If there is one thing the British do well and are very passionate about, it is the mighty garden shed.
Cuprinol has announced the winners of the 2024 Shed Of The Year awards – and the victors are far from disappointing.
‘Sheddies’ – people who are really passionate about sheds – across the country have been competing over the past months in pursuit of the prestigious prize.
The overall winner was Wayne Dawber from Crewe, who wowed the public with his ‘Wrinkly, Rusty And Retro’ shed.
Wayne Dawber from Crewe was the overall winner of the 2024 ‘Shed Of The Year’
Though they narrowly missed out on the main prize, the competition’s individual category winners still put together some incredibly creative structures.
These included the UK’s ‘most colourful’ shed, a stargazing retreat, and several boltholes turned into garden pubs.
Here, FEMAIL takes a closer look inside some of the country’s best sheds.
COCONUT BAR
WINNER: Most colourful
Keith Bryan’s ‘Coconut Bar’ won the prize for the most colourful shed
The vibrant display, which features bright pinks, yellows and blues, aims to replicate a tropical experience
Keith Bryan’s ‘Coconut Bar’ won the prize for the most colourful shed at the Shed Of The Year contest.
The vibrant display, which features bright pinks, yellows and blues, aims to replicate a tropical experience.
Keith, from Staffordshire, added fairy lights, bright paintings of island life, a large model pineapple and surfboard to complete his shed.
Keith said he hopes the shed will emulate the experience of ‘lying on a sun-kissed beach drinking cocktails with soft Caribbean music playing in the background,’ according to ReaderSheds.
He says he’s turned it from looking sad at the bottom of the garden when he first moved in to a ‘relaxing and happy’ place.
THE BAR WITH NO NAME
WINNER: Cabin/summer house
The Bar With No Name has a cardboard cut-out of footballer Peter Crouch behind the bar
Sean started building The Bar With No Name during the Covid pandemic, hoping to create a place for his family to be able to reflect after the death of his daughter’s partner at just 30 years old
Created by pensioner Sean Ruane, who also calls himself The Hairy Potter, The Bar With No Name was inspired by a tragic loss.
Sean started building The Bar With No Name during the Covid pandemic, hoping to create a place for his family to be able to reflect after the death of his daughter’s partner at just 30 years old.
‘He was only 30. They were planning to have kids and buy a house. His death devastated us all,’ Mr Ruane, who is based in Stoke-On-Trent, told the BBC previously.
‘This shed was our space to go and reflect. We had so many people visit us and share happy memories of him.
‘That led on to other people to come and visit us and share their pain.’
Sean is a huge Stoke City football fan, and was delighted when former player Ricardo Fuller turned up to open the shed last year.
His shed has a life-sized cardboard cut-out of former Stoke footballer Peter Crouch behind the bar.
The shed has a sign outside reading ‘Welcome everyone’ and has been made comfortable with a sofa and 55-inch TV.
LIONESSES DEN
WINNER: Pub/entertainment
The Lionesses Den was awarded the prize for the best pub/entertainment shed
Zoe Bleach created her recycled shed to host viewing parties for the Australia Women’s World Cup last year
Zoe Bleach created her recycled shed to host viewing parties for the Australia Women’s World Cup last year.
As well as winning the pub and entertainment category, Zoe’s shed came second in the entire competition.
She says she and her family built it completely without the help of professionals.
The tiny shed is only 2.7×2.7m, but it still fits a TV, tables and armchairs.
Despite the small space, it has a bright interior with fairy lights, bar stools and photographs of football players.
And this is not the first time Zoe’s shed has become famous, as it even featured on TV in a Sky Glass advert in the build-up to the World Cup.
PLAY POD CUBE MAKEOVER
WINNER: Simple but effective
Neema Young from Cambridgeshire’s Play Pod shed was originally built in 2014 by her father and husband, but has since had a stylish makeover
It has a space for the children to chill, adults to sleep and office space at the side for working
The Play Pod Cube even has a platform where the children can go and open a porthole and stargaze at night
Neema Young from Cambridgeshire’s Play Pod shed was originally built in 2014 by her father and husband, but has since had a stylish makeover.
