Last summer, my husband gifted me with a great idea. As my children grew they each wanted their own room and eventually I lost my office in the house. No resentment there, but I found working in the living room to be too difficult. That was when my husband suggested a writing shed. We bought a basic shed, and after many hours of labor in constructing a platform for it, it was delivered.

I wanted to share some pictures of the process.

After lots of consideration, we decided a dying fir tree that needed to be removed, was the best location for The Oasis

Hired some tree guys, who climbed the massive tree and did their thing

After the trunk came down, we had lots of wood for burning, and a stump for my boys to play on. Due to snow, work stopped for a while, but eventually the stump and root system were also removed.

We ran an underground conduit from the house to the site so I could have electricity for lights, heat and of course the computer.

Bricks and more bricks were used to build the retaining wall. Due to town regulations, my original idea of a concrete slab, did not pan out.

Slow and steady work, and the wall started taking form.

Stone and dirt deliveries rolled in. We had to wait several weeks due to rain. Even then, the trucks ripped my side yard to shreds.

The shed at the lot. It was built faster than expected and because of all the rain, the construction site wasn't ready yet. The shed sat at the lot for two weeks before I was ready for it.

Six levels of bricks later, we were almost there.

The wall is complete, and the arduous task of filling it in with the stone and dirt began. This is a picture of the final space before the shed was delivered.

It was wicked cool watching the delivery. It took some manuvering, but in the end, the delivery was successful.

Bare Bones

Framing the extra windows, with a little help from my friends

Thankfully they knew what they were doing, because I sure didn't.

Insulation complete

Dry wall complete

Wiring complete

Painting begins

Blue like the ocean

I love the ocean. It is my calm place, so what better than the color of the water where I grew up.

Beginning the building of the shelves

After lots of research I designed these shelves to fit paperbacks and hardcovers perfectly, and maximized the space in the office.

Since the space was limited, I designed shelves that were the exact width of paperbacks, tradebacks and hardcovers. Now my book collection was coming out of boxes. Yipee!

My Desk

I built my desk from leftover bamboo flooring that my friends used in their basement.

DIY light fixtures

I wanted to bring my culture into my workspace. I made the light fixtures using hundreds of beautiful beads, giving the room a Mediterranean feel.

Where the magic happens

Starting to fill up my shelves. Lots of boxes still to go through.

Some of my favorite characters

A place to enjoy a good book

The Final Product

There's nothing like a beach shack in the middle of the snow.

This is my Oasis.  In the middle of the lush woods of Upstate New York, I have created something that reminds me of my childhood home. When I step into my office, it is with a smile on my face. Now I have the best of both worlds, my loving kids and husband in New York, and my  young life in Dubai.

Rasha