It’s just a garden shed. Small, simple storage for weekend gardening.

So why does it get so much attention?

Because it’s absolutely charming!

“We wanted it to look super cute and complement the heritage of the area…Because sheds can look ugly.”

Close-up of black garden shed cladding with small branches in the foreground

Full view of black backyard cabin surrounded by lush greenery

A shed with style

Let’s be honest. Most garden sheds aren’t much to look at, right?

They’re usually afterthoughts shoved in the corner of the garden. Cheap and cheerful, often weathering badly and probably neglected. Generic boxes with no character or personality. Aesthetic eyesores that are there simply to do a job.

That’s exactly what Shane had sitting in the backyard of his Blue Mountains weekender. But the property deserved better. And as an avid gardener, so did he!

The charming weatherboard cottage that Shane and his partner enjoy at weekends exudes classic Mountains’ character in every detail. So, when they decided to upgrade their existing garden storage, it was essential that their new shed delivered the same charm.

“The immediate need is obviously storage, but we also wanted the shed to complement the property, which is why we chose to have a more cottage-style shed,” Shane tells us.

Set in a heritage village in the heart of the Blue Mountains, architectural detail matters. And whether it’s a sprawling country homestead or a cute and compact garden shed like Shane’s, every design choice matters.

“That’s why we went for the pitched roof and the small square windows and the wood panelling,” Shane explains.

A weekend sanctuary

City dwellers during the week, their mountain retreat is their sanctuary at weekends. And Shane and his partner love nothing more than getting out in their garden.

“It’s more than just a shed…the garden is a big part of what we do on weekends, so it was important that we had the right space in order to do that,” says Shane, “We wanted it to look super cute and complement the heritage of the area.”

When your garden is your pride and joy, you need an easily accessible space to store the gardening essentials – the tools, the mower, the potting supplies and fertilisers, the pressure washer…all the equipment that a gardener requires.

It doesn’t have to be pretty inside – practical is perfect. But you certainly want it to be pretty on the outside. Not an unattractive structure that detracts from all the hard work you’ve put into making your garden look beautiful.

Heritage style with a modern edge

So that’s why Shane chose Greenspan.

“Because sheds can look ugly,” he says, “It was the fact that they did the kind of cottage look.”

Featuring a pitched gable roof, the Melwood Workshed provided the perfect basis to develop the look he was after. Cladding was upgraded to rough-sawn cedar weatherboard, echoing the traditional cottage construction of the area. To the front is a solid timber door and a small square window positioned high and delivering classic cottage style. Another of these windows applied to the gable end extends this cute aesthetic to the other visible side.

But there was a twist. Shane wanted to apply a contemporary edge to the heritage styling. And this was another reason Greenspan fit the brief.

“It was also the fact that they understood contemporary design,” he explains. “Even though it’s old school, you still want a supplier who understands.”

While the cottage proportions and weatherboard nod to tradition, the finish would be decidedly more modern monochrome to match that of the house. With plans to later paint the weatherboard cladding in Dulux Palm Beach Black, Shane chose Colorbond® roofing in “Night Sky” for an all-black aesthetic with “white” windows to pop against their dark background, highlighting their cottage style appeal.

Paint colour choices for timber doors and cladding may affect warranty coverage. Always refer to the warranty and care guide requirements prior to painting.

The path to the perfect shed

The path to this shed took some twists and turns, though, and that’s where Greenspan’s flexibility really shone for Shane.

“We originally were using the same footprint as the shed, which was in a completely different location,” he tells us, “And the best thing about Greenspan is they went to all the trouble to draw it up for us, and then we decided to move it and make it bigger.”

That’s the reality of building projects of all scales. You think you know what you want, and where you want it. But then you receive the drawings, stand on site, reconsider. With an off-the-shelf shed, it’s probably too late to change course. With traditional construction, every change means additional costs and delays. But by choosing Greenspan, Shane experienced none of this.

“I would say the process was really accommodating because sometimes you don’t get it right the first time, and they were really helpful in that sense,” Shane notes, “It was very generous of them to do that.”

“I couldn’t knock Greenspan,” he sums up simply.

And the support extended beyond the design process.

“They helped us find a builder for it too, so that was easy,” Shane says.

When it came to installation, that too proved to be fast and efficient. “They came in and did it in a day,” Shane recalls, “Very easy.”

From panels to garden shed in just a few hours. And minimal disruption to either their day or the immaculate garden Shane and his partner work so hard on. Just a completed shed, ready to paint and move the gardening gear into.

Boots on shed floor by open doorway looking out to grass

Blue-lined shed shelves with cleaning bottles, bucket and folded chair

Small in size, big on function

At 2.4m x 2.6m, it’s a compact space, but it works hard for its modest footprint.

“It’s a gardening shed,” Shane explains simply.

There’s plenty of space for the mower, the pressure cleaner, the hedge trimmer, the pots, tools, stepladders, shelving units…

The little windows bring in natural light, while leaving ample space below for shelving and tools. The walls have been left unlined, acting as additional inbuilt shelving, and Shane has cleverly adapted the clearspan pitched ceiling to create elevated storage space.

But it’s also more than a storage shed.

“There’s certain points where it becomes a drying shed for flowers and herbs,” says Shane.

Harvesting and drying lavender to create infused almond oil is a seasonal hobby that he enjoys. We can just imagine the aroma within…A heady mix of rough-sawn cedar and lavender – pure sensory bliss!

The shed that everyone loves

So, yes, it’s ‘just’ a garden shed. But Shane loves it. And so does everyone who sees it.

It’s as cute as a button, humble yet striking, charming yet contemporary. Standing tough even through the extremes of mountain weather, it will continue to serve Shane’s gardening needs for decades to come. And it will continue to look good, year after year, while doing it.

This is how a shed should be. Not a neglected, dilapidated eyesore in the corner. Something that is as much a part of the landscaping as the plants and paths around it.

A shed so good that everyone falls in love with it.