Luminhaus Lantern Shed

The couple was the first LV customer and built their family retreat, dubbed Luminhaus, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Amherst, Virginia, between March 2004 and March 2005. (They also served as model and mentors for Chris Brown and Sarah Johnson’s Lost River Modern B&B featured in our February 2009 issue.) "For years we planned to build a shed that would compliment the house design," they say, "and now we’ve finally completed it."

The idea for a Japanese lantern came from a visit to the National Building Museum. As Bless and Watson write on their website:

The image that kept reoccurring was a picture of some translucent concrete that was on displayseveral years ago at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

But translucent concrete was out. The shed had to be built with affordable and accessible materials. Our mission: modern design for the masses.



Bless and Watson found their solution in corrugated fiberglass panels—they complimented the house design, offered translucency, and fit the budget. They finished construction on the 64-square-foot shed in early January 2009 and will plant a green roof in March. To track their progress, visit their website.

Read more about Rocio Romero’s LV series of prefab homes here or view our slideshow of modern prefab sheds.