Create a shed you love

Who doesn’t love a shed?

It might be a creative studio to escape to, a man cave for blokes’ entertaining, a children’s playhouse, a potting shed/hothouse, a home office, a sleepout or simply a place to store an overflow of sports equipment and gardening tools.

A warm and dramatic stained shed

Dramatic, warm walls stained in Resene Colorwood Ironbark with a floor painted in Resene Quarter Spanish White give this art studio shed a clean elegance.

The tall vase is in Resene Canterbury Clay, the jug vase is in Resene Putty and the footed bowl is in Resene Quarter Bokara Grey. Bin, ‘The Tiny Mess’ book and artwork from Paper Plane, handwoven rug and shelving from Citta, vase from Sunday Home Store, utensil holder, incense holder, tray and lemon squeezer from Everyday Needs, mug from Blackbird Goods, other books from Sunday Home Store, Zulu rug from Indie Home Collective, carafe set from Father Rabbit. Project by Gem Adams, image by Melanie Jenkins.

Sewing shed with painted 'carpet'

Clever use of pegboard and a creative painted ‘carpet’ in this sewing shed, seems sure to spark creativity.

Walls and pegboard painted in Resene Half Villa White, legs and polka dots on the table, shelves, pegs and surrounding frame in Resene Noir, tabletop in Resene Rice Cake, chair in Resene Liberty, large mason jar in Resene Irresistible, small jar in Resene Ethereal, vase with eucalyptus in Resene Noir with painted spots in Resene Rice Cake and Resene Gold metallic and floor in Resene Half Villa White with stripes in Resene Thunder Road, Resene Jailbreak, Resene Memory Lane, Resene Unwind and Resene Rococo. Project by Annick Larkin, image by Melanie Jenkins.

Whatever use you’re putting a shed to, they can be quick to assemble, fun to decorate and offer great opportunity to be creative in how you use what is often quite limited space.

There are plenty of places to look around for inspiration for your own shed – the annual NZ Gardener and Resene Shed of the Year Award entries are a great place to start – but really it all comes down to what you want your shed to be used for.

Here are some ideas on things to consider before you start, and how to make your ideal shed a reality.

Know what you want

To avoid your garden shed space simply turning into the equivalent of an outdoor junk drawer – the nearest place available to stash anything outdoors you don’t know what else to do with, it’s a good idea to spend some time thinking about what you’ll be using it for.

Unless you have plenty of outdoor space to accommodate everybody’s needs, it’s highly likely your shed will be shared use, so it will be helpful to write down your ideal list of what will be in the shed to see if it’s actually practical and will fit the space available. Some negotiating might be in order.

Even if your shed is simply a storage unit for tools, it’s a good idea to put some forethought into what will go where so you can find it easily.

There’s nothing more annoying than wanting to quickly grab your hedge trimmer only to trip over the kids’ bikes and a paddleboard!

Once you have an idea of what your shed will be used for, and the space you have available you can either build it yourself if your DIY skills are up to it, or shop around for either a kitset option, or even a fully constructed unit that can be simply dropped onto a foundation.

You’ll also need to think about if you need your shed to have electricity, plumbing or internet, which will require the help of experts. If you’ll be using it as a work or play area, rather than simply as storage, insulation will help keep the interior warm and make it a more pleasant place to be!

Important tip: Check with your local council on building and resource consent requirements for sheds. What you need may depend on the size and where on your section they’re built.

A botanic green gardener's shed

Fresh botanic greens keep this gardener’s shed on theme.

Walls, floor and contrast tool shapes painted in Resene Rivergum, pegboard in Resene Nourish, table in Resene Palm Green with stool in Resene Bud, pots in Resene Nourish, Resene Bud, Resene Palm Green, Resene Rivergum, Resene Secrets, Resene Peace, Resene Middle Earth, Resene Paddock, Resene Mangrove, Resene Spanish Green and Resene Celtic and crate in Resene Rice Cake. Mono floral garden ankle boots, Fern Garden tools and growing kit from Bed Bath & Beyond, white spade and fork from The Warehouse, lotion, candle and bag from The Aromatherapy Company. Project by Vanessa Nouwens, image by Mel Jenkins.

