No More Hiding In The Bathroom, Get Yourself A She Shed

Summer is almost upon us and as you start to plan family trips, coordinate summer camps and figure out the schedule for your kids’ sports games, you may start to wonder where your chance to recharge and catch your breath fits into your summer plans. If you’re into spas or shopping you can try to squeeze in a couple days for yourself. Or if you’re not a helicopter parent and your kids are old enough, you can send them outside to play. But a new trend is finding women claiming the backyard as their very own oasis. Called a She Shed, women are taking simple tool sheds and transforming them from warm and dusty places filled with spiders into beautiful retreats to get some time alone.

Sandra Foster spoke with Today about her reasons for creating a She Shed. Foster says having her own space has both helped her recharge and has had a positive effect on her marriage.

As of 2010, the average square footage in new homes was just shy of 2400 sq ft. So it does seem a tad excessive to have a She Shed in addition. But men have long been granted permission to have a man cave as their own means of escape from the rest of the family, so perhaps it’s time for women to take the same unapologetic attitude to wanting some space too.

I completely understand the appeal of a She Shed, even if it is extravagant. You know that becoming a parent means baby-proofing the stairs and packing away the knickknacks, but the realities of raising kids– the constant vacuuming, finding sticky hand prints on every surface and the high likelihood of things being destroyed can still catch you off guard. If you have the funds and land to erect a She Shed, this is your chance to have to bring your childhood dreams of living in a dollhouse to life.

The idea that one could have a space of one’s own beyond those 3 feet behind the fridge door and the counter where you scarf your secret Oreos, a place where the decor can be as feminine as you want it to be, where your color palette isn’t limited to whatever will hide peanut butter stains the best or where the soundtrack isn’t Disney Jr. sounds like heaven. If you work from home, a She Shed could be a great way to separate your work life from your home life and find a better balance of the two.

Pinterest is awash with beautiful examples of She Sheds, from the hyper-feminine to the sleek and minimalist. I live in a condo, so a She Shed simply isn’t in the cards for me, but the next time I’m hiding in the bathroom to get a few minutes to myself, I’ll be daydreaming of a tiny retreat filled with prints of Jane Austen quotes, soft, white fabrics and a mini fridge filled with Coke Zero that I don’t have to share.

(image: Dimitar Kunev/Shutterstock.com)