R5 The Garden Shed

Westchester architect Thomas Koloski has elevated the lowly garden shed to new heights—figuratively and literally. Building codes limited the shed’s size to 100 square feet, so Koloski incorporated a steep roof pitch and code-maximum height to allow this tiny building in his backyard in Ardsley to feel as large as possible. The copper-finialed cupola and graduated slate roof give it stature and the off-white stucco was chosen to maximize contrast with the foreground planting. A small built-in heater along with good insulation keeps the shed warm enough for winter plant storage. Windows on all four exposures, including an east-facing Palladian window, ensure plenty of good light year-round. The interior ceiling is a V-groove knotty pine; the floors are bluestone. “I tell my wife that this ‘little house,’ as it has come to be known, is my gift to her,” Koloski says. “She good-naturedly insists that it’s my gift to me. It is, admittedly, a little of both.”

Photo by Mick Hales