Lockdown saw people getting creative in their homes and gardens like never before. And while many of our favourite places, from buzzing cocktail spots to picturesque beaches, are now open for business, as we adjust to the 'new normal' it's likely we'll be spending a lot of time at home. But with these inventive ideas, from garden bars and day spas to home cinemas and nightclubs, created by innovative individuals who have turned corners of their homes into personal patches of heaven, we think staying in is the new going out!
A Cuprinol Shed of the Year 2019 contender, The Cosy Cabin, created by Trevor Carswell in his garden in Northern Ireland, can be used year-round. The self-build took place between November 2016 and August 2017, using timber and glass as well as composite panel salvaged from a local car showroom. While a layer of loft insulation keeps the cabin cosy, the cabin’s best feature is a layer of salvaged sedum green roofing, which not only boosts thermal performance but provides a thriving eco-friendly habitat for wildlife.
The ideal home from home for guests, the interior features a fireplace made from recycled brick and tiles, a salvaged wood-burning stove and a homemade fold-down bed. As well as a mix of plastered panel and pallet wood walling for a homely feeling, outside there’s a quaint swing seat out for a comfortable rest overlooking the wildlife garden. Although the build cost more than £1,000 ($1,300) we think it's worth it!
When the weather is nice, all we want to do is sit in a beer garden with friends, watching the world go by. Well, that's exactly why Paul Nowak decided to create a stunning garden room beer garden at home – a place where he could spend some quality time with his friends and family. Paul constructed the outdoor venue in just two days, almost entirely from old pallets and scraps of wood, which he painted black for a chic finish.
The DIY project cost Paul just £90 ($112), since many of the materials were recycled or gifted to him. Luckily, Paul knew a man who owned a pub, so he received plenty of bar memorabilia to decorate the beer garden with. The homemade bar features working beer pumps, plenty of spirits, and a fridge – so Paul can keep his favourite bottles cool, no matter what the weather is doing. As well as a couple of bar stools, Paul's beer garden also features a lovely outdoor seating area for lazy Sunday afternoons.
Are you dreaming of the beach? Well, with just a little effort and imagination, you could bring the sand straight to your door with your very own beach home. That's exactly what Judy Cowan did, when she decided to create a miniature coastline in her back garden...
The beach garden features a tiny little beach hut, with a few deckchairs inside, and a pavilion for unwinding with a drink! The garden is surrounded by ceramic seagulls and seals, and the ground is covered with real sand and shells for an authentic finish. All this beach garden needs is a paddling pool or a hot tub, to bring the coast that little bit closer!
After finding out that staying in is the new going out, Siobhan Murphy decided it was time to create herself an at-home bar. She purchased a second-hand Art Deco bar cart from Facebook Marketplace for just £300 ($376) and gave it a quick lick of Dowsing & Reynolds baby pink paint, with the apt name of Get Plastered. Siobhan also added gold leaf to give the bar cart a chic retro finish.
To complete her newly created home bar, Siobhan purchased kitsch accessories from Oliver Bonas, H&M Home and John Lewis. Costing less than £500 ($627) to create, including a courier to deliver the bar, this Art Deco wonder is now the perfect place to while away the hours.
Although gyms and studios around the world are starting to open up, many fitness fanatics are preferring to create workout spaces in their homes and gardens. Creating a home yoga studio is particularly easy! Requiring only a yoga mat, yoga teacher Eszter Balogh's airy plant-filled loft can easily turn into the perfect yoga studio.
Imagine waking up here each morning for an early yoga session! The collection of plants bring the outside in and have mostly been rescued from people who could not take care of them anymore. And the eclectic décor serves to remind her of her visits to the colourful streets of Rishikesh and the breezy shores of Varkala in India.
If you're missing hitting the clubs on a Friday or Saturday night, then check out Chrissy Darling's inspiring at-home nightclub. Positioned in Chrissy's back garden in Hackney, London the makeshift club is housed inside a timber shed that's been given a unique, psychedelic makeover. Outside, there's also a dance pole, a hot tub, and a classic beer garden.
The tiny shed is actually much larger than it first appears and is fully soundproofed, so Chrissy doesn't annoy the neighbours! Full of disco lights, lasers and smoke machines, the shed bar also has a DJ booth with full decks, and a huge light up dancefloor! Chrissy hosted an array of virtual events here, including a remote DJ set, so that people could keep dancing while in isolation. The only place to be on a Saturday night, this envy-inducing nightclub proves you don't need to go out in order to have a good time.
At 34 weeks pregnant, Laura Sidari had planned to visit a luxury spa, for a day of pregnancy pampering. Since the trip was cancelled due to lockdown, Laura’s husband, Ryan, decided she still deserved a special spa day, so he created one for her in the comfort of their home…
Since Ryan had never actually been to a spa before, he needed Laura's help on where to start! She gave him pointers on what she would need and Ryan had soon turned the couple’s bedroom into a treatment room, complete with a makeshift spa bed. The adjoining ensuite bathroom was also converted into an isolation sanctuary, with luxury beauty products, relaxing music and scented candles. Ryan also stepped in as therapist for the day, giving Laura a pedicure and a massage! Of course, you could always turn your bathroom into a home spa for the night.
