Amazing spaces: Shed of the Year competition reveals more Brits than ever are turning the humble outbuilding into a garden home office

We all need a place to escape to - and often hear about sheds being a place where men like to disappear to for a bit of peace and quiet.

But it seems that the nation is getting creative when it comes to kitting out the humble shed. Cobwebs, lawnmowers and rusting tools are being turfed out. We want more. We want garden retreats. We're becoming... sheddies.

In this year's Shed of the Year competition (yes, there really is such a
thing), the most popular category was the Workshop and Studio Shed
category, with 295 entries this year compared with 192 in 2013.

The surge in entries shows that more of us are now using outside space to create an office in our gardens - a third of shed owners now install electricity and lighting in their sheds.

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Research from Cuprinol revealed that 21% of Brits feel more creative when they spend time in their shed, and 12% feel at their happiest.

And it's not just harassed dads who are making the most of the shed. The
rise of the female 'sheddie' is another trend - this year over 100
women entered the Shed of the Year competition, compared with just 30 last
year.

The founder of the annual competition, Andrew Wilcox, also revealed that there was a record 20% increase in entries in comparison to 2013.

'The trend to work from your garden shed comes as no surprise as our research shows that 12% of Brits feel at their happiest when they spend time in their shed,' says Kay Bartlett, Brand Manager for Cuprinol.

'At Cuprinol, we love the idea that people get creative with their sheds and use them as an extension of their home or as a work space.'

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