An art technician has won Curpinol’s ‘Shed of the Year’ competition after creating a ‘ghost town style’ garden building.
Wayne Dawber, 50, from Crewe in Cheshire, also won an award for the most unusual and unique shed at the annual awards through a public vote.
His creation is far from your average garden shed – Wayne collects “old junk” including old posters, magazines and old product labels to decorate his creation.
Wayne named his shed ‘Wrinkled, Rusty and Retro’ and originally built it for his wife Ruth to read in while looking out at the garden.
She said she felt “amazing” to win, adding: “Except for an egg and spoon race in primary school, this is the first time I’ve won anything.”
Wayne Dawber (pictured) was crowned winner of Cuprinol’s Shed of the Year competition for his “industrial, ghost town chic” build.
Wayne’s shed was built entirely from used and scrap materials, including corrugated steel, and features vintage signs and murals.
‘Everything I found in construction was in hard-to-find dumpsters, junk shops, demolition sites I came across or on farms that were being cleared,’ he explained.
“I’ve been collecting things for quite a while. I knew that somehow, at some point, they would come together. I’m addicted to old junk.”
He added that the use of corrugated steel, ‘found objects and advertising murals from old magazines’ is what makes his shed unique.
“I guess it’s not something you’d normally see in a garden, but rather on a deserted road. I like to pretentiously call this style ‘industrial, ghost town chic,'” she said.
It took two weeks to build the shed and another six weeks to paint the murals, which are his favorite part of the structure.
“I think the interior murals are my favorite. They are mostly old product labels that I found appealing and enlarged,” she said.
“I think they look really nice with the wood paneling. I really enjoyed giving them the patina they have. I wanted them to have an authentic textured and aged feel, and I think I got pretty close.”
Wayne, 50, from Crewe in Cheshire, decorated the inside of his shed with vintage posters and hand-painted murals.
It took two weeks to build the shed and another six weeks to paint the murals, which are Wayne’s favorite part of the structure.
He said the highlight of his shed was adding an ‘antique bell, speaker and industrial light’ to the front, but admits he wanted to add more murals.
Wayne added: ‘It was tempting to continue, 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 a place for her gardening tools and a quiet place to sit, protected from the elements, to read and look at the garden. I got a little carried away.’
Winning the ‘unique’ category was a testament to his individuality, he explained. He said: ‘The general public also voted me the winner of the ‘Unexpected/Unique’ category, something I still can’t believe.
“Being considered worthy by strangers means a lot to me, because it means they really like what I’ve done. As an artist/designer trying to be successful, it’s confirmation that I can be good at what I do.
“Also, winning the ‘Unexpected/Unique’ category also fits with my way of feeling individual.”
Wayne, who also won the Unexpected/Unique category, said it felt “amazing” to come first in the competition.
The shed, named Wrinkly, Rusty And Retro, was built entirely from used and scrap materials, including corrugated steel.
The walls are decorated with brightly coloured vintage posters, while the ceiling appears to be a mosaic of patterned papers.
Wayne’s shed, where he keeps his gardening tools, is also furnished with a vintage red leather chair and a high table.
Wayne 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, as well as Marianne Shillingford, creative director and colour expert at Cuprinol.
Mr Wilcox, who has run Shed of the Year for 18 years, said: ‘As we approach the 20th anniversary of the competition, it is amazing to see the incredible new heights our entrants have been reaching year on year.
‘At the peak of the pandemic and just after, we saw the resurgence of pub sheds and people getting creative with their outdoor workspaces. This year, we’ve seen a real trend towards pushing the envelope with upcycling and going bold with structures.
“Wayne had already entered the contest with two different designs, so I guess what they say is true: third time’s the charm! “Wrinkly, Rusty And Retro” is a great representation of the most popular trends we saw this year, with supreme artistic finesse.”
Wayne is the first Shed of the Year winner to receive an overnight stay in the wild as part of his prize. He will also receive £1000 cash and £250 worth of Cuprinol products.