Fresh garden shed ideas from the House & Garden archive
It’s easy to neglect a garden shed. More often than not, it is gradually relegated to the status of a graveyard of forgotten plant pots or a dump for the dregs of the lawnmower. Nonetheless, sheds hold the potential to be extremely versatile spaces, both for garden storage but also for your own outdoor enjoyment. You’d never neglect to make use of an entire room in your main house, so why forget about the room in the garden?
At House & Garden we believe you should make the most of the extra space – treat it as an opportunity to create something beautiful and functional, whether you just need bit more garden storage for all those tools, or you want a full-blown studio where you can work on creative projects.
MAY WE SUGGEST: Garden room ideas to inspire and delight
If you’re buying or designing a new garden shed, there are plenty of things to consider. If it’s just a place to store tools, then you need it simply to be secure and waterproof, with some cabinets, a work surface, and a reasonably attractive exterior. If it’s going to function for anything more than that – as a retreat from the house or a place to work – then consider the fact that you may be in need of an electricity supply, ventilation and insulation. Keep reading for garden shed ideas from some of the world's best interior designers.
Wooden sheds
Wooden garden sheds are by far the most popular option in the UK. They are generally made from pine or spruce, with some higher end options in larch, Douglas fir, and at the top end of the range, cedar. As you go up the price scale, sheds should be more less likely to suffer from rot. The cladding itself can come in various forms, from tongue and groove, which is expensive but less likely to warp, shiplap, which is particularly waterproof, and the more common and economical overlap cladding.
The roof on a wooden shed will generally be constructed of a timber layer with roof felt on top to protect from the elements. Roofs come in various configurations, the most common being a traditional apex roof or a pent roof, which just has one angle to it and is used for sheds that are positioned against a wall or hedge, making the space particularly efficient.
Metal and plastic sheds
Metal and plastic sheds can be an affordable option if you just need some storage space, but they have disadvantages if the shed is intended for more intensive use. Plastic sheds are light and need anchoring to the ground, while metal sheds heat up quickly in the summer and are therefore not ideal if you're spending a good deal of time in there.
Positioning a shed
Sheds should be positioned on a flat surface, preferably something sturdy like concrete or paving. If you're placing it on grass you will need a shed base which can be driven into the ground. Some sheds might be available with metal bases that you can fill with concrete, creating a permanent floor for the shed as well as a base. If you plan to use your shed very frequently (as opposed to just visiting it occasionally to extract the lawnmower or a bicycle), make sure that you have a proper path in place so that you can get to the door without repeatedly trampling the same piece of lawn. You may also want to think about a ramp if you are dragging heavy tools out of the shed on a regular basis.
Where to buy a shed
For some seriously stylish sheds, try John Lewis, who stock a range by Crane Garden Buildings, made in collaboration with the National Trust. Painted in a range of heritage colours, these sheds are attractive, versatile, and beautiful quality. For simpler timber options, there's always Amazon, but Wayfair has a considerable range of sheds in all shapes and sizes. Online retailer Primrose also stocks a wide range, including metal lean-to sheds in dark green that are both smart and functional. For aesthetically pleasing sheds with endless options for customisation, we recommend The Posh Shed Company, whose charming designs, including the lovely ‘Gothic’ shed, come in a range of sizes and colours.
Once you’ve got your shed in place, the fun part is figuring out what to do with it. There’s a whole world of storage out there, from tool hanging rails to fitted cabinets and shelving. Make sure there’s some security in place too in the form of a lock or door bar. We have plenty of design ideas from our archive, as well as inspiration for using a shed as a home office or studio.
Garden shed ideas
Michael Sinclair1/18From the wildflower meadow to the walled kitchen garden, the American owners of this expansive country garden have brought new life to its every corner, filling it with visual interest and productive planting at every turn. Here, a granary in the grounds, which sits on traditional saddle stones.
Dean Hearne2/18In interior designer Tom Cox's 17th-century Devon house, an outbuilding houses an additional kitchen in the garden for guests staying in the cottage. The ‘Hut’ sign was made by Studio HÁM.
Dean Hearne3/18The interior of Tom Cox's outdoor kitchen, with custom joinery, a handmade burnished brass sink, custom terracotta floor and decorative pieces all by HÁM.
Paul Massey4/18At the more luxurious end of the spectrum, Fiona Golfar's writing shed at her Cornwall house is known as The Dale after its maker, local carpenter Dale Primmer.
Paul Massey5/18The west London house of interior designer Suzy Hoodless exudes the same passion for distinctive design and colourful style for which her eponymous interior-design studio is known. Suzy’s low-maintenance garden features a smart black shed with overlapping cladding and white-framed windows, along with Kettal’s ‘Riva’ armchairs, designed by Jasper Morrison for outdoor use, on an AstroTurf lawn.
Elsa Young6/18Resisting the idea of moving or expanding into the basement, the owners of this London house gave architect Maria Speake the go-ahead to make some structural changes to give their family and business the space needed. Henrietta Courtauld is one half of the Land Gardeners, the duo run their cut flower business from Wardington Manor in Oxfordshire.
Henrietta's garden shed is also her studio. Yew balls surround the main bed, which is planted with vegetables, Melianthus major and Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'.
Rachael Smith7/18A pretty garden room that blends seamlessly with the architecture of the cottage it belongs to. This view from Louise Jones' garden back towards her house shows us just how a West London home can have all the charm and comfort of an English country cottage.
