A team of Cumbrian entrepreneurs are aiming to change the way we work and play. They’ve developed a bothy. A very stylish bothy.

It could be a home office, a playroom, a fitness studio, or simply a place to relax after a hard day at work.

Distinctive glass-fronted bi-fold doors open on to an al-fresco space, which is perfect for enjoying late summer evenings, or curling up under a blanket when the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Inspired by the mountain shelters found on Cumbrian fells, the bothy comes with a choice of cedar or larch cladding, and a range of interior, technological and heating options to choose from.

My Bothy was launched at the Grand Designs Live show in London last year, winning praise from design experts George Clarke, and Kevin McCloud, who presents the Channel 4 TV show Grand Designs. Kevin cast his expert eye over it at the exhibition and was so impressed, he invited the company back to the next show.

“He loved it,” says businessman Mark Aston, who is the brainchild behind My Bothy. The managing director of Ast Signs came up with the idea when he was drawing up plans for new guest lodges at the Beech House Holidays self-catering business run by his wife Anna at Stockdalewath near Dalston.

“The lodges will be like five-star hotel suites, open-plan with walk-in showers,” he says. “But while I was thinking about that, I started looking at glamping ideas and it came from there. There is a massive, growing market in home offices.

“It has gone really well. I’m quite surprised at how well it has gone.”

The bothy was displayed in the Grand Village – an area of the Grand Designs Live show that reflected the ethos of Grand Designs, focused on unique architecture, innovation and environmental awareness.

A display bothy sits by the car park of Ast Signs base at the Gilwilly industrial estate in Penrith. Established by Mark in 2003, Ast Signs has become one of Cumbria’s most successful small businesses and is one of the UK’s fastest-growing sign-making firms.

The company made its name producing vinyl wrapping for vehicles including Eddie Stobart, Shell, DHL, Tesco, Santander Group, M-Sport, Yodel and Nestlé and has been named the Sign Industry Awards Business of the Year among other awards.

Mark is delighted at how well his sketchwork has turned out. Mike Steadman from Caldbeck, whose family founded Steadmans steel cladding business at Welton, now owned by SIG, is responsible for the solid steel skeleton of the structure.

Mike, who with his wife Lynn owns the Aztec Soft Play Centre and Coffee Genuis businesses in Carlisle, also came up with the idea of hidden guttering which allows rainwater to flow down inside the cladding and soak away, retaining the clean lines of the design.

Mark reasons that as more and more of us work from home where we have an office, what that space is used for is becoming increasingly important.

Not everyone running their own business can afford to rent an office or extend their home to accommodate one. Space in the south of the country, in particular, is at a premium, which is why the bothy is appealing. It can also be cheaper than paying out rents or getting a house extension, with prices starting from £17,000 plus VAT.

It may seem expensive for a swish and very well-built shed, but Mark insists: “Compared with the alternative, it is good value and viable.”

Becca Stockdale, who is sales manager for My Bothy, says: “People work from home but don’t feel the office is separate from their home life. You can have this at the bottom of the garden and it is separate and away from distractions.

“It’s a high-quality office space or a life space to escape to. People can have it in their garden or on a plot of land.”

The first version of the bothy gets its electricity supply from the mains or a generator, but there are plans for solar panels to provide the power. The team is also working on an upgrade that includes a bathroom area.

The idea is to use it to break into the ever-growing glamping market. They already have an agreement to base five of the new, bigger versions of the bothy on a site in the northern Lakes area.

Becca says: “The glamping bothy will be just a bit bigger, with a bathroom and toilet.”

Mark adds: “There are a lot of ideas we can tweak it with. We have to do some market research.”

One area the bothy could break into is the music festival industry. More and more events are offering upmarket overnight stays in something more solid, weatherproof and private than a pop-up tent.

Don’t be surprised if the bothies are the stars of this year’s Glastonbury Festival or Kendal Calling...