The She Shed: How to Create Your Own Outdoor Oasis

30 seconds in a woman’s mind:

• My sister is still waiting on my reply about who will host Thanksgiving this year.
• I need to balance my checkbook since Sam added the NFL Ticket to my subscription.
• Jr is just like his daddy: Too. Much. Toilet Paper. I need to buy a stronger plunger. 
• I still need to menu plan this week to keep my health kick rolling. 
• I need to come up with a super cute, healthy, creative non-dairy/gluten free/nut free/non GMO/non perishable/dye-free/perfectly themed snack that you can tie up with a pink bow for Susie’s preschool party. 
• How does Amy keep her hair so bouncy? Mental note to ask for her stylists phone number. 
• Apparently Fido ate Jr’s new football…. and then threw it up in the living room. 
• Don’t forget to RSVP to the Smith’s wedding. And buy them a gift. And get a sitter. And do dry cleaner drop off.
• My legs look killer in these shorts.
• The water pressure keeps going really low. Mental note to learn about residential well stuff
• Need to buy 3 birthday gifts for this weekend. 
• Don’t forget I’m volunteering at church on Sunday. 
• Need to find educational summer camps for the kids so they don’t memorize Sponge Bob again
• Did I turn off the flat iron? I never got a chance to use it anyway… better run upstairs and check. 
• Why didn’t Ashley invite me to her birthday party 15 years ago? Mental note to creep on her Facebook.
• Jr just realized he can reach the fridge water. Need to buy more towels. 
• We should do a staycation this year.
• I need to finish that project today or my boss is going to have a cow.
• I’m out of milk.
• Should I ignore the broken dining chair and just hope nobody sits in it?
• Do I really need to shave this week?

All the things. ALL the time. That’s how a woman’s brain works.

Men already compartmentalize with ease (hello, waffles and spaghetti!). A man cave is just icing on the cake.
But women? Our minds are spaghetti. Everything is overlapping. We are thinking about ALL THE THINGS. ALL THE TIME.

Sometimes, the only way to turn it off, is to get away. But Cancun is far is you’re the taxi to soccer practice in 2 hours.
Solution? The storage building in your backyard!

It’s not about the size. It’s about what you do with it. (That’s what she shed!)

Behold!

The SHE SHED!

A little work and refurbishing on your existing backyard shed, and your garden sanctuary awaits. In perfect

The Basics

Before you can begin any sort of renovations on your shed, you need to empty it out first. Chances are good that you’ll find all sorts of long-forgotten knick-knacks in there so this is also a good opportunity to get rid of things you don’t need or don’t use anymore. 

Once that’s taken care, it’s time to get painting. 

A Fresh Coat of Paint  

Before you can choose the best colors for both the interior and exterior of your she shed, you’ll need to know what you want to use the space for first. Luckily, a little color psychology can help here. 

• Red: the color of passion, red is associated with love, warmth, and comfort. Red is a good choice if you’re looking to create a warm or exciting space. 
• Blue: a calming color, blue has also been proven to make people more productive, making it the perfect color of choice for a home office. 
• Green: symbolizing nature, tranquility, fertility, and jealousy, green has been shown to affect people in a range of ways including improving reading comprehension and relieving stress, which makes green perfect for a calming backyard retreat. 
• Yellow: warm, cheery, and energetic, yellow can be used to create feelings of excitement and happiness. Yellow does reflect more light than any other color though, so don’t use too bright of a shade.  
• Orange: A combination of yellow and red, orange is an exciting, energetic color used to draw attention. Frequently associated with enthusiasm, autumn, and, orange could be a good color if you plan on working out in your she shed. 
• Pink: associated with romance and femininity, pink is proven to have a calming effect on people. Pink could just be the perfect she shed color. 

While choosing an interior color can be difficult, the exterior color of your she shed should resemble that of your home. If your house is white you don’t have to choose white specifically but you should at least try and stick to a lighter shade of your chosen color (a light pink or sky blue for instance). 

Style Guide 

Once you’ve got a fresh coat of paint on your shed, it’s time for the fun part: decorating! Depending on your budget and/or sense of adventure, you can use either new or refurbished furniture to transform your now-colorful she shed into a warm, inviting space. Some of the must-haves include: 

• A comfy couch, loveseat, or futon for all your relaxation needs. 
• If you’ll be using your she shed as a home office, be sure to pick up a desk and chair. 
• Shelves for books and decorations. 
• Art and/or mirrors to spruce up those freshly painted walls. 
• Plenty of plants; real or fake, plants will help make your she shed feel more homey and alive. 
• Pillows galore! 

No Shed? No Problem 

Don’t worry if you don’t have a shed, or even a backyard for that matter; your she shed can be just as easily be a she-attic, she-basement, or she-spare room. Wherever you decide to build your she shed, everything in this guide still applies to you.