5 amazing ways to transform your shed with paint

It's official – we're a nation of shed lovers –with more than 55% of Brits using their sheds for hobbies.

Gone are the days when a shed was filled to the roofing felt with gardenalia and junk, now we're reclaiming them as she sheds, man caves, play zones, teenage dens and hobby spaces.

They're places to relax with a book, to craft and play music and, for some, they're the setting for start-up enterprises, all of which are making a valuable contribution to the 'shed economy', with many people making up to £5k a year from their sheds.

Forget pine cladding coated in orangey-brown, garden sheds are now stylish additions to our gardens and great selling points when we come to move.

We've been completely bowled over by the quirky and beautiful Shed of the Year entries and have found some very stylish paint effects for you to try.

Colour blocking

Choose two colours you love that work well together – here, a sage-like grey green provides a neutral palette, while a purplish bordeaux is used as a feature colour picking up on the stunning acer tree. If you use a third colour on the trimmings, make sure it's a neutral 'disappearing' colour – natural wood shades are ideal.

Seaside stripes

Use masking tape to create bold bright stripes on smaller sheds. If you'd like to recreate the effect on a larger shed, choose paler colours and wider stripes for a jaunty look.

Bright and beautiful

Sunny colours will make your shed a real draw – this one feels just like a mini home and has been designed to match the pretty window box marguerites.