So, you’ve got your heart set on a beautiful new garden room. But what if your budget and space only allow you to look at the small garden rooms? Fear not, with a few smart ideas, you can make the most of even the smallest, most affordable sized building to give you that bonus extra room you crave.
Whether you’re designing a neat little home gym or a compact home office, there are lots of creative ways to make use of unexpected and often overlooked spaces to introduce storage that will not only maximise your room but can also enhance the look and comfort of your space. Here we’ve used our 10 years expertise crafting hand-built garden studios to bring together our top-25 storage ideas for even the snuggest of snug small garden rooms.
3 Key size-unlimiting factors
Before we talk storage, let’s quickly look at the building itself. Here are a couple of vital space-maximising things to consider before you commit.
1) Budgetary restraints?
We’ve noticed that some of our competitors play a cheap trick. By that we mean, they make themselves sound cheap on paper, but then add all the essentials on as extras. The result? A not-so-cheap overall price. Hence, maybe you’ve decided small garden rooms are all you can afford? Do yourself a favour and look at a few more options. Quality garden room suppliers will ensure that all the important stuff is included in the price. From quality insulation and heating to electrics and painted, plastered walls, all eDEN come finished to a high-standard, as standard and ready to use the minute we leave. As a result, you’ll find we’re surprisingly inexpensive. For those on a tighter budge, checkout the affordable quality Eden Essence Range which comes in a selection of functional pre-designed sizes. Who knows, small might not need to be quite so small after all.
2) No access? No problem.
So, you’ve spoken to a few garden room suppliers, and it seems a lack of, or limited rear access is going to be a major problem? Sorry, but we beg to differ. Those who build with large prefab panels will have issues carrying large objects through your home, thus restricting your building size to only what can be carried through a doorway – small garden rooms. Boo! Look instead for a hand-built garden room supplier. Our eDEN carpenters craft everything on site, so the limit to the size of your building is really only garden space and budget.
3) The indoor-to-outdoor extension.
If you can’t justify building your garden room any larger, there are ways to maximise the useable space in a different way. Quality wraparound decking can be added to small garden rooms to extend your living space outdoors. You could even look into getting a canopy or awning to encourage year-round use.
3 Key space maximising fixtures and fittings
Before your building becomes a reality there are a couple of smart design decisions you can make to help increase a sense of space in all small garden rooms.
4) Underfloor heating
Boost usable wall space in small garden rooms by hiding the heating system under the floorboards.
5) Maximise light
Conversely, although large windows and patio doors will reduce the amount usable wall space available, they also have the benefit of maximising the amount of light that enters your building. Lots of light is a brilliant way to boost your mood and make any room feel bigger.
6) Pre-plan your room layout
Whatever you intend to use your small garden rooms for, make sure you think every element through before you commit. There’s nothing worse than finding out that the only place to put your office desk is right in front of the main door making gaining entry a squeeze. From size and location of your furniture to the position of windows and doors, our team can help you with the pre-planning down to the finer details to help you avoid making costly mistakes that could see you building a garden room that’s too cosy for comfort or simply not fit for purpose.
Smart storage for small garden rooms by usage
Although a good idea is a good idea no matter what sort of room it’s going to be used for, we’ve laid our smartest ideas out room-by-room to help you navigate quickly to what you’re looking for.
Making the most of your home office space
These days home offices are more popular than ever. Small garden rooms are ideal for keeping costs down, but how do you fit in all the necessary equipment without making a snug room feel packed?
7) Make use of every inch with narrow storage
An ideal spot for tucking away your stationery or documents folders is to fill any awkward gaps with a super thin storage unit. You can find some that are so thin you could well forget they’re there!
8) Install a trendy pegboard
Part-noticeboard, part-storage unit, the versatile pegboard has become a design classic in recent years. Available in a range of colours and sizes you can also shop for a range of handy accessories to turn your small garden room’s wall into uber organised vertical storage.
9) Wall-mounted desk unit
Shelving unit and desk in one neat, compact piece of furniture. The wall-mounted desk is another item that will allow you bring style and substance to your home office.
10) Make storage a feature
Have fun with how you store your stationery. Think glass vases, jars or even flowerpots on small shelves to make a feature of colourful pens, post-its or even bulldog clips. Add a few plants here and there to break things up.
11) Smart tech
Reduce visual clutter by investing in some super smart tech. Office hubs like the amazon smart speaker can be set up to remotely control a whole host of appliances via Bluetooth connected smart plugs. For more ideas on how smart tech can help maximise small garden rooms checkout last-month’s connectivity blog.