Now, it has a space for the children to chill, adults to sleep and office space at the side for working.
The Play Pod Cube even has a platform where the children can go and open a porthole and stargaze at night.
It has a unique and comfortable design, with a large sofa and plenty of cosy multicoloured pillows.
KITCHEN CABIN
WINNER: Budget
Tom Dewhirst from West Yorkshire estimates he spent between £150 and £250 on his Kitchen Cabin shed
It was built during lockdown from old timber pallets, and decorated with rescued items from the local tip
Tom and his family built the cabin to cook and consume homegrown produce from their allotment
They use it for serving up delicious meals and for entertainment on summer evenings
Tom Dewhirst from West Yorkshire estimates he spent between £150 and £250 on his Kitchen Cabin shed.
It was built during lockdown from old timber pallets, and decorated with rescued items from the local tip.
Tom and his family built the cabin to cook and consume homegrown produce from their allotment.
They use it for serving up delicious meals and for entertainment on summer evenings.
The judges said: ‘Tom rescued most resources used to construct his ever evolving shed from the local tip, proving creativity should not be limited by budget.
‘Kitchen Cabin is an ideal spot to cook and enjoy his home grown produce from on a summer evening.’
THE HANDSOME DEVIL’S CLUB
WINNER: Young Sheddie of the Year
Joseph Smith, 27, is the first ever winner of the Young Sheddie Of The Year – a new category for 2024
Joe, from West Yorkshire, built the shed himself in four months for £15,000 and is in the style of a pub
It boasts an American-style verandah, countryside views, a fireplace, wood-burning stove, dartboard and a keg and pump for pints
Joseph Smith, 27, is the first ever winner of the Young Sheddie Of The Year – a new category for 2024.
Joe, from West Yorkshire, built the shed himself in four months for £15,000 and is in the style of a pub.
It boasts an American-style verandah, countryside views, a fireplace, wood-burning stove, dartboard and a keg and pump for pints.
Joe built it from scratch in the style of a country cottage and hopes to use it to spend time with his family.
The judges said: ‘This shed, expertly crafted by Joseph, possesses a bespoke bar and classic features throughout to give the feel of a cosy country cottage to be enjoyed by friends and family on warm summer evenings.’
THE CHATEAU
WINNER: Nature’s Haven
Leianne Lockhart’s ‘Chateau’ was built out of reclaimed wood and metal and she worked on it together with her children
Leianne, from Kent, also has a pizza oven in her shed, making it perfect for the children and for hosting
Leianne Lockhart’s ‘Chateau’ was built out of reclaimed wood and metal and she worked on it together with her children.
She used recycled water for the process and solar panels for lighting.
Leianne, from Kent, also has a pizza oven in her shed, making it perfect for the children and for hosting.
She’s also hosted birthday parties there, including one with many pot noodles.
CHELTENHAM CORKER
WINNER: Workshop/studio
Iain Jamieson from Gloucestershire created the Cheltenham Corker for his parents, who are retired and use it as a potting shed
The simple design is very effective, with a bright blue door and a blue bench for relaxing
Iain Jamieson from Gloucestershire created the Cheltenham Corker for his parents, who are retired.
They use the shed for potting and to relax in the sunshine, and have a large patio for entertaining guests.
The shed has a south-facing roof with solar panels and even faces an 100-year old pine tree for a stunning view.
The simple design is very effective, with a bright blue door and a blue bench for relaxing.
Art technician wins ‘Shed of the Year’ after getting ‘carried away’ when building his wife a ‘ghost-town chic’ hideaway entirely from ‘old junk’
By Monique Rubins
An art technician has won Curpinol’s ‘Shed of the Year’ competition after creating a ‘ghost-town chic’ garden building.
Wayne Dawber, 50, from Crewe in Cheshire, also won a prize for the most unusual and unique shed in the annual awards through a public vote.