A relaxing workspace in this shed

Sheds don’t need to be all about function. With some thoughtful design choices they can also be a retreat.

This work area has a back wall painted in Resene Arrowroot with effect in Resene FX Paint Effects Medium mixed with Resene Half Alabaster. Left wall (with window) in Resene Explorer, window trims and skirting boards in Resene Half Alabaster, painted ‘tiled’ floor in Resene Midwinter Mist with painted ‘grout’ in Resene Stack, desk and lidded dish in Resene Explorer, chair in Resene French Grey, lamp/vase in Resene Stack with stripes in Resene French Grey, low vase in Resene French Grey and picture frame in Resene Arrowroot. Project by Kate Alexander, image by Bryce Carleton.

Design ideas

Once you know the shape, size and use of your shed, draw out a floor plan to scale, so you can figure out exactly what will go where. And no matter what you’re using your shed for, or how much space you have to play with it’s a good idea to think about how and where you can fit in additional storage. This will help ensure your shed is as useful and organised as possible.

Think about storage boxes as bench seating, floating shelves, hooks and brackets for hanging tools and sports gear, overhead rafters. Do some searching on sites like Pinterest and YouTube for how others have maximised storage space in their sheds or tiny homes.

If you’re going to use your shed for any kind of work or hobby – whether it’s pottery, planting seedlings or time on the laptop, think about lighting, both natural and artificial. Big windows and doors can work well in a shed that you’re using as a studio or workspace, add a comfy seat or two and it can work well as an overflow entertaining area.

You could even try building a whole wall from a collection of upcycled windows for a greenhouse effect. Just remember to give yourself plenty of ventilation, particularly if you want to use the space for things other than just growing plants. It will get warm in there!

The exterior walls of a shed could also be a handy place to try a vertical garden, as a practical and visually appealing way to tie the building to the rest of your outdoor space.

A shed can be a great place to try some upcycling, so you can get the shed you want without shelling out lots of money. Painting is your best friend here, as it’s a fast and cost-effective way to give things new life.

Use leftover paint from your indoor decorating, or pick up some Resene testpots to revive everything from planters and pots to upcycled furniture. With some Resene Concrete Primer and Resene topcoats you can even use it to upcycle old concrete blocks and pavers.

Have fun

If your shed sits close to your house, you may want to adopt a similar colour scheme on the shed exterior to keep it coherent and make it feel more like an extension. Surround it with lush green plants and its own patio area with deckchairs and maybe even a bar, and you have your own summer house.

Complete the look with a tropical plant patterned feature wall in Resene Eden Wallpaper Collection M37801.

You could also go for a ‘cabin in the bush’ look, by planting vines and trees all around, and even over your cabin. Stain a wooden exterior with deep grey-green shades such as Resene Woodsman Iroko or Resene Woodsman Canopy so the structure recedes into the greenery. Inside you could go for a natural log-cabin look with Resene Colorwood Red Beech, or go for a bold contrast to the dark exterior and use bright shades inside like Resene Rich Gold or a brighter green like Resene Limeade.

If your shed is for the kids, choose a palette of lots of primary colours like Resene Guardsman Red, Resene Bondi Blue and Resene Moon Yellow, or let the kids choose the colours. You could make one whole wall of the shed interior a chalkboard in black with Resene FX Blackboard Paint or in a bright colour with Resene FX Chalkboard Paint.

Other cool shed ideas:

A moody man cave with dark walls in Resene Baltic Sea, with industry light fittings and a second-hand leather armchair.
An inspiring art studio with a brightly painted upcycled table and display shelves, plenty of natural light, and fresh walls painted in a pastel like Resene Summer Green or Resene Wax Flower.
A sunny outdoor office, with a wall mounted foldaway desk, a gallery wall of your favourite prints, and a bright white interior in Resene Black White with a dark floor in Resene Triple Dune.