A garden office design – A customised solution for Andrew’s ‘bothy’
During the pandemic, Scottish brand agency CEO Andrew Dobbie sought a clearer boundary between work and personal life. Building his garden office—affectionately called ‘the Bothy’—offered that separation, but he soon discovered the space became uncomfortably warm. “After a few months of using the space, I found that even though I'm in Scotland and the climate is a little bit gloomier than some countries, the bothy still actually got very, very warm. It was quite uncomfortable to work in. I realised that I needed some more airflow into the room and some more light.”
Andrew wanted something that was both reliable and visually pleasing. “Most of my day is spent running a business and a lot of that now is on remote calls. So, I've built the desk area where I'm able to do most of that work. I also record a podcast here, so it’s quite important for the space to aesthetically look great because it spends a lot of time on camera.”
“The design process with the VELUX design team was really great. I initially thought that I wanted the roof window directly above where I worked. But having spoken to them and worked through that process, we realised that two flat roof windows were going to be better in the space. And I'm really glad I did actually, because it allows me to decide where I want the light to come in” says Andrew.
“Walking into the room for the first time, I think what really hit me was the sense of scale that it also added to the room. It felt more airy and there was just a new sense of height, which I hadn't actually anticipated. The sense of space became bigger.”
Reflecting on the installation process itself, Andrew was also pleasantly surprised by how quick and easy it was. “The team came out for two visits and the job was really smooth. They were a pleasure to work with.”
More space for productivity
“I would say my productivity has definitely gone up, because I want to be in the space more and I find myself feeling much more peaceful while working here. The light has really changed and transformed the way that I work, as well as not having to keep stepping outside because it’s too warm. I'm able to air out, which just made it a much more enjoyable place to be.”
A smarter way of working
Andrew also opted for the VELUX App Control, which meant he could control the roof windows without leaving his desk.
“I'm a gadget person. So there was no way I was not having a gadget if there was one available. I found the app really easy to use and it allows me to open and close both the roof windows and the shutters on the app or with the separate remote switches attached on my wall.”
The mood-boosting effects of light
“It's been amazing actually. Just the difference that having a little bit of extra daylight in a room has on your wellbeing. I found myself looking much more forward to being in the space. And I found myself a lot of the time while I'm sitting, working, just looking up at the sky, which was something I definitely didn't do before.”
