A Compact Shed Makes Room for Storage, Creativity and Style
There's just one problem with this shed: It's too cool. "I've found that I just sit inside the space, look around and think about how cool it is more than actually creating something," says homeowner Chris Sewell.
The sunny Santa Barbara, California, shed serves many purposes: It acts as a buffer between the street and the backyard, stores and hides trash cans, and has a workspace. Sewell and his wife, Kenny Osehan, the owners of three Southern California inns and a restaurant that they redesigned and rebranded, wanted a structure to meet their needs and look good to boot. Designer Alex Wyndham built it with FSC-certified redwood, salvaged windows and clear plastic siding. Storage, a workspace a hidden spot for trash cans and even a little patio checked off everything on this couple's wish list.
Project at a Glance
Who lives here: Chris Sewell and wife Kenny Osehan
Location: Santa Barbara, California
Size: 90 square feet, including the porch
Budget: $5,000, split between labor and materials
Project duration: 2 weeks
Construction: Johnny Gill
Sewell found the brass art piece on the front of the shed at a Florida thrift store 15 years ago. "It added an ornamental aspect to the shed that I felt was the icing on the cake," he says.
The couple uses the shed to dabble in everything from painting to wrapping presents to potting plants. A glass wall in the main house inspired the shed's Plexiglas roof and wall. The corrugated, ecofriendly plastic's blue tint neutralizes the Santa Barbara sun; the filtered light makes the shed feel like a greenhouse. Despite the plentiful Southern California sunshine, Wyndham knew that the north-facing, shaded site wouldn't get too hot or uncomfortable.
A patio Wyndham built at the back of the shed makes the little building feel larger and gives the couple a shady spot for enjoying their backyard view. Salvaged windows swing out to welcome cool breezes inside.
The couple saved money on the horizontal window in the back, found at the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore for about $30. Wyndham turned the narrow window sideways to frame a mountain view. "Every time I'm in this space, I think to myself how genius of an idea on his part this was," Sewell says, "and what a shame it would have been to work in the shed while looking at a wall instead of the beautiful mountain."
Simple pegboards and shelves store tools and art materials for the owners' projects. The deep countertop has plenty of room for working on art, garden and fixer-upper projects. "I wanted my wife to be able to be messy and creative without me coming behind her with a broom and dustpan … even though I still kind of do this," says Sewell.
Wyndham tucked the couple's three large residential garbage bins under the interior countertop. The doors on the front slide open to reveal the three cans.
"It was mandatory for me to work with someone who had a clean, modernist's vision but with an organic sensibility," says Sewell.
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