Whatever time of day, or season of the year, a summerhouse will make all the difference to how you use your garden. These delightfully designed, bright and practical structures have so many uses, encompassing both leisure and work.

Rowlinson Chatsworth Summerhouse

Relaxation

On a summer's morning there's probably nowhere better to enjoy breakfast, with enough space for a table and chairs you can experience the quiet nature and special light of this time of day on your own or in the company of other family members.

Later on, lunch and evening meals can be similarly enjoyed as the sunlight fades but its warmth remains. For the rest of the day you can sit inside the summerhouse with a good book or relax on a lounger away from the cares of the world.

Hobbies

If you have a hobby that requires concentration without the distractions that everyday life inevitably brings, then a summerhouse is the ideal place to indulge your passion. Painting would be particularly suitable in this bright environment with sunlight flowing through extensive glazing, but there are many other pastimes that would benefit from such a welcoming environment.

Some hobbies just aren't suitable for the home, if you are making or repairing anything mechanical or, as another example, wood working, there's likely to be oil and shavings that aren't welcome in the living room or even the spare bedroom. So moving out into the garden makes sense especially if you have a summer house that provides shelter and plenty of space.

Summerhouses can be the centre of activity even in the dark. Away from the glare of street and house lights, amateur astronomers can get their telescopes out and gaze at the stars, meteors and the odd space station in the night sky. But always be careful not to disturb any of your children's friends who haven't quite found their way home and have decided to use the summerhouse for a sleepover.

Summerhouse interior filled with patio furniture

Games

As a games room you'll find enough space for table football, perhaps a pool table and certainly any number of online gamers, with any noise from over excited participants kept well away from the neighbours. Of course, more sedate games of bridge around a smart green baize covered table would could also be readily accommodated.

Work

The same relaxed qualities that a summerhouse offers to hobbyists applies equally to those who want a quiet place to work. Gone are the days when it was mandatory for you to barge through rush hour crowds to reach an office, many people can now conduct business working from home with just internet access and a smart phone, quietly making money in the seclusion of a summerhouse.

Meditation

Getting away from it all is also a pre-requisite if you believe in the restorative qualities of meditation. Isolated from the bustle that normally characterizes the world, you can focus the mind and chant mantras without fear of interruption, reinvigorating your emotional well-being in the tranquillity of your garden.

Inside the summerhouse

Exercise

A little more energetic would be to use your summerhouse as a garden gym. Fitted out with a treadmill, rowing machine, weights or stationary cycle, there would be no monthly membership to pay and no need to be self-conscious if you are carrying a few extra pounds or can't keep up to speed with over enthusiastic gym bunnies.

Storage

Even though it would seem a shame to waste the advantages of having a well lit and ventilated building that's designed to a very high standard and substantially built, if you don't want to exercise, relax or work in your summerhouse, you can always use it as a very attractive storage space for garden equipment and domestic goods.