About Zen
Built from Craftsmanship. Inspired by Nature.
Zen Garden Studios was founded on a belief that outdoor buildings should offer more than extra square footage. They should feel inspiring, beautifully considered and genuinely connected to the people who use them.
Meet the founder
Brendan Rawlings
Founder, Zen Garden Studios
Zen Garden Studios was founded by Brendan Rawlings, a carpenter, sculptor and designer with a passion for creating beautiful, functional spaces that enhance the way people live.
Drawing on a background in craftsmanship, design and outdoor living, Brendan brings a highly personal approach to every project. From premium garden studios and wellness spaces to bespoke architectural details, each build is shaped by a belief that practical spaces should also feel inspiring, calming and deeply considered.
At Zen Garden Studios, the aim is simple: to create exceptional spaces, built properly, and designed to enrich everyday life.
The story
A carpenter's hands. A sculptor's eye.
Brendan is a qualified carpenter and a professional wood sculptor. Through his sculpture studio, Zen Wood Design, he has spent years carving large-scale pieces in timber, learning how wood moves, weathers and catches the light.
Construction taught him how buildings go together properly: square, level, weathertight and built to last. Sculpture taught him that proportion, texture and detail are what make people stop and look. Zen Garden Studios brings the two together.
Before Zen, Brendan played rugby professionally and built and ran businesses, including a fitness company abroad. Those years left him with a deep respect for good routines, physical wellbeing and the difference a well-designed space makes to how you feel each day.
Back home in Devon, surrounded by coast, moorland and woodland, he started Zen with a simple question: what if a garden building could feel calm, architectural and personal, rather than another box at the end of the lawn?
Not mass produced. Not ordinary. Built with intention.
What guides us
Four principles behind every studio.
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Craft over shortcuts
Proper timber frames, careful detailing and finishes that are made to last, not just to photograph.
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Design with restraint
Clean architectural lines, honest materials and proportions that sit comfortably in a garden.
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Nature as the brief
Every studio is planned around light, views, planting and how it feels to step outside.
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Straight talking
Clear proposals, realistic programmes and no claims we can't stand behind.
Sculpture in architecture
Where the two crafts meet.
Brendan's sculptural background shapes every Zen studio, from the proportions of a canopy to the feel of a door handle. For clients who want something truly individual, it goes further: hand-carved columns, entrances and features that turn a garden studio into a one-off.
Explore Bespoke Studios
Where we work
Founded near Exeter. Building across the South West.
We design and install across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset, subject to site access and scheduling. Further afield? Ask us. Larger projects are considered case by case.
- Devon
- Cornwall
- Somerset
- Dorset
Begin here
Your Garden. Reimagined.
Tell us what you'd love to create. We'll help you explore the possibilities.
We design and install across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset, subject to site access and scheduling. Further afield? Ask us. Larger projects are considered case by case.