she sheds

Photo: Mikael Broms

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She shed. Hen hut. Lady lair.

Call it what you want, the newest iteration of a woman’s private space is looking more and more like a small-but-splendid room built in the backyard. She sheds are mushrooming on properties near and far in a wonderful array of sizes, styles, and uses. From Australia to Alaska, Texas to Ukraine, women are staking claim to a completely personal space to call their own.

The beauty of a she shed is its small footprint, making it easy to fit onto your property and still afford a unique getaway for your creative pursuits—gardening, meditating, reading, painting, or simply hearing yourself think. Most she sheds are built with simplicity at the forefront. They are often not insulated but stocked instead with cozy quilts and pillows. Light is supplied by the sun or maybe by a few battery-operated lights. The idea is to be free of responsibility, using the space to unwind and to do exactly what you want.