Art technician wins Shed of the Year prize for ‘ghost-town chic’ structure

An art and design technician who created an “industrial, ghost-town chic” shed has been crowned Cuprinol’s Shed of the Year winner.

Wayne Dawber, 50, from Crewe in Cheshire, also won the Unexpected/Unique category in the annual awards through a vote by the general public.

He told the PA news agency it felt “amazing” to win, adding: “Except for an egg and spoon race at primary school this is the first time I have ever won anything.”

He said that being winning of the unique category is a reflection of his individuality.

Wayne Dawber, from Crewe, made the shed entirely from used and scrap materials (Cuprinol/PA)

“The general public also voted me the winner of the ‘Unexpected/Unique’ category, which I still can’t quite believe,” he said.

“To have strangers deem me worthy means a lot to me as it means they actually like what I have made. As an artist/designer, trying to make a go of things, it’s confirmation that I may be good at what I do.

“Plus to come out on top of the ‘Unexpected/Unique’ category suits the way I feel about my individuality too.”

Mr Dawber’s shed, named Wrinkly, Rusty And Retro, was made entirely from used and scrap materials including corrugated steel, and has vintage signage and murals.

“Everything in the build I scavenged from hard-to-come-by skip finds, junk shops, demolition sites I come across, or farms having a clear out,” he explained.

“I had been collecting bits and pieces for quite a while. I knew they would come together somehow at some point. I’m addicted to old junk.”

He added that the use of corrugated steel, “found objects and the vintage magazine advertising murals” is what makes his shed unique.

Wayne Dawber decorated the inside and outside of his shed with hand-painted murals and vintage signs (Cuprinol)

“It’s not something you would normally see in a garden, I suppose, more on a deserted, desert highway. I like to pretentiously call this style industrial, ghost-town chic,” he said.

The shed took two weeks to build and a further six to paint the murals, which is his favourite part of the structure.

“I think the internal murals are my favourites. They are mostly old product labels I thought were attractive and scaled up,” he said.

“I think they work really well with the wooden panelling. I very much enjoyed giving them the patina they have. I wanted them to have an authentic sense of texture and age, and I think I got pretty close.”

He said the highlight of his shed was adding an “old bell, tannoy and industrial light” to the front but he admits he wanted to add more murals.

He said: “It was tempting to keep going but I wanted to create a balance between the painted surfaces and the raw materials of the structure.”

“I made the shed for my wife, Ruth. She wanted somewhere for her gardening tools and a quiet place to sit out of the elements to read and watch the garden. I got a bit carried away.”

Wayne Dawber also won the Unexpected/Unique category for his shed’s unusual design (Cuprinol/PA)

Mr Dawber thanked his friends and family for their support, “as biased as they are”, and extended his gratitude to Andrew Wilcox, founder and head judge of the competition and Marianne Shillingford, creative director and colour expert at Cuprinol.

Mr Wilcox, who has run Shed of the Year for 18 years, said: “As we near the 20th anniversary of the competition, it’s astonishing to see the incredible new heights our entrants have been reaching year-on-year.

“At the peak of and just after the pandemic, we saw the revival of the pub shed and people getting inventive with their outdoor workspaces. This year, we’ve seen a real trend of pushing what’s possible with upcycling and getting bold with structures.

“Wayne has entered the competition with two different sheds previously, so I guess what they say is true – third time’s a charm! ‘Wrinkly, Rusty And Retro’ is a great representation of the most popular trends we saw this year, with ultimate artistic finesse.”

Mr Dawber is the first Shed of the Year winner to receive an overnight nature stay as part of his prize and he will also be awarded £1,000 in cash and £250 worth of Cuprinol product.