The Mjölk Shepherd’s Hut: A Mobile Spare Room

Photography courtesy of Mjölk

When Mjolk's John and Juli Baker of and their two kids left Toronto for their farmhouse near Lake Ontario during Covid lockdowns, John started to work on drawings of a building archetype he was fascinated with: the traditional shepherd’s hut, redone as a mobile escape.

John happened to notice that “the language of shepherd’s huts and the buggies are very similar: they both have curved roofs and steel wheels, so I thought this would be my best chance to find a producer" in the nearby Amish community.

A wood-burning stove stands next to the entry. The Shaker-inspired wall shelf is a Hallgeir Homstvedt design for Mjölk known as the Doverail.

John detailed the hut with Mjölk signature appointments, including a lye-bleached floor.

The family refer to the old typewriter as “the laptop.” John’s friend Andrian Kuzyk built the window frames using Douglas fir from a century-old barn.

John and Juli use the hut to take phone and video calls; their kids come to play with the typewriter and draw.

A Shaker caddy serves as a tidy desk organizer.

The sofa is a camp cot piled with mattresses, blankets, and pillows. The back wall introduces a bit of color to the room.

An antique egg dipper hangs as sculpture.

The Sand Doormat evokes a Zen garden; it’s made of recycled plastic and is durable enough for outdoor use.