The Art Barn- Where a childhood of memories have been made

So what is an Art Barn? Well, some call it an art studio, some call it a she shed but whatever you would like it to be called it is a place for us that is just filled with arts, and crafts, and a place in that we have used more than I could’ve ever imagined when we first built it 10 years ago.

I so why did we build an art barn? When we first moved to our home we were in a situation where we were going to be building out the house and undergoing a major remodel. Having 4 little kids, I needed a place where we could go so that the kids could do arts and crafts, and make messes and it wouldn’t interfere with what was happening inside the house. Sometimes when you have art projects at the kitchen table, it becomes a pain when you need to use that space for its intended purpose, and your art project is still not complete but you have to shuffle it around anyway. I am a person who really doesn’t like messes inside my home. They really bother me. Having the Art Barn give my kids a place where it can look like a bomb has exploded and I won’t care. We simply close the door and walk away until they’re ready to come back and complete the project.

Here are a few photos of the evolution of the Art Barn. My kids were so little when we first built it, but a childhood of memories have been made in there.

Now that my kids are getting older, the art barn has evolved into a summer camp. Over the last eight years, we have hosted a fun summer camp, Pacific Breeze Farm, where kids from our community have come to experience that old-school childhood of making art in the art barn, seeing animals, cooking, and more. There's so many photos on our instagram page below!

The Art Barn does have a sink, a small refrigerator, and a microwave. We have made so many bread rolls, pizzas, cookies, etc. and when they’re ready to bake, we simply use the oven inside the house.

This space has also been used to host birthday parties, host girl’s night for us mom friends, prep for the holidays such as Easter egg dying, and as Santa’s workshop to wrap all of the gifts.

It is a space that we have thoroughly enjoyed. If you’re thinking about putting this type of structure in your yard, I would absolutely highly recommend it. I know when it comes to building like something like this you second-guess it and think “but are we actually going to use that?” I can tell you from our experience it has been a wonderful place filled with so many happy memories. My family and I have been there, and we do know that.

Xo,

Mama