Of all the happy concepts David Cameron succeeded in killing (albeit accidentally – yes, we’re talking about the end of Britain’s place in the EU dream) the shepherd’s hut as a highly desirable garden accessory was not one of them. In fact, it’s possible that he increased their popularity - certainly sales have only risen since his well-publicised purchasing of two (one’s in the Cotswolds, the other in Cornwall). Given the post-pandemic rise in dedicated home offices, this fact is not enormously surprising, but their appeal stretches beyond their possibilities as another room, to genuine aesthetics. With curved roofs and cast-iron wheels, and no longer in demand for the purpose their name suggests, they’re conceivably the 21st century equivalent of the 18th century folly, representative of rural romanticism and hinting at creative enlightenment. However, unlike a folly, they provide an element of practicality on the basis that they can, if you wish, be made to adhere to contemporary standards of comfort.
And yet effecting that adherence is not without challenges – so much so that the decoration of shepherd’s huts has even featured on Interior Design Masters as a means of weeding out contestants (series 3, episode 5, just in case you missed it.) “Space is always rather tight, and such a bijou interior size requires thoughtful consideration so that it is neither swamped with detailing, nor too cold and empty in feel,” explains Katharine Pooley – who has an impeccably stylish example in the garden of her family home in Oxfordshire. So, how do we get it right?
Think about location…
Let’s look back at their beginnings. The first mention of a shepherd’s hut in literature was in 1596; by the second half of the 19th century, they were a familiar site on the downlands of Southern England, and were described by Thomas Hardy in Far From the Madding Crowd as being “dragged into fields when the lambing season comes on, to shelter the shepherd in his enforced nightly attendance.”
The closeness to nature is also still important, for it is a huge part of the draw. House & Garden contributor Olinda Adeane’s pair of shepherd’s huts – which are original, “they were already on our farm, and were once used by shepherds” – look out over the Suffolk marshes to sea, while Katharine recounts hers as being “surrounded by bird song and all the scents of the neighbouring trees and plants – it is especially enchanting in the rain at night, and first thing in the morning when the sheep in the nearby fields move around in the half light.” However do remember that, typically, a shepherd’s hut does not have a loo. Katharine’s is also “a short stroll from facilities in the house!” And “we’ve got lots of hedges,” says Olinda.
…and what you want to use it for
Hardy’s famous fictional farmer Gabriel Oak’s moveable home performed the role of bedroom, “a rather hard couch, formed of a few corn sacks thrown carelessly down, covered half the floor of this habitation,” work space, “along a shelf at one side were ranged bottles and canisters of the simple preparations pertaining to ovine surgery and physic,” kitchen, “on a triangular shelf across the corner stood bread, bacon, cheese, and a cup for ale or cider, which was supplied from a flagon beneath,” and even music room, “beside the provisions lay the flute.”
That versatile nature should still be considered now – Katharine’s shepherd’s hut is both “my private escape for reading and thinking” and “an unusual, unexpected and rather fun extra guest bedroom.” One of Olinda’s hosted her daughter Dorelia and her husband Max on their wedding night (the guy who ran the disco slept in the other one). When it's warm enough, Olinda uses the huts as a space to write, and they also are garden rooms from which she hosts afternoon teas and suppers around a bonfire. Other popular shepherd’s hut uses include a retreat for the penning of memoirs (i.e. Cameron), a children’s playroom, glamping accommodation and as an artists’ studio.
Invest wisely in the hut itself
Regarding originals, such as Olinda’s, “you do have to be quite careful with antiques, as they can be quite delicate,” she says – and warns that despite their wheels, they can’t be bumped down major roads, were you to find one on Ebay and attempt to transport it across several counties. You also need to be pretty good at carpentry – or know someone who is – if you want them to be useable.
Katharine bought hers new and emphasises the importance of finding a company “with proven experience making shepherd’s huts [in order get one that is] fully weatherproof and electrically sound.” This also means that you can get the size that you want and choose add-ons such as a log-burner (or even a loo.) She commissioned a custom design from Artisan Shepherd’s Huts “with a corrugated-steel roof, reclaimed wheels from an old army truck and wooden panelling painted in Farrow & Ball’s Mouse’s Back.” Cameron’s, also painted in Farrow & Ball’s Mouse’s Back, were made by Red Sky Shepherd’s Huts. Then, Plankbridge worked on the shepherd’s hut used in the 2015 film adaptation of Far From the Madding Crowd, and made the very luxury shepherd’s huts (which have full bathrooms!) at Aller Dorset.
The mention of Aller Dorset is relevant; Katharine suggests going to stay in one before you invest in your own, as “then you can decide which details work best for you, and which definitely don’t!”
A good layout is crucial
As previously mentioned, space is at a premium – which is when bespoke, fitted joinery can come into its own. Olinda’s antique shepherd’s huts still have the beds exactly where they would have been, with a cupboard beneath “which is where the dog would have slept,” she says.
Katharine explains that she undertook hers “with the same approach as any other project” – and she has used both freestanding and fitted furniture. Regarding the former, “be careful,” she says, “especially with antiques, as the space available can be swallowed up all too easily. I chose this campaign-style desk because its slender legs take up very little room and the top can be closed when not in use.”
Separation between different areas can be achieved; in her hut, Katharine has used curtains to divide the sleeping area from the kitchen area. Molly Mahon, who decorated a shepherd’s hut for a friend in East Sussex, screened the main bed through clever use of part walls.
The final finish: textiles, texture, colour and pattern
What’s particularly fun about decorating a shepherd’s hut is that it is apart from your house, and therefore doesn’t have to adhere to similar ideas or schemes – it can be a space that is a total fantasy (although if you have watched that episode of Interior Design Masters, you too might think that fantasy can go too far: black faux-croc effect wallpaper in a shepherd’s hut in Wales? Really? But also, if that’s what you want . . . )
Hardy described Gabriel’s shepherd’s hut as “cosy and alluring, and the scarlet handful of fire in addition to the candle. . .flung associations of enjoyment even over utensils and tools” – and that cossetting feel is one to be emphasised. That said, the difference between the shepherd’s hut that Molly designed, and that by Katharine, demonstrates that there’s more than one way to achieve this. However, both have used fabric on the walls; Molly backed her ‘Marigold’ fabric, and used it as a wallpaper, while Katharine upholstered her walls, and says it’s one of her favourite details, “that I love more and more as time passes. It was really important for me to have a cocooning feel, especially around the daybed.” Similarly, both have given imbued the low ceilings with a decorative flourish; Molly’s are striped, and Katharine tented hers to match the walls.
And whether you go for strong colour or neutrals, “I would recommend layering textured and prettily patterned fabrics,” says Katharine. “Anything too plain will be cold and uninviting on a drizzly day. Look to Fermoie or Susan Deliss.” Additionally, Katharine has used “lots of cashmere, wool and natural painted linens – I am sure the original shepherds would approve!”
