WEST SEATTLE — Walking into Tami and Peter’s living room in West Seattle, you can understand why the couple is attracted to Modern-Shed.
Peter, a web developer at a local university, and Tami, a self-employed scientific illustrator and animator, have decorated their home with a unique mix of vintage and modern furniture pieces, creating a sleek, simple and stylish feel.
It’s the same aesthetic that drew them to Modern-Shed, a company they have long admired.
“We’ve known about Modern-Shed for years,” Tami recalls. “My ex-boyfriend and my husband are both Dwell subscribers. We love the way the sheds look. They didn’t look like the sheds you buy at Home Depot. They didn’t look like a barn.”
Tami has worked from home for at least 10 years and had entertained the idea of getting a Modern-Shed home office for quite some time, particularly after the couple’s son, Elliott, now nearly 4, came into the picture.
“I’ve always kind of worked in a dining room of an apartment or in another bedroom of a house,” she says. “Especially now that we have a son, I wanted more work-life separation … and to keep him out of my stuff.”
Tami finally bit the bullet and decided to contact Modern-Shed in April.
“I think I just decided that somebody had to make it happen,” she says. “We have a nice big yard, so we have room for it.”
Tami and Peter had considered some of Modern-Shed’s competitors, but felt drawn to Modern-Shed in part because they like the pre-fab model.
“Once I found out you can take it apart and move it, it became an investment,” Tami says. “If we moved, it could always be used as another room. If we had a foundation or more, it would feel like more of a commitment. It was worth it to have the mobility.”
The couple selected a 10’ by 12’ Modern-Shed with birch paneling and a sliding glass door, instead of double doors. They painted their shed a chartreuse green.
Tami felt surprised at how quickly the shed came together.
“It was super fast,” she says. “The whole crew was very fast and really pleasant.”
The couple opted for the partial installation and plan to finish the wiring and interior paneling themselves, a process that has taught them a lot.
“We did it for cost savings reasons and also to feel more involved in it,” Tami says. “It’s taking longer than I would have thought, and wiring the electrical and internet from our house has been complicated. Fortunately, we have the luxury of time.”
They plan to turn Tami’s current home office into a guest bedroom or craft room.
Friends, family, neighbors and little Elliott have already voiced approval for the Modern-Shed.
“I definitely would recommend it, everybody thinks it looks great,” Tami says. “Our son thinks it’s his playhouse. We’ve promised him that before we move in the office, we’ll have a campout in there.”
