Turn Your Garden Shed Into A Sanctuary

OK, ideally your sanctuary would be a converted entertainment room in the house where you put in a pool table, maybe your own big screen TV, etc. But if you already have a garden shed out back – why not convert that? Sure, you may have to build another (smaller shed) for some of your odds and ends that just won’t fit anymore into your new sanctuary, but its well worth that sacrifice.

Everyone has their own reasons for making their own retreat but for our purposes here, this will be for solitude and relaxation since garden sheds are usually pretty small. You’ll have to have electricity though – this is a MUST. I would recommend hiring this out to a licensed electrician (if it isn’t already wired).

Plan your space well by putting it down on paper. Draw everything to scale. Place your flat screen TV (yes, this is a must, too) somewhere where there isn’t going to be sunlight bouncing directly off of it. From there, it will be easy to place your viewing chair. Personally, I like recliners but they do require more space.

Once you have the necessities planned out, start with a clean slate and remove everything from the shed. It is still a shed after all, so shelves and even a fold up work bench are perfectly acceptable. Shelving between studs work great for a your smaller items and it saves on a lot of space since the shelves don’t stick out.

Adding an area rug is also a requirement (for me, at least). Not only do they give your shed a more finished look that you would want to actually spend time in, but also it helps deaden sound. I like to have a rug that leaves about a foot of space all the way around to the walls. It gives the room a look as if it were carpeted. Your lighting should not be overlooked. I try to keep as many items off the floor as possible so I hang lights from the rafters.

Since function is really important in smaller spaces, you shouldn’t go overboard with decorations. There might not be much room left once you have your TV up, your recliner in place and your space saving refrigerator put in. Now you can enjoy that game (I mean, shed). So sit back, relax and enjoy some solitude.

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