When the wind howls outside and snow blankets Southern Ontario, Tracey Hiebert has a place to escape. Her potting shed – built from salvaged windows and an old door – becomes a sun-filled sanctuary where she can sink her hands into soil and tend to plants while winter rages.

'My potting shed is my little sanctuary,' says Tracey. 'It's my place to go to relax, unwind, and enjoy having my hands in the soil in the middle of winter. I can pot a plant up out there as the sun pours in, and the wind howls outside.'

For empty-nesters like Tracey and her husband, the shed represents more than just a practical garden workspace. It's the fulfilment of a long-held cottage garden dream, the heart of an evolving garden, and a year-round retreat that changes with the seasons. And with five cats who've claimed it as their own lounging spot, it's truly a family sanctuary.

A Winter Refuge With A Vintage Soul

The genius of Tracey's potting shed lies in its ability to function beautifully across all seasons, but it's in winter when it really shines. While the garden sleeps under snow, the shed remains a warm, inviting space where gardening never really stops.

'I can pot a plant up out there as the sun pours in,' Tracey explains. The salvaged windows that form the walls aren't just charming architectural details – they're functional elements that flood the space with natural light during the dark winter months, creating a bright haven when the rest of the world feels gray and dormant.

Even the window boxes have a winter role. 'I cut greenery clippings from our farm and put them in the soil for Christmas,' says Tracey. 'This lasts all winter.' Rather than leaving the boxes bare or removing them entirely, she uses the existing soil as a base for seasonal evergreen arrangements that provide structure and life to the exterior through the coldest months.

Inside, the shed transforms into what Tracey calls 'my own little playhouse' – a nostalgic nod to her childhood. 'I have always had a love of playing house that started when I was a little girl with my dollhouse,' she reflects. That playful spirit infuses every corner, from the pink chandelier overhead to the constantly rotating vintage furniture.

A Space Built From Salvaged Dreams

When Tracey and her husband became empty-nesters, a long-held vision finally had room to breathe. 'I have always loved the idea of a cottage garden, filled with flowers and pea gravel pathways to meander on,' she says. 'When my husband built me my own potting shed in 2018, the cottage garden was planted all around it. And we haven't stopped.'

The design process was collaborative and intentional. Tracey researched potting sheds online and in magazines, pulling inspiration from multiple sources. 'I showed him what I liked about each one. He built it exactly how I envisioned it in my head,' she explains.

But the real magic came from the materials. 'We used old windows and an old door, because I love the charm,' Tracey says. Those salvaged architectural elements give the structure instant history and character – the kind of patina that can't be manufactured or rushed.

The centerpiece is an old cast iron sink that Tracey purchased from a local seller. Her husband transformed it into a potting bench, creating a beautiful focal point that's both functional and full of vintage appeal.

'My cast iron sink, turned into a potting bench, has a permanent place in the shed,' Tracey notes, though even its location changes seasonally. 'It has been moved from the one side, to the back of the shed this Christmas, to change things up.'

The Pink Chandelier and Other Treasures

No detail better captures Tracey's approach to design than the chandelier story. 'I knew I wanted a chandelier hanging in the centre of the ceiling, and found one on Facebook marketplace for $25. And it was pink! (One of my favourite colours),' she recalls.

This encapsulates Tracey's design philosophy perfectly: have a clear vision, but remain open to affordable treasures that add personality and charm. 'My house is filled with second-hand furniture and chandeliers, and the potting shed is no different,' she explains.

But nothing in the shed is too precious. 'I wanted a place to store my pots, potting soil, garden supplies, but also a spot to curl up and flip through a magazine,' she explains.

Evolving With the Seasons

One of the most distinctive aspects of Tracey's shed is how it changes throughout the year. 'I love nothing better than to decorate the shed for the seasons, and I am constantly changing up the furniture and the curtains,' she says.

The curtains themselves are vintage sheets – beautiful, affordable, and easily swapped to suit her mood or the season. The sink skirt beneath her potting bench follows the same principle. 'I love that I can change the sink skirt out, to suit my mood. I have had burlap as a sink skirt, vintage sheets, and also a ready made curtain panel,' Tracey explains. 'It's a perfect spot to hide the not so pretty things, like plastic pots, and some fertilizers.'

This constant evolution keeps the space feeling fresh and exciting. Tables and chairs move in and out. Wicker pieces rotate seasonally. Decorative elements change with holidays and whims. 'A lot of things in the shed change from season to season,' Tracey notes. It's this willingness to play, rearrange, and refresh that keeps the shed from becoming static or predictable.

