The 'Frankenshed' takes the crown as Cuprinol's Shed of the Year 2023 – 'it's a true labour of love'

Today, Cuprinol has announced the winner of their annual 'Shed of the Year' competition for 2023. This year's winning shed has taken the title as the first winner from the competition's new 'Colourful' category and is everything we could dream of as far as garden shed ideas go.

Archie Proudfoot, an independent artist and sign painter from London, battled it out against over 200 other talented shed entrants to be crowned victorious in Cuprinol's Shed of the Year competition, which is celebrating its 17th running year.

Voted top of the 'Colourful' category by the general public and chosen by judges as this year's overall winner, Archie will be taking home Cuprinol's biggest prize yet for his colourful, out-of-the-ordinary garden shed transformation, which he dubbed the 'Frankenshed'.

Cuprinol Shed of the Year 2023 winner

The evolution of the Frankenshed – which came about after Archie 'brought it back from the dead' – showcases the highest level of technicolour transformation. While sheds are typically just a garden storage idea for many, Archie had the vision to transform this dated garden building into an outdoor living oasis.

What was once a standard shed originally left to rot has been rebuilt with recycled timber, old fence posts, and generous pops of colour to become the now award-winning creative haven. It's a garden upcycling idea that's simply golden.

'What started as a bored attempt to save a rotten shed turned into the most elaborate and enjoyable piece of artwork I've ever created,' starts Archie. 'The Frankenshed is now a beautiful place to escape and enjoy an afternoon sketching, writing, tinkering or potting plants for the garden.'

'Seeing the reaction to the shed has been amazing and I'm delighted that so many people have been as taken with this little project as I still am today.'

'Rebuilding and decorating the shed was a very personal undertaking for me and to see it win not just the 'Colourful' category, but be crowned overall winner – well, I'm over the moon,' finishes Archie.

Archie becomes the first winner of the competition's new 'Colourful' category, one of two new categories for 2023. The new categories, 'Colourful' and 'Simple but Effective', were added to show that even in the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, even the smallest of home and garden paint ideas and improvements can make a big difference to our spaces.

Beginner DIYers and those simply wanting to spruce up their outdoor space without breaking too much of a sweat can rest assured knowing that even budget garden ideas and the easiest garden ideas don't go overlooked.

Marianne Shillingford, creative director and colour expert at Cuprinol adds, 'It's wonderful to see such artistry and craftsmanship triumph in this 2023 Shed of the Year.'

'The extraordinary mural work in the interior of Archie's 'Frankenshed' is such a unique expression of his individuality, skill, and love of colour whilst the bold Rich Black painted exterior makes what's inside even more alluring and delightful.'

Founder and head judge of the competition, Andrew Wilcox adds, 'I'm so pleased Archie has been crowned 2023's winner – The Frankenshed is unlike anything I have seen before in the nearly 20 years of running this competition. His artistic flair takes centre stage, but the way he transformed his sorry shed into something so elegant has to be seen to be believed.'

Marianne ends on this note: 'A true labour of love, Archie's shed shows how it's possible to bring anything back to life with a bucketful of passion and a lick or two of paint.'