Learn how to make a DIY She Shed by RoomPlays CEO Deb, coz she built one for herself
Is DIY your thing? Do you enjoy doing DIY stuff in your free time and it gives you immense joy and satisfaction? If yes, then you must read further to know how you can create a DIY space for yourself. Let this post on DIY She Shed be your room inspiration!
We have heard about man caves. It has become such an integral part of modern homes these days that every man craves to have one. It’s fine because they get a dedicated space to do all the fun stuff by themselves. But what about women? Why should men always have all the fun?
We women also need a dedicated space in our own homes. It should be like taking a quick vacation. That is where the concept of She Shed comes in.
Let us first understand what is a She Shed?
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It is a female man cave. If there is a man cave already in your home, then it’s time for you to build a She Shed for yourself. If not, then introduce the concept in your home. Create that dedicated space for recreation, rejuvenation, and enjoying personal activities.
RoomPlays Founder & CEO Deboshree Dutta (Deb) built one in her garage the DIY way. She was also swamped by the She Shed rage on Pinterest.
About RoomPlays
Deb built RoomPlays to bring women-led small businesses, experienced and budding designers on one platform where they can connect with a global clientele and create beautiful spaces virtually. On RoomPlays, there are over 150 design services available, offered by designers from the US, Australia, and Brazil. They all are doing fabulous jobs from the comforts of their homes. They take room inspirations from the clients’ design ideology and help them become a reality, all through 3D-modelling.
Deb also used the 3D technology to make a blueprint of her She Shed. But, first, let’s see how she made it.
Below is an easy guide on how to make a She Shed using the DIY method.
Identifying the space for the DIY activity
She Sheds are such a raging thing that every woman aspires to have one. The whole idea of having a dedicated space where one can be themself, do what they desire, or not do anything got me hooked. I planned, designed, and redesigned this space in my head multiple times for over two years. But my problem was space.
My husband and I live in a two-bedroom home in the Bay area with a small backyard space. He is an avid musician and needed space for his instruments and creativity. He kept the second bedroom to himself. That left me with little space for my clothes, shoes, accessories, and pieces of jewelry. I had to keep all in boxes and hide them away in our closets or under the bed.
So, having a She Shed made all the more sense for me. Where was the impending question? After much deliberation, I decided to explore our 2-car garage.
Our garage was a highly unkempt space. Grease-stained cement flooring, exposed water heater, exposed washer, dryer pipes, and electrical wires occupied the garage. We also had three big trash cans, bikes, suitcases, and all the recyclable brown boxes covering the rest of the area, leaving it completely unusable. I had to find an optimal way to hide all the pipes and heaters and create a space without building any walls and continue to park the cars. So, what did I do?
Renovated the garage
I started with fixing the basics – floor, doors, and ceiling. That was something I could not have done on my own. So hired a contractor to amend the space, keeping in mind that the aesthetics cannot change. For the floor, we used acid wash and epoxy paint (it is vital since it saves the floor from damages).
Given the condition that walls cannot be built in the garage area, I decided to create doors. We built custom hinge-doors that covered the trash cans and heaters.
The most difficult part was the ceiling. Covering the exposed pipes without moving any water lines or electrical points and building the attic such that it goes all the way to the doors was a huge task. I also needed lighting installed along with insulations for winters. My contractor helped me work on this space.
The construction took around three weeks but, once it was complete, my heart fluttered. Then I began with designing the space.
Designing the space – DIY way
My room inspiration was a glam, feminine and a boho chic style space.
In my She Shed, I had to have white walls, gold accents, pink accessories, and faux fur. It was everything I ever wanted in a room. I began with creating a blueprint for the dream interior design.
Since it was a DIY project, I reused a lot of stuff from my living room. “Recycling is so much fun, especially when doing a DIY project. It is enjoyable as well as cost-efficient.”
I added planters from my home to this new space.
After that, I started looking for things that would simply accentuate the look of the space.
I invested in a satin gold bookshelf, a satin gold console table, a Moroccan Rug, and a white gloss table from Zola.
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I had a clothing rack and reused that for all the clothes & shoes. It is so much easier once clothes and shoes get sorted season-wise. No more ruffling through the closet to find what to wear!
Managing expense while continuing DIY
While i reused and upcycled a lot of my old things, still i spent quite some money on buying new things for my She Shed. Since i had been planning for this for long, i had invested in a few things as and when they were available on sale or at discounted prices.
My biggest expense was the ottoman. Everything else was within $100 – $200.
After images
I feel very proud of having successfully created this space for myself. I love being here. Working on this white glossy table or lazing on the yellow ottoman with music playing in the background makes me happy.
This She Shed is perfect. If asked what would i change in here – it would be nothing!
The fun I had doing DIY to bring life to this space is unimaginable.
Recommending items for every kind of She Shed
Not everyone would like to do DIY or want to spend money buying things for a She Shed. However, for those who would like to use a room inspiration, I will suggest a few key pieces that will accentuate the look of the space.
An oversized floor standing mirror. It is every girl’s dream and they must be able to enjoy this pleasure at least in their own space..
A writing desk with an accent bookshelf. I will take this opportunity to share with you all that you don’t necessarily need to keep books only on a bookshelf. Being creative is the high point while doing a DIY activity. You can keep lovely, stylish shoes and bags on it as well.
A large tufted ottoman in a popping color. Having a pop-colored element accentuates the look of the place. A bold piece always ties the space together
A bar cart. You cannot not have a bar cart in your She Shed. Remember this place is a fun den.
And finally a crystal drop chandelier. This is entirely optional. Include it in your interior design only if you need that look. Else, ignore.
RoomPlays Founder & CEO, Deb had tons of fun doing this space. In case you take some inspiration from her project and create your own She Shed, then do remember to let us know.
Happy DIY’ing!