Although they're inherently practical, there's something romantic about garden sheds and outbuildings. As extra spaces, they're not required to meet the basic needs of a main home. As demonstrated here, a shed can really be whatever you want it to be.
Collected from the Gardenista Gallery of nearly 4,000 images, here are some of our favorite sheds and outbuildings:
Above: Author Tricia Foley sets up shop as The New General Store several times a year in a small barn near her 1820s summer home on Long Island. It's an idyllic country setting for her idyllic country wares. Read more about Foley's venture in Shopper's Diary: The New General Store by Tricia Foley, and take a look at 28 charming Summer Homes in our gallery.
Above: A rustic shed on Beetlebung Farm, a haven of organic produce and communal dinners near Martha's Vineyard. Read more about the outdoor soirees in A Starlit Greenhouse Dinner, Martha's Vineyard Edition. We love the part-practical, part-nostalgic artwork pinned to the shed's walls; find more like it by browsing Botanical Art in our gallery.
Above: One of our all-time favorite sheds is this plywood and oak masterpiece in North London that functions as a workspace and library complete with retractable doors that open onto the garden. Read more about it in A Writing Shed in the Garden and browse 41 more images of Work Studios in our gallery.
Above: A stone barn in Chester County, Pennsylvania dating from 1820 was stabilized and outfitted with a new cedar shake roof, wood siding, and windows. Read about the restoration of all four buildings on the property in A Stone Barn Saved from Subdivision, and browse 124 gallery images of Stone in gardens indoors and out.
Above: We love this all-white house, patio, and pool pavilion in Charleston, South Carolina so much that we sourced the elements in Steal This Look: A Charleston Pool Pavilion with an Outdoor Shower. Inspired by the clean slate? Browse 461 images of all things White.
Above: These cedar sheds frame a view of the backyard garden, and store firewood and outdoor equipment (including kayaks) for a family of four. Explore the project in Before & After: A Brooklyn Townhouse with a Double-Wide Garden, then browse our robust gallery of design projects with Wood, indoors and out.
Find more sheds in Norwegian Wood: Garden Sheds, Retractable Roof and Walls Included and Architect Visit: A Garden Workshop in Cambridge.