Friday Finery: Gothic garden office windows

This week's Finery comes from the Posh Shed Company whose Victorian Gothic-inspired windows are not only very attractive but also UV-efficient and double-glazed. 

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Friday posts are sponsored by Warwick Buildings, manufacturers of outstanding quality timber buildings. Click here for more information.

 

Kitting out your new greenhouse

As we've mentioned before on Shedworking, greenhouses can be used as part of a garden office lifestyle. Cheshire-based family-run White Cottage Greenhouses have been in touch with some suggestions about important details to consider when setting up your greenhouse space (pictured above is its Arley model):

Cedar staging and shelving
 
Having a decent area to work and display your plants and crops is essential in any kind of greenhouse whether it’s a working house or used more for entertaining and relaxing. Staging, at table height, is needed to allow you to easily work with and display your plants. Shelving can help you to maximise the space in your greenhouse and is specifically needed for trailing species. Using staging and shelving of different levels also enhances the beauty of your greenhouse. Plants are elevated and precious species can be seen and displayed clearly.

Shading and climate control
 
Shades and blinds help to regulate the temperature and light levels inside a greenhouse and prevent plants being burnt by intense sunlight or affected by harmful UV rays.

Lighting
 
As well as lighting the interior for working, artificial light in a greenhouse helps with plant growth. Artificial light can support plants when natural sunlight is insufficient. This can extend daylight hours, improve plant productivity, and help enable year-round production.

Window boards
 
Used to cover the top surface of the brickwork inside the greenhouse, window boards create attractive internal windowsills. A beautiful design detail in their own right, window boards also provide an extra surface for small pots, accessories or tools.

Floor grates
 
Cast-iron floor grates add a beautiful period design detail to greenhouse floors. They also serve a number of useful functions. Floor grates (if placed over a drainage channel) improve drainage, enhance ventilation, and help maintain cleanliness by preventing water buildup and allowing dirt to be swept away.

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Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master, bespoke garden rooms and offices designed, manufactured and installed throughout the UK

 

How has hybrid working affected city centres?

An interesting report from Centre for Cities suggests, perhaps unsurprisingly, that debit and credit card transactions show hybrid working has led to the UK’s city centres taking a lower share of weekday spending than before the pandemic.

Centre for Cities – a research and policy organisation which aims to improve the UK’s urban economies –  compared in-person spending in 2019 and 2024 by city centre workers in London and nine other large UK cities, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.

It found weekday spending shifted away from city centres to workers’ home neighbourhoods during that period. The largest shift was in groceries purchases, and the share of spending in pubs, bars and eateries saw a modest shift from city centres to areas within a short distance of workers’ homes.

After-work socialising in London is now most likely to happen on a Thursday in 2024. In 2019, Fridays accounted for the highest share of all city-centre workers’ pub and bar spending, 25 per cent, falling to under a fifth in 2024. This corresponds with higher office attendance rates on Thursdays.

Across all other large UK cities, the share of pub and bar spending happening from Monday to Friday was lower in 2024 than before the Covid pandemic. Saturday has become by far the most popular day accounting for almost one in every £3 spent in pubs and bars.

Andrew Carter, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities said: “The data shows that hybrid working patterns have had a knock-on impact on spending by workers in city centres, with a likely impact on the takings of shops, bars and restaurants. As the world of work continues to change, where we end up in terms of days in the office will have implications for how vibrant the high streets around our offices will be.”

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Wednesday posts are sponsored by Booths Garden Studios, the UK's No.1 supplier of zero maintenance and portable garden studios

 

New beach huts improve Southsea accessibility

Portsmouth's first accessible beach huts have been installed on Southsea seafront by Portsmouth City Council which says the event marks "a significant step towards inclusivity and accessibility at the beach".

Available for booking through its Seafront Services, these specially designed beach huts are equipped with amenities including a kettle, fridge, cupboard, deck chairs, and decorative items, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable experience for all visitors.

Key features of the accessible beach hut include an accessible path leading down the beach towards the sea, and ramps providing entry from the promenade into the beach hut.

Laura Collinson from the Accessible Beach Campaign group said: “I’m so pleased that Portsmouth City Council have installed these accessible beach huts. Our campaign group has been asking for better access and it’s great to see the results. The shingle beach makes access to the water extremely difficult but we are working towards making this happen with the PCC seafront team."

Cllr Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council said: “It’s great to be able to offer these accessible beach huts. Through these projects we are making sure that when people need additional help to live their lives, it is there for them. This is a really important step into making Portsmouth accessible and inclusive for all."

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Monday posts are sponsored by Cosy Garden Rooms, the UK's No. 1 bespoke garden room designer and builder. 

 

Friday Finery: garden room with cantilever canopy

The Shedworking team has been admiring the look of this garden office from BGR Designs all week. Yes, it's got a rather nice corner bifold and door, but it's the canopy design extending over the decking area that's been impressing us with its copper rain chain detail. 

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Friday posts are sponsored by Warwick Buildings, manufacturers of outstanding quality timber buildings. Click here for more information.

 

Bespoke artist’s studio in Cambridge

Another good example of how small spaces are as good for garden offices as enormous ones. This insulated bespoke artist's studio comes from Cosy Garden Rooms, and measures 3.5m x 2.1m. As you can see, inside there is plenty of space for a desk, easel, comfortable chair, an storage for artist supplies. A roof lantern gives the room loads of natural light, and outside a green roof offers an eco-friendly feature.

The exterior has a two-tone colour scheme, Monetary Taupe to the front and left, Anthracite on the back, right, and footer. There's also a 300mm overhang. Inside, there are white grooved walls, and light grey laminate flooring plus a discreet wall-mounted infrared heater.

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Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master, bespoke garden rooms and offices designed, manufactured and installed throughout the UK

Cabin Master and Arctic Cabins partner British Speedway

Nottingham-based BBQ Cabin manufacturer and installer Arctic Cabins and Cabin Master have become Premiership Partners with British Speedway for the coming season.

Arctic Cabins has a long history of involvement in speedway, from sponsorship of Youth riders through to fully-fledged Premiership stars. In 2022 they sponsored Great Britain in the FIM Speedway of Nations, before starting a full-scale partnership arrangement in the following season. That support will now extend to the British Speedway Premiership.

Managing Director Gareth Parkinson said: “We’re really excited about our new partnership with the Premiership, building on the relationship we have established with the GB Speedway Team. We know how much determination there is to see the sport move forward, and we’re looking forward to being a part of that.”

Like sister company Arctic Cabins, Cabin Master which specialises in bespoke garden offices and garden rooms, has been fully supportive of speedway at all levels over recent years.

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Wednesday posts are sponsored by Booths Garden Studios, the UK's No.1 supplier of zero maintenance and portable garden studios