In spring, the shed returns to its most practical function. 'I use the shed for potting plants and starting seeds in the spring; it gets very dirty,' Tracey admits. This authentic use – the soil-covered surfaces, the busy work of propagation – is what makes the styled moments feel earned rather than precious.

For bulk storage, Tracey keeps a large aluminum trash can that holds potting soil bags. It's practical and unobtrusive, disappearing into the shed's working areas without disrupting the overall aesthetic.

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Tracey's potting shed proves that salvaged materials and second-hand finds can create a space that's both hardworking and utterly charming.

Here are pieces that capture her vintage, cottage garden aesthetic and practical sensibility.

The potting shed didn't just appear in an established garden – it became the catalyst for creating one. 'The shed was the starting point for our garden ideas. We have created gardens all around it,' Tracey explains.

What began as a few shrubs and flowers has expanded into a multi-layered landscape designed to be explored. 'I want the garden to be discovered as you walk the paths,' says Tracey. Her husband built picket fences to define different areas. They planted rows of hydrangeas to create structure and screening, and added a small stream flowing into a fish pond.

The secret garden project then began two years ago. 'We planted a row of fast-growing privets surrounding the whole area. Then we began breaking the big area into small garden rooms,' she describes. These rooms are defined by rows of lilacs and, of course, pea gravel paths – those wandering routes that were always part of her cottage garden vision, and lead all the way back to the potting shed.

The Potting Shed is a new series that steps inside the sheds and greenhouses of designers and gardeners to uncover the practical tools and stylish essentials they use every day. We reveal how these spaces are organized, what products they rely on, and how small details – from favorite pots and vintage finds to seasonal gear – help shape their gardening routines.

For Bailey van Tassel, a kitchen garden designer and author of Kitchen Garden Living, the greenhouse wasn't supposed to become the heart of family life. But somewhere between the seed starting and soil mixing, winter picnics and home-schooling, it evolved into something far more precious than a simple growing space.

'The moment I step into the greenhouse, it's like a big sigh,' says Bailey. 'It's like a huge exhale, and time slows down. I can just get lost in the present moment, which is one of my favorite feelings.'

What started as a practical necessity for her Tennessee garden (in zone 7b) has become a multifunctional sanctuary where seedlings germinate, food gets dehydrated, vegetables cure, and her three young children discover the rhythms of growing. And unlike the typical utilitarian greenhouse idea, Bailey's space is unapologetically cosy; it even has café curtains hiding the chaos.

A workhorse with style

Seven to nine months of the year, the greenhouse is in constant production mode. 'It's part potting shed where I start all my seeds,' Bailey explains. 'I'm constantly cycling through – something is always growing in the greenhouse.'

But it's more than just a propagation station. Bailey also uses the space to store and preserve food, running a dehydrator for sun-dried tomatoes, onion powder, and chive salt. 'I harvest all the onions, bring them into the greenhouse, and cure them in there in early spring when it's not too humid,' she says.

She also mixes all her own soil in the greenhouse, has dedicated stations for different tasks, and maintains modular trellises that she's constantly rebuilding with twine. 'I can get into a flow state out there,' Bailey says. 'Time just slips away, and I love that so much.'

The greenhouse also serves as her insurance policy. 'I can start anything in here as long as the timing is right, and I can protect it as a young seedling and manage that early part of its life cycle really easily,' she explains. Even during Tennessee's brutal summer heat, seeds continue germinating within the protection of the greenhouse.

What truly sets Bailey's greenhouse apart is how it functions as a family space. During winter months, when the garden sleeps, the greenhouse becomes a destination for her children.

'I take a cup of coffee out there and set the kids up with a little activity, and sometimes we'd do a little winter solstice celebration. I love to take a picnic out there because it's a nice change of scenery. You can hear the rain falling on the tin roof, and we'd light candles and talk about the winter equinox.'

The greenhouse provides those increasingly rare moments of present-moment awareness. 'I like to work on instinct a lot – gardening kind of brought me back to that,' Bailey reflects. 'That greenhouse is a place where I can say to myself, "Today is artichoke day. I can feel it."'

The harvest basket obsession

If there's one element that defines Bailey's greenhouse aesthetic, it's the collection of vintage harvest baskets cascading from the ceiling and walls.

