A modern, box-shaped tiny house with a cork exterior promotes sustainability, featuring large circular and rectangular windows and a geometric door. An old green motorbike parked in front highlights creative reuse; leafless tree branches frame the scene.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

A view through a large glass door shows a modern garden office with a round window and black door. Spruce plywood accents frame the scene, while a scooter and gardening tools rest outside, and potted plants decorate the cosy interior.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

A modern door with a diagonal black and white design and a round window, set in a birch plywood-textured wall. A white spherical light fitting is mounted on the modular wall to the right of the door.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

Two people stand behind a counter in a modern café, seen through a large round window set in a textured brown wall. A vintage green motorbike, reflecting the spirit of reuse and the circular economy, is parked outside in front of the window.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

Close-up of a wall made from interlocking cork panels, featuring a round window with a wooden frame. The sustainable cork texture is rough and natural, whilst the window reveals a warm interior in the background.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

A small green potted plant sits on a light birch windowsill, with a round window in the background revealing a blurred timber construction fence and brick wall outside.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

A woman stands at a plywood desk in a modern, minimalist office with light wood walls, a round window, and various plants and shelves, creating a cosy and bright workspace.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

A woman stands at a worktable in a modern, cosy birch studio with shelves of supplies, a laptop, books, and an embroidery machine. Large windows let in natural light whilst a potted plant decorates the modular space.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

A woman stands behind a wooden counter, smiling at a seated man in a cosy, minimalist room with birch plywood walls, shelves of books, plants, and a laptop on a small desk in the background.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

A man stands smiling with a cup in hand in a modern, minimalist kitchen featuring sustainable timber construction, light wood panels, an embroidery machine, a white sink, and large windows letting in natural light.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

A bright, minimalist craft room with spruce wooden walls and furniture, a desk with a computer and sewing machine, modular shelves with colourful threads, a printer, a small white stool, and a potted plant near a round window.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

A wooden interior with light-coloured, sustainably sourced plywood walls features a skylight above and a glass door leading to a fenced outdoor area; tree branches and a white building are visible outside.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

View from inside a small, sustainably sourced wooden structure with a clear ceiling, showing tree branches and sky reflected above; natural light brightens the interior, and a single lightbulb is mounted on the left wall.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

Interior view of a wooden structure with light plywood walls and ceiling showcases sustainability. A door with a round window and a small rectangular window are visible, whilst upcycled wooden slats outside offer privacy and allow natural light to enter.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

A modern chair with a dark cushion and curved wooden armrests—crafted with sustainability in mind—sits in front of a large circular window, with a wooden fence and brick wall visible outside.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

An old Singer sewing machine sits on a wooden shelf beside a yellow device, white boxes, and stacked books, inviting inspiration to upcycle in a light wood space with wall-mounted shelving.

Garden Studio by NameName and U Build. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2021

A row of colourful thread spools sits on a wooden shelf above a cutting machine, all set against a light wood panelled wall crafted from sustainably sourced materials with visible knots.

A round, white wall lamp glows warmly against a textured, speckled dark wall, its soft light evoking the natural elegance of birch and plywood often seen in timber construction.

A warmly lit timber interior is visible through a window in a textured dark wall; a vintage lantern sits on the sill, whilst a leafy plant grows outside beside wooden slats—showcasing sustainable design and modular construction elements.

A modern, box-shaped small house with a large circular window and geometric door, warmly lit from inside, stands in a garden with a vintage motorbike parked in front—crafted with sustainably sourced materials—bare trees overhead at twilight.

Name Name Pod

This beautiful garden pod was designed and built by entrepreneur Alex McMillian and designer Michelle Tacdol. They first came to U-Build looking to create something a bit special for their home in London, with space to work, create and relax.

Patterns, shapes and materials were important parts of the design, and involved several bespoke customisations of the U-Build system. There is cork cladding on the outside to give the pod a matt texture, and additional sound / thermal performance, and a green roof on top, surrounding a beautiful rooflight under their mature tree.

Here at U-Build, we look at the world through box-shaped spectacles, and are not very used to curves, but we didn’t want that to stem the couples creative energies, and so we adapted our cutting patterns to accomodate the large round picture window, and the smaller porthole window.

Who says you can’t fit a square pod with a round hole?

Photographs by Jim Stephenson