Lin's 12' by 16' Modern-Shed nestled in the front yard of her Vashon Island home.
Lin’s 12′ by 16′ Modern-Shed nestled in the front yard of her Vashon Island home.

VASHON ISLAND — In the early 90s, near the start of Lin’s career as a professional artist, she began working from home and relished having the personal space to create close by.

“It made sense with raising kids that I could work at a studio at home,” she says. “I could be more available for them. My work changed for the better.”

Over the years, Lin has worked from various home studios, but none has worked out quite as well as her new Modern-Shed art studio.

“My last studio, I had half the basement and at another house, which I had designed, I had a whole wing as a studio,” she says. “But when you worked in a studio actually in your home, it can be distracting. You’re always tempted by, ‘Should I start dinner? Should I do laundry?’”

Lin and her husband, Colin, bought a vacation home on Vashon Island two years ago, and from the start, they planned to eventually move there and build a studio outside the home for Lin.

After researching several options, Lin realized it would cost more to build a shed herself, not just in money, but in time.

“Who wants to live on a construction site?” said Lin, a trained architect. “Being on an island, do you really want to endure being in construction for a year? I figured out the cost would be quite more than buying a Modern-Shed.”

Lin wanted a blank wall for inspiration above her desk, and windows set up high for privacy and ventilation.
Lin wanted a blank wall for inspiration above her desk, and windows set up high for privacy and ventilation.

Once they made the decision, Lin and Colin put a down payment on a shed, but waited two years to build it until after their lives settled a bit — they traveled to India last year and this past fall, journeyed to Peru for their son’s wedding.

When it came time to install their Modern-Shed, Lin said she was “shocked” and impressed with the immediacy of construction.

“It goes up like magic,” she says. “The quality of the insulation and the quality of materials, I really appreciated all that. I really couldn’t have done it better myself.”

Lin selected a 12’ by 16’ Modern-Shed art studio with shiplap siding.
Lin selected a 12’ by 16’ Modern-Shed art studio with shiplap siding.

Lin selected a 12’ by 16’ Modern-Shed art studio with shiplap siding.

“I wanted good ventilation, I wanted privacy,” she says. “We put in corner windows for ventilation and the clerestory windows make it seem bigger. It stays pleasant even in the winter.”

Lin loved that she could customize the shed to her liking.

“I think people should be impressed by the energy savings and the materials Modern-Shed uses,” she says. “Any body looking at any kind of shed should look here because you literally can design your shed any way you want. You can put your own style on your sheds.”

Every December and in the spring, Vashon Island artists put on a studio tour, and Lin is looking forward to showing off her shed.

Lin likes that Modern-Sheds can be designed to a customer's liking.
Lin likes that Modern-Sheds can be designed to a customer’s liking.

“This is going to work perfect for studio tours because it’s so much nicer to think I can invite people here instead of into my house,” she says. “I love that it’s not part of the house. It’s not that f

ar away but it’s like a different time zone.” 

Lin spends four to six hours a day, five to six days a week, working in her Modern-Shed craft studio, where she deals primarily with clay, incorporating metal pieces and found objects.

“I just put on my books on tape and it’s just nice,” she says. “My husband Colin, he knows that when I’m out here it’s my space. This is my sacred sport. This is where I get to be alone.”