Rebecca Jones’ reading snug is the winning shed, as chosen by design guru, Kevin McCloud, at the Grand Designs Live, Grand Shed Project in London on Saturday 29th April.
The Grand Shed Project challenged five of the UK’s top interior and garden designers to transform our 10ft x 8ft Tradesman Storage Sheds into stylish garden retreats to showcase how the shed can become an extension of the home.
Judging the garden sheds
Image source: Dappled Interiors
Kevin McCloud was joined by former Grand Designer, Danielle Raffield, and Tristram Bishop from sponsor, AXA Insurance, to judge the shed creations.
Kevin told Waltons he was keen to get involved in judging the sheds after building one from scratch himself. He said:
Storage is important, but I think what The Grand Shed Project shows is that you can use even the humblest of spaces. I think it’s important not to be too plugged in and a shed is a place to unplug.
All the contents of the sheds are so different, it’s like looking into different worlds, expressing both the imagination and desires of the designers. But it also teaches you that the shed should be a place for the imagination, not for storing tins of paint, but for retreating to or from the world in order to pursue a hobby, or mix a cocktail or have a sleep.
Although there could only be one winner, each of the five designers were praised by the judges for their uniquely created interiors.
The winning reading snug shed
Image source: Waltons
Image source: Waltons
Image source: Waltons
Rebecca Jones from Dappled Interiors, transformed our garden shed into a dark and cosy reading snug.
Painted in dark purple and decorated with dark hues, rich textures and contrasting gold details, the shed is transformed into an atmospheric hideout.
Kevin announced Rebecca as the winner of the project and complimented her on the bespoke shelving and sofa Rebecca made to maximise the interior space. He said:
“All the sheds are beautiful, great fun and amazingly inventive. I saw she had even made a little dog bed in the sofa and I just thought that was so inventive and that’s what swung it for me.
Rebecca used items from her own home to create a warm, inviting and personal space.
South Miami Beach inspired cocktail shed
Image source: Waltons
Image source: Waltons
Image source: Waltons
Gemma Hill from Bayswater Interiors took inspiration from a girls holiday to South Miami Beach in her twenties to create this tropical cocktail retreat.
Palm tree wallpaper, neon signs, gold accessories and an elegant sofa transforms our shed into a glamorous escape.
This shed was inspired by a time in my life when I was very carefree and now I have responsibilities. The idea is to find somewhere you can escape, relax and forget everything for a little while.
A crafters haven
Image source: Waltons
image source: Waltons
image source: Waltons
Jules Holgate used a bright, garden inspired colour palette to transform our shed into a crafters haven.
The bright interior is perfect for fine needle work, crafts and sewing is been filled with upcycled furniture from charity shops. Jules said:
I've never done anything like this before so I was excited to see what I could do with the shed. A shed offers additional space and a fantastic opportunity to take the indoors outside.
It took me three days to completely transform this space, you can turn a brown shack into a really usable living space in just a weekend.
Boutique bedroom guest shed
Image source: Waltons
Image source: Waltons
Image source: Waltons
From garden storage to Scandinavian boutique bedroom. Katie Greenhalf has used subtle blue hues and soft furnishes to create this peaceful garden guest room.
Katie’s shed features a laminate floor, wall-hung side tables, electric lighting and fire, and a cosy reading nook with slimline shelves. She says:
I wanted to retain elements of the garden shed with the tongue and groove cladding but create a luxurious environment so that guests aren’t relegated to the sofa or air bed.
Transforming a shed creates a space for friends and family as an extension of the home, ideal as space is at a premium for a lot of people these days”.
Bringing the outdoors in
Image source: Waltons
Image source: Waltons
Image source: Waltons
Designed by Grand Designs Gardener of the Year, Liam Sapsford, this shed is styled to bridge the gap between living outdoors and being outdoors.
Liam created the look with garden furniture, a broad array of plants, living moss and spheric light to create a unique environment that encourages wildlife.
I wanted to bring the outdoors in, people just use sheds to store general clutter so the idea is actually look outside at nature and what can come into the shed and use the space to sit and enjoy and relax in.
We wanted to fill it with plants to give it that natural, green feel but also but a contemporary twist on it”.
If you fancy a trip to see the Grand Shed Project in all its glory, the Grand Designs Live show runs up until the 7th May at the ExCeL Centre in London.
We’d love to know which one you would choose, or maybe you’ve had a go at creating your very own amazing shed space. Let us know your favourite or share your shed images over on our Facebook page.
"Luxurious Reading Snug Wins The Grand Designs Shed Project" by Waltons is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Lead image: House Beautiful
