Although storage sheds are known for their utilitarian practicality of storing tools or serving as a workshop, they also frequently double as a creator space. Many artists, writers, and crafters enjoy converting their storage sheds into a creative studio where they can hone their craft.

Not only does having a detached, dedicated workspace away from the distractions of your home aid in the creative process, it also allows you to configure this hobby shed to your exact needs. Your studio shed can either be dedicated to a single creative pursuit or it can serve as a place to practice many hobbies, including music, sewing, painting, and more.

No matter what use you choose for your artist studio, there are a few features every hobby shed must have:

Electrical Hook-Ups: Hire an electrician to connect your shed to your main structure’s electrical panel so you can indulge in amenities like WiFi, overhead lighting, and an HVAC system.
Plenty of Natural Light: Equip your shed with plentiful windows for lots of natural light. With a custom made shed, you can place these windows wherever you’d like along your walls. You might even consider a glass-paneled door.

Shelving & Storage Units: Floating shelves, wall racks, or even a loft setup (if you have a gambrel-style shed) are all useful shed organization solutions to storing the tools of your trade – as well as showcasing any completed projects.

Ample Square Footage: Popular sizes for art studio sheds include 8×10, 10×12, or 12×20. These also allow room for growth as your completed projects begin to pile up.

With that said, here are a few ways to gear your shed toward various creative uses, and the add-ons that can help enhance the experience.

Artists’ Studio

Whether you’re a painter, sculptor, or pottery maker, an artist shed provides plenty of room for your necessary equipment. You can easily house your easel, kiln, or sculpting station in an 8×10 shed or larger. Invest in industrial shelving units to keep items like canvases and clay.

For pottery tools, you can use a magnetic bar to cleanly adhere them to the walls of your storage shed and save floor or surface space. Make sure to install an overhead fan or window A/C unit to keep the space well-ventilated so your work can properly dry.

Writers’ Retreat

Rather than escaping to a cabin in the woods to complete your next manuscript, why not escape directly to your backyard? You can easily create a writers’ shed environment by situating a small desk with room for your laptop in the space. Place a small armchair in one corner as a place to sit and read between writing jaunts.

You can also line your writers’ shed with bookshelves along one wall as a way to store literary inspiration.

Crafting Nook

When not used as a painting studio, perhaps the second most common artistic purpose for a shed is as a crafting nook. A storage shed is a great spot for setting up your sewing machine, knitting, and other hands-on projects. Equip the walls of your storage shed with pegboards that hold hooks, wire baskets, and cups.

Then, you can use the pegboard as an all-in-one storage solution for items like yarn, thread, scissors, textiles, stencils, hot glue guns, and more.