A place to restore your soul

SAN RAFAEL — Slim and his wife Penelope knew that they were running out of space quickly.

Both abstract painters working with acrylics and mixed media, Penelope made use of the couple’s family room to work on her projects, while Slim painted in the living room.

The couple began to think more and more about having a working studio close to home, but outdoors.

“We have lovely wood floors, and more and more we became concerned about art materials falling on the floor,” said Slim, a retired businessman who turned to painting about two years ago as a form of relaxation. “We were looking for enough space for both of us, but we thought, ‘What’s the least complicated way of doing this?’”

Penelope put out a request for suggestions to the online design magazine Houzz, and out of four or five responses, most people recommended Modern-Shed.

The couple researched Modern-Shed, as well as several shed competitors, and found that Modern-Shed and salesman Mike Probach, with his long-time experience with construction and prompt customer service, could offer the best shed to fit their needs.

The 14’ by 24’ Modern-Shed art studio, designed and engineered by the Modern-Shed team, is fully-permitted for the San Francisco Bay Area’s seismic activity and was installed in just eight days.  

“Working with Mike was a pleasure and during the permitting process, he was able to resolve glitches quickly and efficiently,” Slim said. “The installation process was a breeze. Working with the Modern-Shed crew was an absolute delight.”

The shed’s exterior includes asymmetric wood-paneling on one corner, as well as a deck.

Local building inspectors were impressed with the studio prior, during and upon completion of the shed.

Slim and Penelope, who are both healing practitioners, plan to share the studio — Penelope has painted for more than 20 years, and the couple now enjoys working together.

The Modern-Shed art studio is a space where they can work on their paintings in progress and will not be used as a gallery, Slim said.

Slim also plans to offer his clients art therapy in the space because painting as a form of expression opens the right side of the brain, he added.

The Modern-Shed is absolutely everything the couple has hoped for, Slim said.

“They were very flexible in the design process, and the shed is everything we expected,” he said. “It’s absolutely brilliant in terms of fitting our needs for an art studio.”