His creation is far from your average garden shed, with Wayne collecting ‘old junk’, including vintage signs, magazines and old product labels, to decorate his creation.
Wayne has named his shed ‘Wrinkly, Rusty And Retro’ and originally made it for his wife Ruth to read in while looking at the garden.
He said it felt ‘amazing’ to win, adding: ‘Except for an egg and spoon race at primary school this is the first time I have ever won anything.’
Wayne Dawber (pictured) was crowned winner of Cuprinol’s Shed of the Year competition for his ‘industrial, ghost-town chic’ structure
Wayne’s shed was made entirely from used and scrap materials, including corrugated steel, and boasts vintage signage and murals.
‘Everything in the build I scavenged from hard-to-come-by skip finds, junk shops, demolition sites I come across, or farms having a clear out,’ he explained.
‘I had been collecting bits and pieces for quite a while. I knew they would come together somehow at some point. I’m addicted to old junk.’
He added that the use of corrugated steel, ‘found objects and the vintage magazine advertising murals’ is what makes his shed unique.
‘It’s not something you would normally see in a garden, I suppose, more on a deserted, desert highway. I like to pretentiously call this style industrial, ghost-town chic,’ he said.
It took two weeks to build the shed and a further six weeks to paint the murals, which are his favourite part of the structure.
‘I think the internal murals are my favourites. They are mostly old product labels I thought were attractive and scaled up,’ he said.
‘I think they work really well with the wooden panelling. I very much enjoyed giving them the patina they have. I wanted them to have an authentic sense of texture and age, and I think I got pretty close.’
Wayne, 50, from Crewe in Cheshire, decorated the inside of his shed with vintage signage and hand-painted murals
It took two weeks to build the shed and a further six weeks to paint the murals, which are Wayne’s favourite part of the structure
He said the highlight of his shed was adding an ‘old bell, tannoy and industrial light’ to the front but he admits he wanted to add more murals.
Wayne added: ‘It was tempting to keep going but I wanted to create a balance between the painted surfaces and the raw materials of the structure.
‘I made the shed for my wife, Ruth. She wanted somewhere for her gardening tools and a quiet place to sit out of the elements to read and watch the garden. I got a bit carried away.’
Winning the ‘unique’ category was testament to his individuality, he explained, He said: ‘The general public also voted me the winner of the ‘Unexpected/Unique’ category, which I still can’t quite believe.
‘To have strangers deem me worthy means a lot to me as it means they actually like what I have made. As an artist/designer trying to make a go of things, it’s confirmation that I may be good at what I do.
‘Plus to come out on top of the ‘Unexpected/Unique’ category suits the way I feel about my individuality too.’
Wayne, who also won the Unexpected/Unique category, said it felt ‘amazing’ to come first in the competition
The shed, named Wrinkly, Rusty And Retro, was made entirely from used and scrap materials, including corrugated steel
The walls are decorated with brightly-coloured vintage signage while the ceiling appears to be a patchwork of patterned papers
Wayne’s shed, where he keeps his garden tools, is also equipped with a vintage red leather chair and a high table
Wayne thanked his friends and family for their support, ‘as biased as they are’, and extended his gratitude to Andrew Wilcox, founder and head judge of the competition, as well as Marianne Shillingford, creative director and colour expert at Cuprinol.
Mr Wilcox, who has run Shed of the Year for 18 years, said: ‘As we near the 20th anniversary of the competition, it’s astonishing to see the incredible new heights our entrants have been reaching year-on-year.
‘At the peak of and just after the pandemic, we saw the revival of the pub shed and people getting inventive with their outdoor workspaces. This year, we’ve seen a real trend of pushing what’s possible with upcycling and getting bold with structures.
‘Wayne has entered the competition with two different sheds previously, so I guess what they say is true – third time’s a charm! ‘Wrinkly, Rusty And Retro’ is a great representation of the most popular trends we saw this year, with ultimate artistic finesse.’
Wayne is the first Shed of the Year winner to receive an overnight nature stay as part of his prize. He will also be awarded £1,000 in cash and £250 worth of Cuprinol products.
