With up to 65 per cent of all Britons now owning a garden shed there are bound to be many different uses for the space, from a quiet place to be creative and write or work on art, to a more of an area to seek solace from the hustle and bustle of the household. It is not just normal people that have a love affair with sheds, a number of celebrities over the years have stated their preference to have one at the end of their garden.

Some of the ways in which they use their sheds could differ greatly to yours or mine and they may give us some great tips on how to utilise our space a little bit better. I prefer to have plenty of mod cons in my shed, while others might want some space to do some exercising – at the end of the day it is all about personal choice.

Image via: Avant Garden

[ad#co-1]

Make your own personal area to be creative

Creativity can come in many different forms, where some people might be of an artistic persuasion – I do not fall into that category – or others might consider themselves wordsmiths of sorts. Whatever medium it is that you excel at, more often than not you need a place of Zen to create your best works. For instance, beloved children’s novelist Roald Dahl wrote most of his books in his shed that he called a “writing hut”. He even went to such lengths as to tell his children and grandchildren that there were wolves living there keep them out.

Celebrated novelist Philip Pullman famously used to write his books in a grubby and cobweb-filled shed in his garden in Oxford and even refused to clean it for fear of disrupting the flow of his writing. Upon moving into a different house, he left his shed to illustrator Ted Dewan under the instructions that it must only be used for creative work.

Artist Barbara Hepworth used to keep a small garden shed outside of her home in Cornwall and it is now known as the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden – showing that they really can be used for anything.

Image via: Landscape East West

A garden shed can provide security for some people

A shed is somewhere that you can get away from it all and just live in your little bubble for a while. I like to use mine as a reading spot so that I can immerse myself in the book and its characters, while others might feel safety in theirs.

Indeed, this is something that Bill Oddie has described before, stating that his shed is one of the only places he feels safe. The shed was there when he moved into the home and while very dilapidated, he has turned it into his own little oasis. You can do the same by buying your own shed for the garden and Waltons has a wide range of them available.

Image via: Gardens by Gabriel

Add value to your property

Another, less obvious, reason for buying a shed for the garden is because it will immediately add value to your property. Property supremo Sarah Beeny describes herself as a “shed groupie” and claims that with square footage costing so much to people, a shed is a great way of adding space to your home, without cluttering it.

For more outdoor ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

If you are someone who is fortunate enough to have a garden shed in your backyard, congratulations! Sure, to you, it might initially seem like nothing more than a small place to put your gardening tools, but with a bit of creativity and a few dollars (plus a bit of patience and perhaps a hired contractor in some cases), it can be a lot more to you and your family than just where the lawn mower goes. Don’t believe us?

Image via: BMF-Builders

[ad#co-1]

Just check out these awesome uses for a garden shed:

Guest room.

If you are someone who has visitors come on a fairly regular basis, but you find yourself putting them on an air mattress or the couch, your garden shed could serve as a nice alternative. Now, if you have no electricity in there, to a certain extent, it could end up being a bit of a project but websites like HGTV and Network can easily walk you through what’s required (along with providing recommendations on where to go if it’s more than you can do alone).

Home office.

Do you work from home but sometimes due to all of the “family traffic”, you find that it can be hard to concentrate? While you could certainly sound proof a room in your home, don’t overlook the garden shed out back. If you clean it out, add a coat of paint and install some nice lighting, it could be the perfect “office away from home” solution.

Greenroom.

People with “green thumbs” not only enjoy planting and pruning, but they usually want to do it in a space that’s quiet so that they concentrate without any distractions. In coming to a decision about if the garden shed is an ideal spot for your flowers and plants, just remember to keep in mind that the main thing that plants need (as it relates to a green room) are humidity, protection from extreme weather and plenty of sunlight. If that is the kind of environment that your garden shed can provide, then you’ve just found yourself your own little greenroom.

Image via:  Fairfield House and Garden

Kid’s playhouse.

What parent hasn’t found themselves wishing that their children had a place where they could be (basically) as loud as they want without being too far away from the house? If you live in a safe neighborhood with a fenced-in yard, that is a great atmosphere for converting a garden shed into a child’s playhouse. To make it even more fun, you can tell your child that it’s like having one of their own portable buildings where they can even help to decorate by picking out the paint they would like, bringing some of their toys into the shed and perhaps even making a sign that says “open” and “closed” so that it can serve as their own little hideout.

Bathroom (or outdoor shower).

While we don’t live in The Little House on the Prairie days (which means we don’t need an outhouse), there are still many people who will change their garden shed into either an outdoor (which is basically just an additional bathroom) or outdoor shower spot. For more information on how to do make one, visit YouTube or Do It Yourself and put “how to make an outdoor bathroom” in the search field.

For more outdoor living ideas on Stagetecture, click here.