- The annual Shed of the Year competition showcases the very best of garden sheds across the country, and this year’s competition is no exception.
- Cuprinol, who host the competition, have noticed a trend in entrants making money from their sheds.
- The impressive entries from around the UK showcase shed owners practising everything from beekeeping to running a design business from their garden sheds.
Hosted by Cuprinol, the competition asks shed owner from around the UK to submit pictures of their sheds, and the creative ways they have decorated them.
It is clear from the entries already submitted that some have managed to make serious money from their sheds, with three entrants in particular standing out.
Rachael, Sam and George make money and hone their creative talents – from beekeeping to making music – from sheds set up in their back gardens.
Rachael Taylor’s Design Shed
Rachael Taylor, a designer and stylist from Liverpool, began using her shed as a studio to work from on the 10th anniversary of her self-made business.
She has decorated it with a bright, colourful blue, yellow and orange interior, plus patterned home accessories like a rug and cushions.
Potted plants decorate the outside of the shed, which is painted a shade of light blue and has large windows to let light in.
George Smallwood’s Eco Shed of Efficiency
It took George two months to build his shed, which was originally a normal flat pack shed but was upgraded to become an “eco-shed”.
In this space, George pickles vegetables on the roof, houses plants and insects and even keeps a beehive.
Sam Fender’s Music Shed
Sam Fender, a musician named as “one to watch in 2018” by Radio X, has turned his garden shed into a studio to pursue his music career.
His minimalist space includes an amp and an electric guitar, plus speakers so he can make music in his back garden.
Founder of Cuprinol’s Shed of the Year competition, Andrew Wilcox said: “Since the Cuprinol Shed of the Year competition started twelve years ago we’ve seen some amazing and inventive uses of sheds from all over the UK.
“We’ve always had a lot of hobbyists and workshops shed entries, but in the last few years there has been so many more start-ups and small businesses using their sheds to make a little extra money or start a new career.
It’s fantastic to have so many entries like Sam, Rachael and George using their sheds for such different side hustles!”
Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director at Cuprinol said: “As more people make the most of their home’s space, we have seen a trend towards people turning to the garden as an extension of their day to day living and more people are finding amazing uses for their sheds beyond storage and DIY.
Previous Shed of the Year finalists have included an Anglo Saxon inspired shed by Roland Williamson in Kent.
Taking home the prize for Best Historic Shed, the Anglo-Saxon inspired Wychurst Longhall, Europe’s largest privately-owned medieval reconstruction, fought off stiff competition to be crowned overall category winner on Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces Shed of the Year.
Other contenders included a shed full of Vietnam War memorabilia, a shed where author Dylan Thomas penned some of this most famous works and a “man shed” on a decommissioned RAF base – a nuclear attack bunker.
Meanwhile, Bryan Lewis Jones from Denbighshire, beat three other impressive shortlisted sheds to become winner of Best Unique Shed for his Rotating Shed which follows the sun to revolve a complete 360 degrees throughout the day.
