Dutch studio LMNL office [for architecture and landscape] has designed a simple shed that doubles as a studio on a local property in Brabant, The Netherlands. The project, called Studio Shed, is the firm’s second commission for the clients. In 2018, the firm designed the property's main house as well as the 4000m2 garden.

The shed is a simple rectangular form of 7.5 by 13 meters. It anchors the garden while shielding it from the predominant southwest winds. The contemporary aesthetic recalls the design elements from the primary house, with each design decision carefully considered for function, simplicity, and adaptability. The design of Studio Shed references the typical wooden sheds of the area, with their horizontal wooden siding, which is typically black or dark green. The horizontal cladding is something we choose to bring back in the design, partially in wood, and partially in custom earth color baked clay tiles that match the hue of the main house. The main house is a contemporary interpretation of the Dutch farmhouse typology, with brick walls and a thatch roof, but in that case, we modified the form to fit the client’s needs and make it more modern.  In the case of the shed we choose to play with materiality rather than form.

The shed is made of prefabricated timber frame panels filled with Gutex wood-fibre insulation, providing a lightweight biobased vapor-permeable shell. To provide connection to the landscape the architects installed sliding doors into a large opening on one side of the building. Hidden double garage doors make up the other main facade. A Paulownia tomentosa tree is set off by the earth-tone clay tiles.

The cladding - both roof and facades - is made of bespoke colored clay tiles developed especially for the project by Petersen Tegl in Denmark. The shade was produced to respond to the bricks used on the main house, while giving the shed its own identity. A soft earthen color to pick up on the IJssel bricks and grey accents to pick up the grey of the paving in the garden. The two end facades are clad with sustainably produced Accoya wood, pre-stained grey to prevent uneven ageing. Inside the shed is finished with whitewashed pine panels which were also used to make the kitchen and other built-in storage under the staircase. Color accents chosen by the clients are used on the doors, kitchen backsplash and staircase.

Started in 2017, LMNL office [for architecture and landscape] is led by partners Robert van der Pol and Erica Chladová. Other projects by the firm include a bespoke CLT house with the world’s first biobased vapor permeable CLT/thatch roof buildup, and a biobased sustainable renovation of a small 19th century house in Rotterdam.

Photography is by Loes van Duijvendijk