms there are, and whether those rooms stay separate or open into one another are all part of the design conversation rather than a choice from a standard set of plans.
This Essex project by Eden Garden Rooms is a good example of what that allows. The building measures 7.5m x 4m and carries three uses: a gym, a music room, and a changing area for the family's outdoor pool.
Three Spaces Under One Roof
The two main rooms sit side by side facing the garden, each with its own set of aluminium French doors. The smaller room is 2.5m wide and 3.7m deep. The larger room is 3m wide at the back and 4.6m at the front, which creates the space for a 3.2m wide set of French doors with sidelights that look out over the family garden.
The changing area takes the far corner of the larger room, at 1.5m x 2.5m. It sits next to a glazed door on the side of the building nearest the pool, so wet feet and swimwear arrive there rather than through the gym or the music room.
Doors That Turn Two Rooms Into One
Between the two main rooms is a pair of oak sliding pocket doors. Closed, they give two independent rooms. As the owner puts it, "I can exercise whilst my son plays the drums next door." Open, they disappear into the wall and the two rooms read as a single space running most of the length of the building.
Eden Garden Rooms have taken a similar approach before, on a 3m tall garden gym in Streatham where internal doors let the weights room and the cardio room work as one space or two. Sliding doors rather than swing doors keep the floor clear either side of the opening, which means you have more flexibility when positioning furniture.
Cedar, Anthracite Grey and a Plastered Interior
The exterior is signature Eden Garden Rooms. Vertical Western Red Cedar cladding, anthracite grey aluminium door and window frames, and a grey fascia running round the flat roof. You can see more examples of this styling in the archive of articles we have written about their work.
Inside, the walls and ceilings are plastered and decorated, with wood-effect flooring and recessed downlights running through both of the main rooms. Keeping the finish identical on each side of the partition is part of why they read as one room when the doors are open.
This project showcases how working with a team that takes the time to understand how you will use the building creates a space the family can enjoy all year round.
Learn More
Eden Garden Rooms build bespoke garden rooms in a contemporary style, hand-built on site using a multi-layer insulated timber frame system. Based in Kent, the family-run team work across the south of England. To find out more or to discuss your own garden room, visit edengardenrooms.co.uk, call 0800 093 5339, or book a design call at edengardenrooms.co.uk/book-a-discovery-call
