Why I’m Dreaming of a Garden Office. And Yes, It’d Have a Coffee Bar
There’s a specific kind of chaos that comes from trying to work from home when your “office” is also the laundry room, the snack station, and on Wednesdays the dog’s indoor racetrack. The dream? A quiet, leafy escape at the end of the garden. A desk with legroom. Windows that open. A coffee machine that doesn’t beep passive-aggressively after every shot.
Lately, I’ve found myself deep in the Pinterest trenches, daydreaming about a garden office. And it turns out I’m not alone. A whopping 31% more people are looking into garden rooms this year, and it’s easy to see why: moving is expensive, extensions are a nightmare, and garden rooms? Well, they’re fast to install, stylish, and make your WFH setup feel less like survival and more like an upgrade.
So, what’s the big deal about working from a garden office?
Why Garden Offices Are Suddenly Everywhere
According to Green Retreats, the UK’s garden office scene is booming, and not just because we’re all fed up with Zoom calls from the spare room. With house prices still eye-watering and the property market wobbling, many people are choosing to stay put and improve their current space.
Garden rooms, especially the insulated, year-round-use kind, have become the upgrade of choice. They don’t just add square footage, they add freedom. Freedom to work without distractions. Freedom to shut the door at 5pm and not stare at your monitor while eating dinner. Freedom to create a space that’s yours, and creates the important divide between home and work.
And compared to the cost (and soul-crushing admin) of moving house, they’re actually… kind of sensible? Installing a garden office can cost less than the fees, stamp duty, and removals you’d cough up just to move down the road.
My Dream Garden Office Setup
Personally, my perfect garden office would have:
Double doors that open out onto a small (but smug) decking area
A desk with actual legroom, not wedged between the washing baskets
One of those Scandi-style armchairs that looks like it belongs in an architecture magazine
A built-in coffee bar with a grinder, espresso machine, and enough beans to survive the apocalypse
Wi-Fi so strong I can finally stop tethering to my phone during Teams calls
Oh, and maybe a TV. Obviously.
Is It Actually Worth It?
In my opinion, yes. For people working remotely full-time, or even just a few days a week, working from a garden office is like giving your work-life balance a long-overdue therapy session.
““A garden room isn’t just an extension—it’s a lifestyle upgrade,””
He’s not wrong. The average install takes just a few days (versus months for an extension), it doesn’t disrupt your actual house, and it adds value to your property if/when you do eventually sell. It's flexible too, office by day, yoga or chill-out room by night. Or in my case, chance to actually watch what I want to watch!
People are using them as home gyms, creative studios, even guest rooms. But for us remote workers? It’s the perfect “I need to be alone with my deadlines and espresso” hideaway.
Would I love to be writing this from a sleek, timber-clad garden office with underfloor heating and a La Marzocco on the counter? Absolutely. Am I currently sharing desk space with a pile of washing and a pile of dirty dishes in my peripheral? Also yes.
If you're weighing up whether a garden office is worth the investment, it might help to first understand what a typical home office setup costs. I broke down everything, from desks to chairs to some creature comforts in a guide on how much it really costs to set up a home office?
