Our First Chicken Coop Build: Designing for Chicken Expert Tayler Graham

Every Castle & Cubby project starts with a vision, a space that’s purposeful, imaginative, and made to last. Our first chicken coop began the same way.

 

When chicken keeper and lifestyle creator Tayler Graham asked us to reimagine her family’s flock home, it sparked something new, a chance to take our design language beyond cubbies and play into sustainable, family-focused living.

What began as a chat about chickens became the blueprint for our first custom animal-friendly build, crafted with the same creativity, craftsmanship, and care that define Castle & Cubby.

More than a one-off project, this coop marks the start of a new chapter, one that proves functional spaces can be beautiful, and that good design can bring joy, connection, and purpose to everyday life.

Like many backyard chicken keepers, Tayler’s first coop had done the job but never quite felt right.

 

“It always felt like we were making do,” she said. “It wasn’t predator-proof, and it didn’t give the chickens the space or comfort they deserved.”

 

The setup was cramped, awkward to clean, and sat like an afterthought in the garden. Functionally, it worked, but emotionally, it didn’t belong.

 

Tayler wanted something that cared for her flock as much as it complemented her home, a space that looked beautiful, worked efficiently, and made the rhythm of chicken keeping something her family could genuinely enjoy.

 

That vision struck a chord with us. At Castle & Cubby, we’ve always believed that good design serves families and sparks joy. Translating that philosophy into a chicken coop felt like a natural, and exciting, evolution.

Tayler’s brief balanced practicality with heart: plenty of space, predator protection, easy maintenance, and a design that felt like a feature, not a shed.

 

“We wanted something that complemented our home and felt like a feature rather than a shed in the corner,” she said.

 

We took inspiration from our much-loved Barn Cubby House, a silhouette adored for its warmth, symmetry, and nostalgic charm. From there, we designed a reimagined version, a Barn Coop, built with precision joinery, sustainable materials, and smart internal systems to make daily care seamless.

 

Our goal was simple: to prove that functional design can also be artful.

Every Castle & Cubby creation begins in our workshop, where our craftspeople cut, sand, and assemble each piece by hand. This coop was no exception, it was treated with the same level of care we bring to our cubby houses and classrooms.

Constructed from sustainably sourced timber, the coop’s frame and panels were designed for durability and ventilation. Each join was reinforced for strength; each edge was sealed for weather protection. The final structure was installed by our team on Tayler’s lifestyle block in regional Victoria, where open paddocks and crisp air would soon become home to a very happy flock.

From workshop sketches to final installation, every decision came back to the same goal, creating a space that felt crafted, not manufactured. As Tayler put it, “The team listened to everything we wanted and brought it all together perfectly.”

The reveal day is always the best part, that quiet moment when a design becomes real.

 

When the final bolt was tightened and the doors swung open, Tayler’s reaction said it all.

 

“Seeing it come to life was so exciting,” she said. “The finished coop exceeded our expectations in every way.”

 

The natural timber tones blend beautifully with the landscape, and the barn-style doors cast soft shadows across the run. Inside, sunlight filters through cross-ventilation panels, creating a warm, dry haven for the flock.

 

It’s functional, beautiful, and unmistakably Castle & Cubby.

 

Weeks later, Tayler shared how quickly the coop had become part of her family’s daily rhythm.

 

“Our chickens are so much happier,” she said. “We’re getting more eggs now that they have space to roam, roost, and scratch comfortably. It’s easy to clean, lovely to look at, and our kids love spending time with the chickens even more.”

 

That, to us, is the heart of great design, when something practical quietly transforms how people connect with their surroundings.

 

The coop is more than a structure; it’s a small anchor point for family life, a space that brings calm, purpose, and joy to everyday moments.

 

For Castle & Cubby, this build was more than a new product, it marked the start of a new creative chapter.

We’re expanding our craft beyond cubby houses and classrooms to design spaces that nurture families (and their animals) in every sense. Because design should never stop at beautiful, it should make life simpler, kinder, and more joyful.

Whether we’re building for play, learning, or living, our purpose remains the same:

to create sustainable, Australian-made spaces that bring people together through imagination and care.

This first chicken coop reminded us of something we’ve always known, when you design with heart and integrity, you don’t just build structures.

You build stories that last.

 

Thinking about your own backyard, or school-yard chicken setup?

 

Explore Castle & Cubby’s design-led coops and start planning your perfect space, one that keeps your flock safe, your home beautiful, and your family connected.