Derelict shed converted by Sue Architekten into writer's studio and playroom
Sue Architekten has converted a 1930s outhouse near Vienna into a writing studio, guest room and playhouse, accessed via a trapdoor.
The Viennese studio refurbished the black timber shed for a family living in a recently renovated house in the Vienna Woods, near the town of Eichgraben.
![The Enchanted Shed by Sue Architekten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/10/the-enchanted-shed-sue-architekten-architecture-eichgraben-austria_dezeen_2364_col_5-852x607.jpg)
The ground floor of the 30-square-metre shed is used to store gardening tools, but a brass hatch in the ceiling leads up to the light-filled upper space.
Called The Enchanted Shed, it is mainly used as a writing studio, but can also host guests or function as a playroom.
![The Enchanted Shed by Sue Architekten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/10/the-enchanted-shed-sue-architekten-architecture-eichgraben-austria_dezeen_2364_col_6-852x569.jpg)
"The special appeal of this project lay in the rediscovery of these old outbuildings in the shadows of the Vienna Woods villas," said the architects.
![The Enchanted Shed by Sue Architekten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/10/the-enchanted-shed-sue-architekten-architecture-eichgraben-austria_dezeen_2364_col_0-852x565.jpg)
"Back in the 1930s, few people could afford a basement, let alone a garage," they continued. "And so they built their own sheds to store wood, raise rabbits or boil laundry, which was then hung up to dry in the attic."
![The Enchanted Shed by Sue Architekten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/10/the-enchanted-shed-sue-architekten-architecture-eichgraben-austria_dezeen_2364_col_9-852x569.jpg)
"Over the past few decades these structures have lost their original purpose, and many are falling apart. This is a real pity."
Upstairs, one gable is entirely glazed to permit views into the treetops, while an upholstered seat that doubles as a bed is integrated into the opposite end of the space.
![The Enchanted Shed by Sue Architekten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/10/the-enchanted-shed-sue-architekten-architecture-eichgraben-austria_dezeen_2364_col_4-852x569.jpg)
"Spotlights illuminate the brass in the evening, creating a warm light – even in freezing winter, when the unheated room is used for cooling down after a sauna session," explained the architects.
![The Enchanted Shed by Sue Architekten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/10/the-enchanted-shed-sue-architekten-architecture-eichgraben-austria_dezeen_2364_col_7-852x601.jpg)
The ceiling and walls are panelled in varnished grey fir, while the floorboards are a more warm-toned wood.
Downstairs, double doors give the owners easy access to gardening tools, their lawnmower and fruit crates.
![The Enchanted Shed by Sue Architekten](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/10/the-enchanted-shed-sue-architekten-architecture-eichgraben-austria_dezeen_2364_col_8-852x566.jpg)
The prevalence of garden studios is increasing as real-estate prices spike.
New York's Brooklyn is one of the hotspots for this typology – the area has seen a flurry of shed-like studio spaces appear as residents look to maximise limited space.
Photography is by Andreas Buchberger.
Project credits:
Architecture: Sue Architekten
Project team: Christian Ambos, Michael Anhammer, Harald Höller
Collaborator: Anna Ladurner