Jan Baldwin8/18Where do great writers go to dream up their best ideas? The garden of Gipsy House, the home of the late Roald Dahl, is permeated with that certain Dahlian magic that is so familiar to anyone who has read his work. Planted by Roald and Wally Saunders - a gentle giant of a builder who provided the original inspiration for the BFG - together they laid the paths, planted the limes, and built this magical birdhouse with window ledges lined with 'dream catchers' (for those not familiar with the BFG, those are, of course, the jars that giants catch dreams in).
Home to all five Dahl children, his wife Liccy who still lives at the property, tells how it was the kind of garden where the children would wake to find their names spelled out in weed killer on the lawn to celebrate a birthday.
Elsewhere in the garden is Dahl's writing hut, which he based on Dylan Thomas's 'word splashed hut' in Laugharne, Wales. Here Roald Dahl would lose himself in his work, writing only in pencil on yellow lined paper - his favourite colour.
9/18This shed is part of a collaboration between The National Trust and Crane, inspired by East Anglian outbuildings, and it's just about the smartest shed we've ever seen. It has a smart corrugated roof and a cottage-style door, and comes with a timber floor (although you will also need a shed base). Here you can see it in 'Disraeli Green', but it comes in a range of understated colours, as well as various sizes and configurations. This version costs £3,499 from John Lewis
Wai Ming Ng10/18This alluring writer's shed in Hackney, east London, was designed by Surman Weston architects for a client who loves children's literature and mythology. Partner Percy Weston explains that it 'was conceived as a haven in the city; a fairy-tale hut at the bottom of the garden, where the client could retreat and immerse himself in his work. The back-lit cedar façade, shingle cladding, log store and wood-burning stove were all intended to play a part in creating this world. The offset pitch of the roof allowed for a large north-facing skylight; flooding the workspace with natural light.' At 3.8 x 4.5 x 4.2 metres, it would not have needed planning permission if it had not been so close to the neighbour's boundaries.
11/18Posh sheds are indeed better than your average back-garden structure. Handmade from good-quality redwood timber, they can be painted in the colour of your choice from the ranges at Farrow & Ball or Little Greene. 'The Potting Shed' has a steep pitched roof lined in waterproof membrane and clad in a choice of cedar, felt or slate-effect shingles. It is available in six sizes and costs from £2,333.
Rory Carnegie12/18A garden shed that is also an artists studio. This wooden structure by architect Charles Morris is where the owner, Lady Anne Field, goes to paint. Its glass walls on both sides allow total immersion with the beauty of the view.
Alexander James13/18Located at the bottom of the garden of a home in Notting Hill is this 'shed'. Far from being a dusty toolshed this garden room is a chic log cabin, it has: a movie projector, a keyboard, old records, ceiling papered with old NME magazine covers and a sofa upholstered in Linwood floral velvet. It is the dream snug hangout for teens and grown-ups alike.
14/18Garden Room Shed
We discovered this Nordic-inspired garden via The List - House & Garden's online directory (find out more here). The area was designed by Victoria Wade Landscapes to evoke an idyllic family holiday in Norway, complete with groups of birch trees, a turf-domed pavilion inspired by the local vernacular and granite setts reminiscent of Bergen's cobbled streets. Transplanted to Cardiff, it is a cosy retreat from the wild Welsh weather.
15/18Designer Sir Paul Smith requested not just a shed from bespoke furniture designer Nathalie de Leval, but 'my Shed', when the two were brought together for the London Design Festival's Wish List exhibition, where emerging designers created something to order by more established design maestros.
A room that would be perched overlooking an amazing view in the grounds of his house, with glazed Crittal windows, measuring 3 x 3m (the same size as his first shop in Nottingham), where he would have room for a chair and a radio. Inspired by the shed of writer George Bernard Shaw, he requested 'somewhere I can go to really to switch off, somewhere to relax. In today's world where everyone is so busy, I think this is really important and very needed.'
This shed is just a single room, a 'room of own's own'. Furnished in a restrained but not an austere way, it isn't a monastic cell. Rather, the honey-coloured wood, upholstered and padded seating, the cheeky pop of cheering red and even the slightly kitsch floral oil painting on the wall give the space some real charm and warmth.
Did we mention this room actually pivots? There's a mechanism that allows it to rotate and follow the sun. The stuff of dreams.
16/18Having been granted planning permission for a building on the plot, TV presenter George Lamb commissioned Maria Speake of architectural salvage company Retrouvius to construct a cabin at the end of his garden that would function as a guest room. Rather more luxurious than your average shed, the space is kitted out with underfloor heating, triple skylights and a bathroom. See inside here.
17/18The unique garden buildings from Grainstore are built on to wooden staddle stones, meaning that they are ideal for uneven parts of the garden. Made from sustainable timber and painted a traditional black, the summerhouses and pavilions have a cream-painted interior - or can be custom-painted. Sizes and specifications are bespoke, but as a guideline a 2.3 x 1.8 metre summerhouse with a standard black exterior and cream-painted interior is £7,500, including delivery and construction.
Paul Massey18/18Outside Sarah Stewart-Smith's Herefordshire cottage, an unused outbuilding was transformed into a stylish weather-boarded studio which looks just like a barn when closed. When open, inner glass doors give natural light to the space, a library of materials, finishes, piles of samples and paints.
