3 Gadgets To Upgrade Your She Shed

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We all need a place to relax, disconnect, or enjoy our hobbies. But between busy households, remote work, and the general clutter of everyday life, many homes quickly start to feel cramped. And that's when a she shed comes in handy. Equivalent to a man cave, a she shed is a place of solitude, where you can take refuge away from your housemates for a couple of hours. Think of a space constructed outdoors, either close to your house or farther into your backyard, where you can enjoy a glass of wine, practice yoga, or indulge in hobbies, all without the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Now, given that your she shed should be your ideal cozy retreat, it's possible that the space you painstakingly built years ago no longer matches your current needs. If that's the case, now could be the perfect time to upgrade. Of course, for most of us, this means painting the walls, investing in a comfy chair with a plush throw blanket, and adding a cozy rug. But aside from that, it's also wise to invest in useful gadgets that can elevate your she shed — whether in aesthetics, functionality, or comfort.

To help you get more out of your she shed, below, we've rounded up a few essential gadgets that can go a long way in making your space your own. Each item on this list has been carefully picked based on how it can easily elevate your space. Notably, the products mentioned are from reputable brands and have received overwhelmingly positive reviews from genuine customers on trusted retailers such as Amazon.

Light not only plays a crucial role in determining the appearance of a space, but it also significantly influences its mood. A dim glow, for instance, will evoke a sense of coziness while bright, cool lights will make a space feel productive and clean. That said, if you're looking for a quick and affordable way to upgrade your she shed's lighting, installing smart light bulbs is a good idea. It's not that standard light bulbs are necessarily bad, but smart lights have many uses in your home, especially for your she shed.

Take Govee's LED Strip Lights, which you can purchase for around a dollar a foot, for instance. They come in a spectrum of lightscapes and colors, creating a more immersive experience for movie-watching, listening to music, reading, or exercising. Additionally, these and many other smart strip light options work with Google Assistant and Alexa. This means that you can turn the lights on and off, adjust the brightness and color temperature to your liking, using voice commands or mobile apps.

Additionally, some major smart lighting brands, like Philips, offer bulbs that can sync with a screen or your audio device of choice (say, headphones, a smart speaker, and more). This convenience can come in handy for setting the mood for a candlelit dinner or yoga session, as the strips will pulse in sync with the music, adjusting the light's color, tone, and brightness.

Irrespective of how you use your she shed, having a reliable internet connection can make a huge difference. However, even if you have the best Wi-Fi router available on the market, chances are you've noticed that once you step into your she shed, the signal becomes weaker or disappears altogether. Of course, this can be quite frustrating, especially if you want to get some work done on your laptop or play online games with friends, which is why we recommend getting a reliable Wi-Fi extender.

As the name suggests, it's a device that extends your Wi-Fi range beyond your home's interior without worrying about cable management. Just plug it into an outlet halfway between your she shed and your router, and it will capture your existing signal and rebroadcast it to other devices in your she shed.

However, it's worth noting that, while Wi-Fi extenders are the most affordable way to extend your Wi-Fi range, they have their limitations. For instance, they might slow down your network. Even worse, if you're using them in a large setting, you'll likely experience drops, lags, or poor performance. For this reason, if you want to extend your Wi-Fi range without sacrificing significant internet speeds, it's wise to invest in a Wi-Fi mesh network. Yes, it's quite expensive compared to Wi-Fi extenders, but it's more convenient and experiences less lag or slowdown than its counterpart.

Even with thick walls, for many, she sheds can be pretty problematic during the cold season. After all, most are quite tough to keep warm, as they're often poorly sealed and built without proper insulation. In such a situation, though there are many different ways to heat your home, a space heater will be a huge help. The Dreo Solaris Slim H2 Space Heater, available on Amazon for $56, for instance, although it's not marketed as a she shed heater, will do a better job of heating up a small space quickly and evenly. This is primarily thanks to its wide oscillating and adjustable tilting angles, as well as its various heat settings, which allow it to cover a wider area.

A big disclaimer here: you'll need to exercise caution when using a space heater. Sure, it's a straightforward appliance that you can set up and use. But if you're not careful, you might end up trying to put out a fire after a few minutes of use — after all, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, space heaters are the root cause of thousands of home fires every year. For this reason, avoid placing it on a table where you can easily knock it over. You'll also want to keep an active heater at a safe distance from items like flammable paints or wall insulation, which can easily catch fire.