Last week Trulawn went along to Grand Designs Live at the ExCel Exhibition Centre in London, to find out the latest trends in garden design. Whilst there we were overwhelmed by the reinvention of the common garden shed into unique and personal spaces. Here’s what we saw, and how the shed is being reborn:
Some of you may know Architect George Clarke from channel 4’s ‘Amazing Spaces’ where he travels the world finding small building projects whose owners have turned tiny spaces into incredible places to live, work and play. Together with Master Craftsman William Hardie, Clarke has created ‘Amazing Sheds Ltd’ a company that creates sheds designed to suit your needs. Part of the innovative design revolves around space saving furniture that can be stored in the walls, as well as a flat-pack, speedy installation. The sheds currently come in two sizes with the interiors able to be altered to your preference.
But wait. Sheds aren’t the only outdoor buildings on offer. The Arctic Cabin is also available to meet all your outdoor building needs. These are more unusual choice because you can actually sleep inside them, with a central log fire to warm your hands and feet or use as a barbecue. From the outside they have a certain fairy-tale vibe to them, which might be perfect for homes with families and the young at heart.
If you have an artificial lawn you know there’s no need to have a mower and might be wondering what to do with your old shed. If that’s the case it’s a great opportunity to create an extra room dedicated to a particular hobby, barbecuing or to escaping family members! An outdoor structure can become a garden feature rather than something squirreled away in a corner.
A traditional garden shed suggests work to be done, rather than work that is finished. Looking at the exhibitors at Grand Designs Live it seems that we are moving away from sheds as places to hang your tools or tinker with motors and gravitating towards extra spaces for relaxation. We at Trulawn appreciate the idea of re-inventing space so that it might be used all year round. So perhaps a new shed is just the thing you need! Check out the entries for the Shed of the Year competition if you’re looking for extra inspiration, otherwise get re-inventing!
