Working From Home | Our Customers and Their Garden Office

Working From Home In A Garden Room

Working from home has become a blessing for entrepreneurs venturing into the world of business. Having a hub within the home has allowed people the freedom and flexibility to manage a budding business. But not all empires can be built from the dining room table. Our homes are made to be homes, not salons, gyms and offices… but our garden rooms are!

We’ve asked some of our customers who thrive when working from home and run their businesses from their Green Retreats garden offices what their top tips are for working from home and the benefits of having the additional space! This is what they had to say…

Hannah Oliver, Hair Salon | G1

Meet Hannah Oliver, a self-made entrepreneur and owner of Hannah Oliver Hair, a flourishing garden-based salon. Hannah has successfully turned her entrepreneurial dreams into reality from the comfort of her Green Retreats garden room.

Having worked in some of London’s most prestigious salons for the best part of a decade, Hannah decided to take the leap and go solo to start her own business from home.

Owning a garden room has made the transition to self-employment a breeze. Without the stress of planning permission and drawn-out building works.

This garden room has made Hannah’s working from home business dream a reality. It’s been able to provide Hannah with a space in which she can fully operate independently that works for her and her customers, “I’m not using my kitchen or living room for my clients. My home feels like home, and my clients do not feel like they are interrupting our family space.” The garden room helps her manage her home life and work life, conveniently keeping the two separate. ​

Nige’ Ollis, Therapeutic Coach | G2

After the pandemic, Nige’ Ollis needed a space where his clients could relax in a calming environment and keep it separate from the home. After exploring many rental spaces, he struggled to find somewhere flexible for his practice needs and convenient to commute for himself and his patients.

After discovering Green Retreats, Nige describes our working-from-home solutions as, “All the notable and niggly problems seemingly evaporated. Clients could visit without ever entering the house itself – via the side entrance. I would have a ten-second commute as and when required. And, just as important, I could create the perfect therapeutic environment without compromise.” He adds, “Invest is an appropriate word. Effectively, I ultimately decided to invest in my future, both in terms of my therapy practice and working from home. The Therapy Pod makes sense to support my therapeutic ambitions and dovetails beautifully into the existing garden, creating its own private relaxing space and being a valuable investment in the longer term.”

To keep The Therapy Pod a clean, tranquil space, I’ve kept the computer/office space in the house, which means a degree of self-discipline is still very much required when working from home. I use The Therapy Pod for all client sessions, meditation and some other admin activities [notetaking, book reading, etc.], but with the computer office space in the home too it does require some of that self-discipline to open/close the metaphorical door. Personally, I’ve found that generating a bit of rhythm and routine to the working day/week makes things far more productive, while at the same time knowing I can walk my dog along the woodland river valley behind the home between client sessions has been a previously unimagined and now wholly practical pleasure.”

www.nigeollistherapies.com | Contact: therapeuticcoaching@nigeollis.co.uk

Saskia Saunders, Sustainable Futures Artist | G2

For Saskia, working from home wasn’t solely a business choice but rather one for life outside of her work. She explains, “The benefits of running a business from home will depend on each individual and their business model. Particularly for me, it was the only way to reach my life goals. Since being a little girl, I wanted to have an active career in business, but if I were to be a mum, then I would be fully involved in raising my kids. Little did I know how hard it is to do one or the other. Imagine doing both at the same time. Hectic. Separating both roles and maintaining headspace throughout the day has probably been the biggest challenge of my life.”

We didn’t have room in our cottage for an office, and the studio was much more cost-effective than extending the house. Having a separate building, as the studio is at the end of our garden, means that my studio is a real sanctuary. It’s a separate space, whilst being easily accessible, so when I’m in it I focus on my work and don’t get distracted. We’ve cultivated the garden around it and almost hidden it away behind an arch of trees.

It sounds counterintuitive, but I enjoy lots of refreshing breaks. When I work a long day, I make time for a hike in the woods at the end of our road, I do a yoga or pilates online workout, meditate and break to eat a nutritious plant-based lunch in the garden if the weather is good. A lot of research shows that we can’t concentrate for long stretches of time, so we’re actually more productive with breaks and the freedom to move our bodies and give our minds a break.”

www.saskiasaunders.com  | Contact: saskia@saskiasaunders.com

Elisa Lubisco, Natural & Sustainable Business Owner 

“The benefits of running a business from home will depend on each individual and their business model. Particularly for me, it was the only way to reach my life goals. Since being a little girl, I wanted to have an active career in business, but if I was to be a mum, then I would be fully involved in raising my kids. Little did I know how hard is doing one or the other. Imagine doing both at the same time. Hectic. Separating both roles and maintaining headspace throughout the day has probably been the biggest challenge of my life.

Running Veganbunny from home allows me to:

– Adapting working hours to the daily routine with the kids.

– Save hours of commuting

– Squeeze exercise and fitness goals into my days.

– Reduce monthly expenses and stay on a budget. Being out and about makes it easier to be tempted to impulsive shopping.

It felt very overwhelming having both roles (Mum/CEO) in the same space. It was affecting my performance in both. To this, add the classic clutter drama. The house was quite a mess as I didn’t have a proper studio to work in or a place to have business calls. I am sure it sounds very stressful – it actually was.

Investing in renovating the loft was an option, but it was out of budget for us. Plus, the fact that the house would be a mess for weeks was just not appealing to us. It would have broken the balance we try so hard to maintain.

Green retreats offered me an aesthetic addition to the garden; it would increase the value of the house, but mostly, it gave me a lovely space where I can be my business owner self. Not having little humans popping on the zoom calls is a great pro which made working from home a lot easier!

‘Plan, separate & practice gratitude’ – It hasn’t been easy learning to stay motivated working from home. It took years to find the balance that worked for me. As humans, we are usually running from one task to another without pausing. But, when I invested time to find the method that worked for me, it made a huge difference. Most of the challenges came from how hard it is to focus on work when the house is not at its best. It even made me feel guilty if everything around the house was untidy and I was sitting down on the laptop. Planning the hours to be worked in the studio is great to find headspace. Separating the space gives you the clarity to switch from the ‘home-you’ to the ‘work-you’.

A great tip learned during lockdown was ‘Practicing gratitude’. having the opportunity to work from home is a blessing that shall not be taken for granted. At the same time, counting your blessings is a way to stay grounded and find joy in the everyday.”

www.veganbunny.co.uk | Contact: elisa@veganbunny.co.uk

TAKE YOUR FIRST STEP

Start your process today and request your free brochure, which provides all the details you will need to browse our range of garden rooms! If you’re ready to take it one step further, book your free design consultation, to ensure your plot is suitable, and assist you in designing your perfect working from home solution. You can also pay one of our showrooms a visit and see for yourself all that Green Retreats has to offer.