The Plan: Once, this nondescript garage hid a dirty little secret: absolute chaos. Boxes and junk—most ready for the dump—had a tyrannical hold on the space inside.

Garden editor Kate Karam and her partner-in-design, Ashley Johnson Wyatt, pulled up to the garage with two clear objectives: make the outside beautiful and inviting and create an organized, usable space within. Now, instead of muddling through life as a trash bin, the garage does double duty: The left side is tricked out with a spacious worktable, ample storage, and even a mini-fridge stocked with cool drinks for hot days in the garden; the right serves its original purpose, housing a car—vintage, of course!

"A lot of people go without a potting shed because they don't have the space or the money to build one," Kate says. "But if you're using only half your garage, why not put the other half to work?"

After clearing the building of all its contents, Kate and Ashley installed off-the-shelf paneling over existing studs on the left wall and over newly added studs on the dividing wall. They also reinforced utility shelves in the back of the garage, nailing two by fours underneath so they could hold more weight.

photography: Robbie Caponetto Cover cork ceiling tiles in burlap to make a bulletin board for seed packets, notes, and magazine articles.

To clean up the floor, they started with a power wash then painted on three coats of oil-based outdoor paint. For the walls they used standard latex paint. Now it was time to add the bells and whistles.

A carpenter replicated Kate's father's workbench—a long, lean, and sturdy table with drawers for everything—and that became the workshop's centerpiece. Logic determined the room's layout: Books, potting supplies, and tools each got their own areas with proper shelving and accessories planned for every anticipated item (see "Anatomy of a Garden Workshop").

"After a shopping spree at the hardware store, we had everything on our list to detail the workshop," says Kate. "But the exterior still needed a face-lift, and plain paint wasn't enough."

Planters, a wooden trellis, copper screens for the windows, and window boxes gave this garage the new look to go with its new functions. Then came the final flourish: colorful striped curtains made from outdoor fabric. "Now it's so inviting," says Kate, "the owners actually want to go and spend time in their garage."

photography: Robbie Caponetto Install a hinged drafting table for planning and dreaming, then fold it away if you need space for potting plants.

1. Garden library for reference and inspiration

2. Design station with foldout drafting table, drawing paper, and bulletin board

3. Potting area with pots, soil, and labels

4. Seed-starting station with grow lights and trays

5. Bulk storage

6. Tool corner with hooks and pockets for all shapes and sizes

7. Dressing area with boot tray, garden totes, work shirts

8. Easy-access bin of frequently used items: twine, gloves, pruners, sunscreen