A Modern Shepherd’s Hut

Have you ever dreamed of having a space of your very own where you could read, blog, paint – whatever you’d love to spend a lazy Sunday doing?  For years, I have been in love with not only the idea of having my own little corner, but having my little corner completely separate from the rest of the house.

I was beyond excited when I stumbled on a UK company called Plankbridge and couldn’t wait to share their creations with you.  Shepherds’ huts are becoming an incredibly popular, mobile solution for a space of your own in the UK.  Companies like Plankbridge are restoring old huts, using refurbished materials, and building entirely new huts.  They’re so inspiring.

Shall we take a look?

hut by the creek

Then when you’re ready to move your hut back to town, well this next picture just cracks me up.

movable homeI imagine most people have bathrooms bigger than these little rooms.  That’s where the challenge of simplicity comes in.  If you or I had one of these little extra rooms, we’d have to decide what we would most want in our little retreat.

desk by window

And then we could make up little rules about who would be allowed in our little clubhouse like we were little kids all over again.

simple office

Secret meetings, smuggling our favorite snacks from the kitchen, deciding who gets to drive the tractor when we want to move the hut next…

Inspired by the shepherds’ huts used in the 19th and 20th centuries, many of today’s huts still have iron wheels and corrugated iron roofs and sometimes walls.  They still have windows on both the front and back, which shepherds needed to keep an eye on their flocks.  The kitchen/living area/sleeping area that were once rolled into one, crowded space have now become a luxurious, simple space.

simple living roomThe only problem is the lack of heat.  Some of you might think of air conditioning, but around here, it’s all about the winter heat.  We have some friends who rented an apartment with a little coal burning stove like the one below.  It was the only heat source they had in the house, and it sounded so romantic to get up and stock the oven every morning.

wood burning stove

Well apparently, a little coal burning stove is far from romantic.  Far, far, far.  All they could do was laugh one of those, “If only we knew…” kind of chuckles.  But it’s summer now – I think we all try to block out the frigid weather, which is why I am so completely in love with a little hut.  Hope you liked the tour as much as me!

Now where should we look next week?  Let me know if you know any unique homes.

(Images from Plankbridge)