This might be the most incredible “shed” ever built. While the offSET Shed House by Irving Smith Jack Architects is much more than a typical garden shed, it’s inspired by the same foundation. It is simple, sturdy and accessible, built with a corrugated metal facade that presents an industrial kind of charm. “Charm” is a key word for this house — it’s a modern and exciting home, but it comes without pretense. It’s a perfect fit for the relaxed, middle class ocean village on New Zealand’s southern coast.
The offSET Shed House is far from a traditional house design. From above, it appears to be a campus of connected structures that outline a private interior courtyard. Its interior rooms point toward the home’s stand-out feature — the view. offSET Shed House peers out into a grassy yard, a sandy beach and the Pacific Ocean beyond. Not only is this view brought into the interior rooms, but the gentle winds and scents of the ocean glide through the home courtesy of passive breezeways.
There’s nothing grand or exuberant about this design. The home is modest in size and functional in structure. It features less than 1,000 feet of interior living space, just enough space for a small family. The charm of the offSET Shed House is its shed-inspired design, its natural black/wood/white color scheme and the layout which emphasizes the natural environment. It’s a home not of size, but of substance — how homes were meant to be built.
The offSET Shed House was constructed in 2013. It has won many architecture awards since it was completed, and it’s still earning acclaim to this day. It’s a remarkable home for its inspiration and virtue, and a place we’d certainly be proud to call home. [photography by Irving Smith Jack architects and Patrick Reynolds]
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offSET Shed House by Irving Smith Jack Architects | Gallery
