Tell me about your shed

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

For my fiftieth, DH has promised me a garden shed, (I suspect mainly to get me out of the garage so he can spread out his motorbike bits). I have free cycled the kids' old playhouse, made good the base, and realistically I have about 5x7.

I am torn between the practical and the poncetastic: realistically I need somewhere for my potting bench and associated plastic clutter, but in my head I have a yen for pristine grey walls, jute twine and cream enamelled watering cans.

So please tell me about your sheds, or indeed your fantasy sheds. All inspiration would be much appreciated.

[LetThereBeCupcakes]

I don't see why you can't have both! Why shouldn't your shed look nice? You can get a nice storage chest for the plastic clutter and have your twine and enamel watering can on show.

Presumably if you're using it as a potting shed you'll want more windows than a standard shed, which is just for storage, so that's probably worth checking out.

My fantasy shed is shamelessly stolen from a paint catalogue about 3 years ago. I think it was dulux. It was painted dark purple on the outside and pale purple on the inside. It also has a sign outside that says "soo many weeds, so little thyme".

Loads of ideas on Pinterest I expect.

[shovetheholly]

What other space do you have and what do you need to store?
Do you want a garden room as well as a store (you can get sheds that do both, round different sides!)?
Do you need a space that is functional for potting?

If, like me, your shed is your only real outdoor storage space for bikes, DIY stuff and gardening equipment, I would get the largest one you can fit without it looking ridiculous or taking up half the garden!! If you have other space, e.g. a garage, I would see if you can reorganise that with storage solutions from Ikea to fit all the utilitarian stuff and buy a lovely garden room for leisure.

Gardening shows are often a great place to see the high-end sheds. Can you persuade your DH that tickets to Hampton Court or Tatton Park should be considered as part of this present??

[wfrances]

i have "my shed" which is a hand built summerhouse .
dp has just finished replacing all the glass and beading and it should be ready to paint soon.
the inside is done ,hes made windowsills and a wall to wall shelves for my bits
tongue and grooved all of it,replaced the floor,added skirting boards and wrought iron window and door fixtures.
painted it all white, at the moment the only thing in there is a round seagrass rug.
we have a separate junk shed ,with lawnmower/garden furniture,bikes ect
and a potting shed for all the gardening stuff.
(all these were here when we bought the house)weve just pimped them up.

[agoodbook]

We have 4 sheds
Not totally as bad a it sounds - we have 2 at our allotment, and two at home
One is full of bike/lawnmower/hedge cutter/garden shredder/scarifier and various dangerously sharp loppers/saws etc. The other is extra storage for our business. But we retire in September, yippee, and I am dreaming of a lovely space to have room for my pots and seeds on shelves where I am not in danger of doing myself an injury,, and all mine...

[Greenrememberedhills]

If you could afford it you could have both by shelving one wall, including a potting area shelf, and having doors over the lot .

[shovetheholly]

wfrances I am VERY jealous!

goodbook - I am forcibly reminded of that Monty Python sketch!!! You shall be Good "Four Sheds" book henceforth.

It is amazing how much nicer gardening is when the first thing that you have to do isn't to open an over-full shed and fight with the contents to find what you need. I used to have two, both of which were over full and I regularly got clunked on the head trying to get the loppers out, which is not the best way to put yourself in a relaxed good mood for gardening. Even though the new replacement shed isn't that much bigger than the two together in area terms, the fact that it has more usable wall space has been transformative. So I reckon shape is important, though I don't really understand how (someone who is better at these things may be able to explain).

[agoodbook]

OP - don't be fooled - in a little while , it will be - "can this go in your shed ?'
too true about wall space shove and ours is very overfull! I properly clean it out once a year, everything hung back up, shelves and bench tidied, and in about 2 weeks, its back to being a mess...
In my dreams, my soon to be empty shed will be turned into a garden room - book shelves/rug/little stove and a light , and I can go and read in peace.

[echt]

wfrances Bugger the gardening stuff. I want to know about your furniture and general comfiness. :o

[LetThereBeCupcakes]

wfrances please may I borrow your DP? He sounds wonderful! I would very much like to see pictures of your "shed"!

[CurlsLDN]

This doesn't fulfill any of your needs and I don't even have a garden, but here's my dream shed www.junkaholique.com/2014/03/in-my-workshop-shed.html?m=1

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

Thank you for all the replies; I think they have helped a bit to clarify what I want.

A functional space that is pleasing to the eye, where I can do the odd bit of seed sowing and potting up, and where I can find all my stuff without climbing over DH's crap. At the moment he takes my cleared potting bench as an invitation to dump some engine parts on.

I don't want a garden room because our sitting room and kitchen both open onto the garden, but I would like one comfy chair, where I can idle with a cup of tea.

Curls link is lovely.