Crafty Cat Lady’s Dream Shed Home
Polly’s wonderfully character-packed shed house is proof that downsizing your home certainly doesn’t have to mean downsizing your personality.
After selling her much larger house, Polly moved onto a shared acre in Queensland, Australia, with her son and daughter-in-law. Their homes sit only a few steps apart, creating a beautifully connected multigenerational living arrangement while everyone still enjoys a home and space of their own. With one grandchild already here and another on the way, being close to family was a huge part of what made the move worthwhile.
Polly spent a long time researching different small-home options before deciding on a custom-made shed shell. She chose the dimensions and colour herself, then worked with a builder friend to complete the interior. At 88m², the finished shed home gives her plenty of room for everything she loves while still providing the financial freedom she was looking for.
And there is absolutely nothing restrained about the result.
From the moment we walked inside, the house felt completely and unmistakably Polly. Her pink kitchen is playful, beautiful and incredibly functional, which makes perfect sense given that she works in kitchen design. She avoided awkward corner cupboards, created generous bench space and storage, and included a dedicated coffee area with seating where friends and family can keep her company while she cooks.
The living room is a full celebration of movies, television and pop culture. Polly’s enormous Pop Vinyl collection fills the walls, while a giant television, comfortable couch, video games and even a popcorn machine turn the space into her own private home cinema. I genuinely could have stopped the tour right there, sprawled out on the couch and spent the afternoon watching movies and eating popcorn.
Polly is also a passionate crafter, so the house includes a dedicated craft room where she creates stickers, T-shirts and all kinds of other projects. A Murphy bed allows the room to transform into a guest bedroom whenever family or friends come to stay.
Of course, no tour of this home would be complete without talking about the cats.
Polly freely admits that the cats come first, and the amount of thought that has gone into creating a truly cat-friendly home is incredible. A large enclosed outdoor catio gives them plenty of safe space to play, while custom climbing walls and play areas turn the interior into a giant cat playground. Polly even built her own bed to match the beds she made for her cats. It’s fair to say they received at least as much design consideration as she did! 😆
Behind all the colour and fun is a wonderfully practical forever home. Polly carefully planned wide entrances, easy movement between rooms and a spacious bathroom with an open shower. The bathroom, laundry, wardrobe and outdoor drying area all connect in a highly functional sequence, and the layout has been future-proofed so the home can remain accessible should her needs ever change.
Downsizing has also allowed Polly to become mortgage-free. After selling her former home and completing the new shed house, she was able to put money towards her retirement and help her son with his mortgage. Rainwater storage and a shared solar system with battery backup also help keep ongoing utility costs remarkably low.
For Polly, this move was never simply about building a smaller house. It was about creating a mortgage-free life close to the people she loves, while designing a home with room for her movies, crafts, collections, colour and, naturally, her very lucky cats.
Every inch of this personality-packed shed house reflects the person who lives there, and we absolutely loved exploring it.
