K3

Expert Opinion: This shed is perfectly suited for a contemporary setting. I like the flexibility of rearranging doors, windows, and screens to provide privacy or ventilation; the configuration is very adaptable without having to be highly customized. My only reservation is that the deck, which is integral to the design because it extends the space and visually doubles the square footage, really jacks up the price.

Expert Opinion: This shed is perfectly suited for a contemporary setting. I like the flexibility of rearranging doors, windows, and screens to provide privacy or ventilation; the configuration is very adaptable without having to be highly customized. My only reservation is that the deck, which is integral to the design because it extends the space and visually doubles the square footage, really jacks up the price.

What We Think: Form and function work beautifully together in the K3. The layered aluminum-slat walls, SIPs, and ipe flooring and siding mean the K3 is not only kind to the environment and easy on the eye but comes ready for you to hang everything from clocks to carpentry tools on its walls. (Plus, the optional solar package turns us on.)

What We Think: Form and function work beautifully together in the K3. The layered aluminum-slat walls, SIPs, and ipe flooring and siding mean the K3 is not only kind to the environment and easy on the eye but comes ready for you to hang everything from clocks to carpentry tools on its walls. (Plus, the optional solar package turns us on.)

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Standard Cabana

Expert Opinion: This is the greenest prefab I’ve seen: They use FSC-certified lumber, recycled denim insulation, and low-VOC paints (where paint is used at all) and reduce waste in manufacturing and shipping. All that is really great, but the design is wonderful, too. It would look perfect next to a mid-century or ranch-style house.

Expert Opinion: This is the greenest prefab I’ve seen: They use FSC-certified lumber, recycled denim insulation, and low-VOC paints (where paint is used at all) and reduce waste in manufacturing and shipping. All that is really great, but the design is wonderful, too. It would look perfect next to a mid-century or ranch-style house.

What We Think: Modern Cabana’s goal is to create spaces that are “simple and affordable yet look great.” Check. Check. And check. With its eco-features, there’s nothing standard about the Standard Cabana.

What We Think: Modern Cabana’s goal is to create spaces that are “simple and affordable yet look great.” Check. Check. And check. With its eco-features, there’s nothing standard about the Standard Cabana.

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Type 03

Expert Opinion: The rectangular shape of the Neoshed is an appealing alternative to the squarish sheds you often see, and that makes it feel very open; it’s like taking one room of a house and plopping it in the garden in terms of proportions. It feels very livable and could be the perfect guest room, office, or studio.

Expert Opinion: The rectangular shape of the Neoshed is an appealing alternative to the squarish sheds you often see, and that makes it feel very open; it’s like taking one room of a house and plopping it in the garden in terms of proportions. It feels very livable and could be the perfect guest room, office, or studio.

What We Think: The largest and most houselike structure in our roundup, the Type 3 was clearly inspired by California’s mid-century Eichler homes, and it stands as a viable (if somewhat kitsch) Scrappy Doo to the original’s Scooby. What’s better than one Eichler? One and a half Eichlers.

What We Think: The largest and most houselike structure in our roundup, the Type 3 was clearly inspired by California’s mid-century Eichler homes, and it stands as a viable (if somewhat kitsch) Scrappy Doo to the original’s Scooby. What’s better than one Eichler? One and a half Eichlers.

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Studio Shed

Expert Opinion: I love the clever simplicity of the design; it’s the true shed shape. This structure is the most color-friendly; it’s designed to be bright and bold. I also love the glass transom at the top, and the interior maple-veneer finish gives it more bang for your buck because it looks a lot more expensive than it really is.

Expert Opinion: I love the clever simplicity of the design; it’s the true shed shape. This structure is the most color-friendly; it’s designed to be bright and bold. I also love the glass transom at the top, and the interior maple-veneer finish gives it more bang for your buck because it looks a lot more expensive than it really is.

What We Think: With its boxy form and small openings, the Studio Shed reads more as a single-use poolside cabana than a versatile backyard office, guest room, or playroom. The option of a green roof, however, spices things up—–and cools them down: The overhead vegetation will help keep temperatures low on hot summer days.

What We Think: With its boxy form and small openings, the Studio Shed reads more as a single-use poolside cabana than a versatile backyard office, guest room, or playroom. The option of a green roof, however, spices things up—–and cools them down: The overhead vegetation will help keep temperatures low on hot summer days.

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Magic Box

What We Think: This is the Lamborghini of sheds, reminding me of a sleek sports car with its powder-coated-steel finish. Its drama and scale, not to mention the cost, make the Magic Box ideal for a public space—gallery, studio, cafe—but it could easily land in a residential setting if budget allowed, on the rooftop of a warehouse loft, or in a cornfield as a modern counterpoint to nature.

What We Think: Forget the birdbath, and bring on OMA’s Bird’s Nest. The crisscrossing bands of Japanese designer Jun Ueno’s Magic Box bring the look of Beijing’s building boom to your backyard. This gets our gold—–but in more ways than one.

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