I Switched Up My Garden Shed From Drab to Fab On a Tiny Budget – And Yours Could be Just as Chic
If you don't have any weekend plans yet, consider yourself busy giving your garden storage a DIY upgrade. Here's how I did it, so you can too.
I have always wanted a garden shed that’s pretty as well as practical. You know the type – like the ones you see on Instagram where there are rows of hand-thrown antique flowerpots, balls of rustic garden twine and dainty details such as vintage seed packets on display. Of course, in reality, my shed was a dumping ground for old plastic plant pots, half-used sacks of potting soil and ugly bits of lawnmower. Yes, it was useful for garden storage but, accessorized with dead spiders and mouse poop, my shed was far more drab than fab.
It was time for a big makeover on a small budget, with cheap and easy DIY projects to upgrade my garden storage.
I started by emptying out all the tools (and the mouse poop) and getting rid of anything I didn’t want or need, taking a load of stuff to the dump. It was a surprisingly therapeutic process and forced me to finally edit my shed hoard. Next, I vacuumed up all the debris and replaced a broken window pane before I set to work transforming my boring garden storage into a vintage retreat with some DIY shed ideas.
1. Paint Exterior Walls
I wanted my shed to blend into the garden, so I painted the exterior in a smart, understated dark gray colour: Evening Coat from Valspar. This instantly transformed the shed, turning a nondescript timber structure into something much more elegant. I used FrogTape, available from Ace Hardware, to get neat edges around the windows and gave the walls two coats of paint for a rich, deep color.
2. Paint Interior Walls
I’m not going to lie, painting the inside of a shed is a labour of love. It takes ages and it’s fiddly because the wood isn’t smooth like a plastered wall is. But, even though it took me days, I have no regrets because my formerly dark and gloomy shed is now airy and bright. In fact, I wish I’d taken the time to treat the knots in the pine boards with knotting solution first because there are a few unsightly yellow patches here and there.
I used Pure Brilliant White Weather Shield exterior wood and metal paint in quick dry satin finish from Dulux. It took a few coats to get a good finish, but the result is a much lighter space that looks and feels much bigger than before. The white walls also provide a nice backdrop for my collection of vintage gardening tools and backyard tat.
3. Clean Up The Floorboards
I considered painting the floorboards white to match the walls, but I knew that with muddy boots traipsing in and out, it wasn’t a practical option. Instead, I decided to simply clean the floorboards using water and a scrubbing brush. They looked so much better once a layer of grime had been removed. Once the floorboards were dry, I put down a doormat to protect them from mud and leaves.
4. Sort Storage
I moved two simple potting benches into my shed to work as countertops. I had previously constructed these from wooden lengths as greenhouse staging, and they were straightforward to put together. Timber potting tables aren't cheap but if you do want to buy rather than DIY, there are budget potting benches to be found if you're prepared to hunt around.
For storing gardening tools, I fitted a long narrow timber ledge the full length of the shed wall and screwed hooks into it, so my tools are easy to grab when I need them. Flowerpots can be stored on the ledge above, too. As DIY garden storage goes, this was so quick to do but it created so much space.
I found this vintage metal French cooking utensil wall holder in a thrift store and couldn't resist it. Although it was originally intended for hanging spoons and ladles in a kitchen setting, with a few metal S hooks such as these from Amazon, it’s perfect for storing hand tools such as forks and trowels, garden twine and scissors.
I wanted a rustic but sturdy shelf, so I used a piece of reclaimed scaffold plank to fashion a design, supported on two metal shelf brackets I found in a skip. Sometimes the simplest shed ideas are the best.
For storing seeds and smaller items, I used some apothecary-style drawers I already had, and pinned some favorite seed packets to the wall.
5. Finishing Touches
Details matter, so I used clear waterslide decal paper, available from A-SUB, an inkjet printer and a blank wooden key fob rather like these from Walmart, to make a stylish 'Potting Shed' label for the door key. Granted, it sounds a bit more grand than the reality, but fake it until you make it and all that!
As a final flourish for my chic shed upgrade, I picked up a cheap oil painting of some red poppies in a thrift store. It wasn’t in good condition but that means I’m not precious about it living outside and it brightens up the shed interior.
Now my shed is such a homely space – a cosy place to sow seeds, pot up plants and simply hide with a hot drink on a rainy day. I even take my laptop in there sometimes to co-work with the spiders! With a comfy counter-height barstool (similar to this at Target), a jar of fresh flowers and my favourite vintage gardening books to hand, my chic shed has become one of my favorite garden spots to hang out.
Yes, it would have been quicker and easier to buy a swish new IKEA garden storage cabinet, but was it more satisfying to do a budget shed makeover and transform my garden storage myself? You bet!
