Tucked down the bottom of Lexi's garden, in a miniature woodland of dappled trees, you'll find a luxury shepherd's hut kitted out with its own miniature marble kitchen top, intricate Divine Savages wallpaper and Always Sunday homewares. This isn't glamping as you know it, it's a place for morning coffee in the sunshine and an outdoor cinema spot for starlit summer evenings. Come with us as we tour this unique shepherd's hut that's bound to have you craving an outdoor retreat.
What made you build a shepherd’s hut in the garden?
Originally I had hoped to rent it out and share the beauty of our location; in Bath overlooking the city yet in the lower garden which has the same feeling of wilderness as how it felt to grow up at the lakes in Michigan. I loved the concept of an escape in the middle of the city.
Unfortunately my ability to share this with others was blocked by neighbours but it does serve our family for this purpose and I feel grateful we get to keep it all to ourselves. My husband and I ‘book’ retreat dates there. We bring snacks and pizza, a film projector, lots of wine and pretty much move in to the garden for a few days; sleeping with the doors wide open and huddling around a firepit after supper. Cabin life runs at a slower pace and it’s exactly what we need sometimes.
When’s the best time of year to enjoy a shepherd’s hut?
Has to be summer! It’s so cool under the trees when the leaves are fully out and it creates this beautiful dappled light over the entrance. I find myself drifting down there with my cup of coffee in the mornings when I should be working..
How is it made? Does it have history to it?
It’s actually purchased flat pack from Blackdown Shepherd's Huts which is based in Ilminster in Somerset, not far from us at all. They have about 20 years of carpentry and bespoke building experience and make them to order so it makes it really special. We then customised it even further with Jonny of INC Design and Mr H. Fabrications to get the look we were after.
Which elements of the shepherd's hut were customised?
I wanted to juxtapose the formality of our Georgian townhouse with this rural retreat but have those details you wouldn’t expect in a cabin setting. So it’s got a lot of the same materials like the opulent Divine Savages wallpaper in Botanize Heritage and touches of brass in the switches and Felix Lighting swing lamp.
It begins to feel like a miniature version of our kitchen with the marble behind the Electric Everhot Stove and the custom table that’s a reflection of the heirloom brass table, except we put a hidden cutlery space in it and exposed shelving styled with vintage decor; a rustic cabincore version of the open shelving in the house.
And what history does it have? Well, just the history we’re making in it!
Want to get Lexi's Shepherd's Hut aesthetic? We've curated a collection of Lexi's Favourites to get this lake cabin look in your own home.