'I'm truly like the basket lady,' she admits with a laugh. Every single basket comes from estate sales or church sales – all purchased second-hand with their own histories intact.

But these aren't just decorative pieces. The baskets are constantly rotating through active duty. Bailey uses them for her own harvests, but they've also become her signature welcome gift.

'Every time I start a new design client or even go to a consult, I will harvest something from my garden and bundle it up in a beautiful basket and gift it to the client,' she explains. 'You end up being a part of someone's family when you're working on their property.'

She also assembles a weekly harvest basket for her parents, who help with childcare. 'The harvest basket, to me, has just become this symbol of shared abundance,' Bailey says. 'Giving someone veggies I grew with my own hands and thinking about them – it's just such a nostalgic symbol.'

The inspiration traces back to her childhood love of Martha Stewart. 'I was born in 1987, so I'm a diehard Martha Stewart lover. She had this basket house on her property, and it just stuck in my brain,' Bailey recalls. 'As I started accumulating these baskets and decided to hang these up throughout the greenhouse and have my own little basket house moment.'

Cosy by design

Bailey wanted the greenhouse to be kitted out so that it was inviting enough that her husband and children would want to spend time there. So she made some decidedly un-greenhouse-like design choices.

First came the café curtains on mounted curtain rods, hiding the undersides of potting tables. 'I am not the most organized. I love a closet that I can just shove things into,' she confesses. 'I knew I'd have to cover the table sides so I could hide the clutter.'

The seating was equally intentional. Bailey spent considerable time hunting for the perfect chairs – cream-colored, with wood detailing. 'I spent an absurd amount of time looking for chairs that made sense in the greenhouse,' she says. 'I'm sure I'll switch them in and out, depending on kind of my mood.'

There's also a chalkboard for notes on what's being seeded and started, and Bailey's latest acquisition: a 100-year-old terracotta bunny pot. 'His whole body is open for me to plant something in, but I'm using it for storage,' she explains. Inside lives her collection of burlap wraps, which she uses to cover carrot seeds for germination. 'They really like darkness and dampness. So I keep them in my little burlap bunny.'

Smart storage solutions

Beyond the bunny, Bailey's most useful storage pieces are large aluminum trash cans on casters – one for sheep's wool, one for compost – plus a big zinc aluminum bathtub for seed starting soil.

'I really don't like plastic. My storage needs to be glass or zinc, aluminum or copper. I'm really particular about that.' The wheeled cans are a particularly genius idea, allowing her to move them around easily and set up different stations.

Bailey has also placed small, wall-mounted metal baskets, such as these from Amazon, holding plant markers and pens, ensuring everything has its place while maintaining the ability to work intuitively.

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Bailey's greenhouse proves that a hardworking growing space can be unapologetically cosy and personal.

Here are some curated pieces that capture her nostalgic charm meets high-functioning garden workspace aesthetic.

Bailey van Tassel's greenhouse proves the most functional spaces can also be the personal and unique. By bringing in unexpected elements – expensive rugs, vintage baskets, terracotta bunnies – she's created a sanctuary that works as hard as she does. It's a masterclass in following your instincts and making space for both productivity and joy. The beauty is in the curation, not the perfection.

The Potting Shed is a new series that steps inside the sheds and greenhouses of designers and gardeners to uncover the practical tools and stylish essentials they use every day. We reveal how these spaces are organized, what products they rely on, and how small details – from favorite pots and vintage finds to seasonal gear – help shape their gardening routines.

Step inside the sheds and greenhouses of designers and gardeners to see exactly what they keep inside. From hardworking tools to clever storage, favorite pots to seasonal essentials, every feature opens the door on a beautifully organized space – and quietly invites you to shop its charms.

In The Potting Shed, we pull back the curtain on how these curated micro-spaces are crafted. You’ll discover not just what they hold, but how they blend utility blends with aesthetics, every element chosen with intention.

More than simply a showcase of potting rooms, each is a design storyboard you can use in your own garden.

When Kevin Brost and his partner Ian finished renovating their homespun 1940s cottage in Door County, Wisconsin, they set their creative sights on a slightly smaller, yet no less charming, project: their garden potting shed.

This space is all the confirmation you’ll ever need that a practical, hardworking shed can also be utterly beguiling and bursting with individuality. ‘The shed is mainly used to store our gardening equipment since the cottage does not have a garage,’ says the former attorney. ‘But in summer when the heat is on, Ian and I will often have our first glass of rosé in the shade and beauty of the shed looking out onto our property.’

