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A garden dome recently shot right to the top of my home wishlist. They came onto my radar as I was looking at garden sheds and summerhouses so that we could make our garden more usable in the winter months. Not only do we need extra space to store things, but we could do with creating an outdoor room that allows us to use the garden all year round. Recently our home is starting to feel a bit too small as our girls are growing up and we find ourselves needing extra space, particularly in winter when we spend more time indoors.
I’d love somewhere to practice yoga for example because we don’t have the space. I also kid myself that if we had somewhere to put a running machine I may actually use it. I’d also love a quiet space to read and write away from distractions. And above all, I’d love to be able to spend more time surrounded by nature, but I really don’t like being outside in the cold and rain. But inside a heated garden igloo with blankets and cushions looking out at nature whilst protected from the weather would be awesome.
Plus we recently got pet rabbits who live outdoors and this is what actually prompted me to look for outdoor shelter options because my daughters want to spend time with the rabbits outside but in this wintery rainy weather, it’s just not possible or practical. An outdoor igloo dome for winter would be the perfect solution, right?
My husband, who didn’t want the rabbits in the first place, definitely wouldn’t appreciate me buying a garden igloo to house our new pets. Whilst he’s more than happy to spend money upgrading our home, he’s not really in agreement with spending it on the rabbits. So I started to think about how else we could use a garden dome to make it seem more appealing to him and less like a really extravagant and unnecessary rabbit shelter.
So today I will share with you some of the ways that you could transform your outdoor space using a garden geodesic dome like the ones that are available from Hypedome. Hopefully, this will be helpful for anyone looking to convince their significant other that a garden igloo is a worthy investment.
1. Greenhouse Oasis
The obvious starting point is using your garden dome for plants. A garden dome greenhouse could be used instead of a standard greenhouse. Not only is it more attractive and less conventional, it makes a real style statement. On a practical level, it will allow you to grow more exotic plants, flowers, and herbs.
2. Outdoor Dining Room
Garden dome dining is the second option. Everyone likes alfresco dining but only when the weather collaborates. Nobody wants to eat outside in the pouring rain. However, with a garden igloo, you can enjoy your meal outside no matter what the weather. In fact, a bit of rain or snow would add to the atmosphere.
3. Stargazing Retreat
For any amateur astrologers out there, consider how you might create a garden observatory dome. Armed with a powerful telescope and maybe an outdoor rug, a cosy sleeping bag some comfy cushions, and a flask of hot cocoa, you can spend hours outside observing the stars in the cloudless night sky.
If you are a photographer, this would be great for capturing star fields or the Milky Way.
4. Yoga or Meditation Studio
This is definitely one of my top uses for a garden dome pod. In our fast-paced, hectic world, it can be very easy to always be on the go, never taking the time to really check in with your body or your mind. If I had a garden igloo I would use the tranquil environment of the dome for yoga sessions, meditation, or as a personal wellness retreat anytime that I feel overstimulated and just need some peace and quiet and time to process my own thoughts or quiet my mind.
5. Playhouse for Kids
A garden dome shelter would also make a great playhouse for kids. I’ve been considering buying a playhouse for my girls for a few years now. However, when they were really small I knew they wouldn’t be to spend time in the garden alone and unsupervised so it wouldn’t get that much use.
Now that they are older, many kids’ playhouses are too small and before long they won’t fit inside them. It makes much more sense to invest in something that they won’t grow out of. There are so many things that kids could do inside one of these geodesic garden domes from arts and crafts and board games, reading, and playing with their toys.
6. Home Gym
As I mentioned, I like to kid myself that if we had a garden dome pod I would have a home gym inside so I could work out and get in shape. The reality is that I probably wouldn’t because I’m not really a gym goer. I much prefer yoga. Having said that, my husband would probably love a gym in the garden.
7. Reading Nook
A waterproof garden dome with a heater inside would make the perfect reading nook and I am here for that. I can just imagine how wonderful it would feel to be able to escape the chaos of home and retreat down to the bottom of the garden with a hot chocolate, a cosy blanket and a good book.
I’m always saying I want to read more but as long as there is Wi-Fi and internet and kids to distract me I rarely make it happen.
8. Outdoor Office
The reason I set up my own coworking space for women is because I was struggling to work from home even before the Pandemic made working from home more popular. There is nowhere in my home I can use as a home office and I was working from the dining room table which is not ideal.
An outdoor garden dome would make a perfect home office. As long as you have electricity and internet hooked up and the garden igloo is well-heated in winter and shaded and well-ventilated in summer, a garden office dome would be a great option.