Maximising multi-use garden buildings
Versatile spaces offer the best of everything. But to keep things flexible you’ll need to keep clutter to a minimum. Here are our clever storage ideas for small garden rooms with multi-use in mind.
12) Shelf-meets-room-divider
Dividing a space with furniture can be a great way to separate multiple room uses. For example, hide clutter from a hobby area and make use of the shelving to store all your essential items too. Why not put your shelving on wheels so it can be pushed back when an area is not in use. Thus freeing up more space in small garden rooms for a relaxing sofa area for down time. Rather than separating the space into two fixed room, temporary room dividers like this also mean you can keep the versatility of the room for longer
13) Choose multi-use chairs
Is it a desk chair? Is it a reading chair? Is it a snoozing chair? Yep! Why not all the above? Avoid the need for excess furniture by finding pieces fit for multiple purposes.
14) Bring out the bureau
Choose a piece of desk furniture purpose-built for tucking itself away. The bureau has been a well-loved writing spot for centuries. But whether you choose an antique or a modern take on a classic, you’ll find they are perfectly suited to small garden rooms of the some-times-office variety.
15) Comfortable hidden storage
Ottoman offer the perfect combination of handy storage space and luxurious comfort. Put your feet up safe in the knowledge that your clutter is cleverly stowed out of sight.
16) Open shelves
Whether for books, documents, photos, objects, plants or a combination of them all, used nicely, open shelving will remove the need for a big boxy piece of furniture. Choose industrial style shelving to give small garden rooms a chic urban vibe.
Inviting entertaining spaces
Small garden rooms don’t have to mean the need to limit on entertaining. If you’ve got your heart set on a flexible space in which to host, then we’ve got the neat storage solutions for you.
17) Build a media wall
Include plenty of storage above, below and beside your big screen entertainment with the use of a full wall of shelves and cupboards. Choose white or lighter coloured wood to encourage light to reflect off the units and thus increasing that sense of space.
18) Use the space under the sofa
If you’re thinking small garden rooms are great for lounging, or even the occasional night’s stay, you’re right. But don’t miss a useful bit of storage space between the legs of your sofa or sofabed. Box storage on wheels designed for under beds are often perfect for this.
19) The compact bar
Small garden rooms call for smart ideas, like a nifty fold-down bar. Ideal for shutting away the booze when not in use, especially if you want your kids to enjoy the space too.
20) Ceiling-mounted tech
If a movie theatre is something you’d like to create, then keep things flexible by installing some tech that’s designed for more occasional use. Office supply shops are a great source of compact wall and ceiling mounted options including pull down projector screens.
21) Think vintage
Whether it’s a Welsh dresser or an antique French sideboard, choose one standout piece of vintage storage to set the tone for the whole space. Allow this to influence your styling and give small garden rooms a sense of opulence while making use of a super handy piece of furniture.
Decluttering home gyms
If you’ve opted for a compact gym, you’ll want to make the most of your workout space and minimise clutter. Try these ideas out for small garden rooms with a focus on fitness.
22) Funky storage (baskets or bags)
A gym doesn’t have to be cold and characterless. Look for some smart, colourful baskets and bags to contain your mess while adding a bit of personality.
23) Use the back of the door
In small garden rooms it can be hard to conjure much usable storage space but don’t overlook the back of your door for a super handy place to store towels, changes of clothing or even lighter gym equipment. Repurpose some colourful hooks and a hanging tie rack for your resistance bands. Hang a whiteboard, chalk board or even cork board to keep sight and track of your training regime.
24) Storage chest
For small garden rooms it’s worth doubling up the use of your storage with a sturdy storage bench or chest. Ideal for bench press ups and bicep dips, you can store away smaller weights, medicine balls and more inside to enjoy a clutter-free workout space.
25) Hooked
If you’ve reinforced your gym floor ready for some heavy-duty exercise, then you’ll have some reasonably hefty equipment lying about. Heavy-duty tool storage hooks are great for hanging mid-weight gym equipment. Make use of the shape to house rolled up yoga mats, skipping ropes and smaller dumbbells or kettle bells.
Well, there you have it. Whether you choose to disguise your storage or look for a one-piece-fits-all-purposes piece, we’re sure that you’ll be able to make the most of your small garden rooms all year round. Speak to one of our eDEN design experts about other ways we can help you make the very best use of the space you have available with a small but perfectly formed quality hand-crafted garden room.
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