Kevin’s love of heritage style and decorating with antiques spills out in abundance in this space. With terracotta pots stacked under a vintage potting bench, and wooden handled rakes hung on the walls as if works of art, each and every tool, vase, or piece of furniture has its own place.

A closer look inside the potting shed

Beauty and functionality meet with aplomb here; it's more like stepping inside a French brocante than a garden shed.

With vintage, botanical artwork adorning the walls, and dried hydrangeas erupting from wicker baskets suspended from the ceiling, Kevin has created a styled sense of timeless charm in what, ultimately, is a storage space.

‘The vintage artwork we selected for the space largely depicts flowers and other plants,’ explains Kevin. ‘We also made a choice to hang many of the objects visibly on the open, exposed wood walls. Well made tools are beautiful in their own right.’

The interior of the shed is entirely white (a mix of Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace, Oxford White and Behr’s Pure White), save for the iconic checkerboard design painted onto the raw wood floor. This immediately draws the eye and adds a delightful fun factor to the space. The green paint shade is Benjamin Moore’s Dunmore Green.

‘I’d always admired checkerboard floors, but was nervous to try one inside the cottage for fear I’d grow tired of it,’ explains Kevin. ‘The shed offered a solution to have one that we wouldn’t see for hours every day. It’s just as beautiful when dirt from our garden boots joins the show.’

The edge of the space is lined with antique potting benches, tables and wire baskets, each object housing pots and tools of all shapes and sizes.

‘Although it’s primarily a space to store equipment for work, time in the shed instils a strong sense of peace,’ says Kevin. ‘We didn’t need vintage art on the walls, but having it there makes the space sing.’

The homes and gardens of the UK provided much inspiration for Kevin when designing the interiors of his cottage and the shed.

‘The Brits are great at using vintage items not only to make a space more beautiful, but also more approachable and comfortable. The shed reflects these influences, but also our own eye when shopping in person for art and vintage goodies.’

Once Kevin and Ian completed the shed, it was time to upgrade their gardening essentials. Out went the cheap plastic tools from the big-box stores, and in came heritage wood and metal alternatives from companies such as Sneeboer.

‘They’re made from real materials, so they only get more beautiful with time and use,’ says Kevin. ‘And the small up-front investment means you actually take care of the items. Oh and they happen to be beautiful hanging on the shed walls!’

Another homespun art installation Kevin created in the shed is the stunning collection of dried hydrangea heads on display above the entrance, cut from the 40 or so hydrangea paniculata 'little lime' the pair planted to create a living fence in their garden.

‘Last fall, we added cut hydrangeas to the baskets, and they’re even more beautiful now,’ says Kevin.

‘The garden also includes irises, catmint, and climbing roses. A number of heritage fruit tree varieties are also in the front yard. And we’re just getting started,’ he adds.

Perhaps surprisingly, Kevin says the most useful storage solution afforded by the shed is its location.

‘The task that draws you to the garden is rarely the only one that needs doing,' he says. 'Having all the items in the close shed means others can be grabbed in real time, when you’re in the garden and notice an additional task asking for attention.’

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Nearly all the vintage and antique items in the shed were found by Kevin and Ian in antique shops in the Midwest, including the charming collection of wicker baskets, just like this amazing, similar find on Amazon.

Other items, such as the vintage pots, were a lucky Facebook marketplace discovery from a nursery that was being retired. 'We only paid a dollar apiece, but what they bring to the shed is invaluable,' says Kevin.

So, some research into the best places to shop antique and vintage this September may well be required if you want to recreate a similar look and feel by decorating with antiques. However, it is entirely possible to do so by curating a mix of old and carefully chosen new pieces.

For example, you can find the willow cloches (stacked on the left side of the shed) available to buy at Wayfair.

Here are more practical yet pleasing finds that will give a vintage, homespun feel to your garden space.

It's quite common to think of greenhouse ideas as being more than simply a place to raise seedlings and store compost, but rarely does the imagination stretch to those often cluttered, neglected garden storage spaces. Kevin and Ian's potting shed is proof in abundance that garden storage, when curated with individuality and style, and with well made, heritage items, can be a truly beautiful thing.

The Potting Shed is a new series that steps inside the sheds and greenhouses of designers and gardeners to uncover the practical tools and stylish essentials they use every day. We reveal how these spaces are organized, what products they rely on, and how small details – from favorite pots and vintage finds to seasonal gear – help shape their gardening routines.