9. Relaxing Lounge
A dome garden room could be used to create a relaxing lounge area in the garden for entertaining guests or simply spending time outside as a family. The good thing about a garden furniture dome is that you can leave your furniture outside through the winter without worrying about it getting wet and windswept.
Having nowhere to store garden furniture through the winter is what has always stopped me from buying a good quality garden furniture set for our garden. But a garden igloo would solve that problem too.
10. Entertainment Hub
Just look how gorgeous this garden dome igloo looks draped in fairy lights and filled with cosy cushions and blankets. We watch movies out in the garden on our projector in the summer but as soon as September arrives it’s often too cold to stay out late watching movies.
Creating an entertainment hub in the garden would be great for birthday parties, sleepovers, or date nights. Being parents often means it’s a rare occasion to go out for a night without the children. However, it would be very easy to enjoy a date night in your garden if you had a garden dome.
11. Botanical Cocktail Bar
If you’re less of a Netflix fan and more of a house party fan, a garden dome shelter would make a brilliant outdoor bar. Allow your guests to gather outside in the garden dome safe in the knowledge that the weather won’t impact the festivities.
12. Home Spa Retreat
Fancy a spa retreat in your own back garden? You could get a garden dome to house your hot tub. In the UK, I’m guessing most people pack away the hot tub as autumn approaches. Nobody wants to sit out in the pouring rain and blustery wind come winter. But the weather wouldn’t matter if the hot tub was in a garden dome. I would add fairy lights to make it even more relaxing and special.
13. Creative Studio
An outdoor garden dome can also be used as a creative studio for all your arts and crafts activities. Whether you are weaving, knitting or doing embroidery, painting, sculpting or sewing, you can create your little haven in the garden where you can give your creative endeavours your full attention.
14. Outdoor Kitchen
I absolutely love the idea of having an outdoor kitchen. If it wasn’t for the weather here in the UK, I would have installed an outdoor kitchen in our garden shortly after we built our deck. We spend so much time in the garden in Summer and we eat outdoors most evenings. My husband loves to BBQ but it can be a bit of a faff running back and forth to the house to bring food in and out.
An outdoor kitchen would make alfresco dining so much easier and you wouldn’t need to worry about the kitchen getting weathered if it was nicely housed in a garden igloo.
15. Romantic Getaway
As mentioned previously, a garden dome is the perfect solution for those wanting a romantic getaway closer to home. Going to the pub and going out to eat is getting less and less affordable but taking time out with your partner is so important if you are to maintain a healthy relationship. A few hours together of an evening in a candle-lit garden igloo with a nice bottle of wine is an easy option that takes minimal planning.
16. Guest Accommodation
We struggle to have house guests as we don’t have a spare bedroom for them to stay in when they visit. But a outdoor garden dome could double up as guest accommodation when necessary. A blow-up mattress, some nice bedding, a couple of side tables and sheepskin rugs and you’re pretty much sorted. And your guests get a unique experience where they can fall asleep under the stars.
17. Wildlife Hide
Are you an animal lover who likes to watch nature without disturbing the natural habitat? Then a garden dome could make the perfect wildlife hide. Granted to may need to camouflage it if you want to go unnoticed by the wildlife you’re watching. Alternatively the Hypedome with mirror finish would help you blend seamlessly into your surroundings.
18. Man Cave
My husband would love a man cave in the garden. He needs regular time to himself and as our two daughters grow up more I feel this will become even more important for him. A garden igloo would be a great way for him to create his own man cave where he could go to play his vinyls, make music and work out.
19. Digital Detox Den
As great as the internet is, it’s not healthy for us to be so connected all the time. However, the user experience has been designed to keep us hooked in. Having somewhere we can escape to for a digital detox would be so great for our mental health. Imagine having a device-free zone where you could be present, free from digital distractions. It would be much easier to have quality time with our loved ones if we knew there would be no phones vying for our attention with their constant notifications.
20. Pet Paradise
And last of all, my initial motivation for discovering these garden dome shelters in the first place. They would make a brilliant addition to the garden for our pets. We could pop our rabbit hutch inside in winter to help protect them from freezing temperatures, driving rain and high winds. The rabbits could have free run inside the dome, protected from predators and my girls could have somewhere sheltered from the weather to spend time with them.
We wouldn’t keep them inside the dome during the summer though. We could move their hutch outside so that we could use the dome ourselves for more fun activities like entertaining friends and family, movie nights, sleepovers for the kids and general relaxation.
I hope you find these garden dome ideas useful and it helped you to see just how versatile a Hypedome can be. In my book, this is what makes them such great value for money. Wish me luck arguing my case with my husband!!
Don’t forget to pin this post for later so you can remember all the ways you can use your garden dome…even in winter!!!