Is there anything better than sitting on a beach with a Pina Colada in hand? Luckily Chris Smith need not leave his house in order to enjoy a taste of the exotic. His homemade tiki bar, known as The Reef Cavern, can be found at the bottom of his garden and is enough to transport you straight to the tropics. With full-sized palm trees, bamboo cladding and ornamental Hawaiian statues, this beach-style cocktail cabin is full of charm.
This impressive outbuilding cost more than £1,000 ($1,300) to complete, but every penny was worth it. Inside, the tropical retreat offers everything from a cocktail bar, to beach décor and even a fake ocean-view window, so Chris can pretend he's somewhere exotic while he sips his favourite drink! The perfect spot to while away a rainy afternoon, this garden paradise proves that no one need leave the house in order to enjoy all the perks of a summer getaway.
Fitness fanatic Vishal Patel needed a place to workout, and his vacant garage seemed like the perfect option. A complete mess before the project started, Vishal cleared the floor space gradually in order to create enough room for all of his favourite equipment. He installed two large garage rollers from Costco and bought hardy floor paint from Homebase, which helped to seal the cement floor and protect it, should any weights be dropped.
Spending less than £1,000 ($1,300) on everything, including the equipment, Vishal's home gym has an adjustable flat bench, a decline abdominal bench, 220kg of weight plates, a variety of barbells, kettlebells and dumbbells, a lower back hyperextension machine, a treadmill, a squat rack with a pull-up bar and push up bars, so he need never take out membership to a gym ever again! What's even better, this state-of-the-art fitness centre will never get busy!
In March, Dave and Norma Trill were due to go on a 10-day cruise to celebrate their 53rd wedding anniversary, but sadly the current epidemic swiftly brought that dream to an end. Yet instead of feeling sorry for themselves, this Australian couple decided to recreate their dream holiday at home and the results are hilariously accurate...
The couple's daughter, Jane, captured the event on video and posted it on Twitter, where it went viral and has been viewed over 16,000 times on her account alone. Donning fluffy bathrobes, Dave and Norma relaxed on their couch with a glass of wine, while a video of a gentle seascape played on their TV. In the video, you can also hear the sound of a ship's foghorn, adding to the experience of this makeshift cruise.
Anyone with a love of the cinema will envy this setup by PopCat_ Cinema. The luxe home movie theatre is almost as good as the real thing and comes kitted out with top-of-the-line equipment to make the movie experience second to none.
As well as Klipsch speakers, a JVC 4K projector, and a Denon AV receiver, the PopCat Cinema also offers a near perfect 2:35.1 150 inch pro screen, allowing movies to be played at their highest possible definition. Complete with film memorabilia and a comfy seating area, the space is also connected to an Xbox, so the lucky homeowners can enjoy otherworldly game nights from the comfort of their couch.
Who needs to venture out to a coffee shop when you can create one for yourself at home? That's exactly what Anne did. With a shabby chic feel, this garden tea room is both simplistic and beautiful and shows that you don't need much in order to create a truly inspiring space that feels just like the real thing...
The quintessentially English shed cost Anne just £50 ($62) to complete. Named The Vintage Tea Shed, the tiny shack started life as a rundown hut that Anne's husband rescued from the rafters of an old barn. With a bit of TLC, it was transformed and is now the only place you'll want to be when you're craving an afternoon refreshment. Filled with comfy seating and cushions, the at-home café is also decorated with vintage teacups and kitsch furnishings, sourced from second-hand shops.
Speakeasys are synonymous with clandestine locations and dimly-lit interiors, and this at-home creation is no exception. Located on the ground floor of a house in Mount Pleasant, North Carolina this ultra-cool home bar is enough to make you never want to leave home again!
Almost complete, the project features a huge whisky bar, kitted out with every bottle imaginable, and a cosy lounge area for watching the big game in style. The sophisticated speakeasy also offers plenty of authentic whisky memorabilia, making it a paradise for any lover of bourbon!
Here, Lee Carrie proves that you don't need to leave the house in order to experience all the perks of a traditional British boozer. Named The Admiral's Head, this homemade retreat can be found in Lee's back yard in Essex, UK, so there's no need to book a taxi home.
Lee purchased a small timber cabin to modify and created handmade signs to replicate classic pub décor. He installed a TV with sports channels and even hooked up the Wi-Fi. A large drinks fridge under the counter keeps all his favourite tipples cool, while a fireplace is there for those chilly evenings. The bar top was created from reclaimed wood from an old nightclub, while memorabilia from the HMS Victory is framed around the room. A red and gold carpet, brass trimmings and classic bar stools finish the homemade pub to perfection.
This incredible miniature picture house was designed and created by movie buff Anderson Jones. Sitting at the bottom of his garden, the ABC Cinema has everything one might need to enjoy an authentic trip to the movies – without having to leave the house! As well as a classic light-up box outside, which reveals what's showing, the cinema also offers an entrance hall that's decked out with old exit signs, classic movie posters, and double doors leading to the screening room – all of which were collected from movie theatres that were shutting down.
Inside, the foyer has a classic ticket booth and a kiosk for sweets and popcorn, while the screening room features original seats, which Anderson purchased from an old movie theatre. Somewhat of a working museum, it can accommodate up to 34 people and features a 35mm projector, so Anderson can watch any film he likes and show old trailers from decades gone by. Who needs to pay to visit the cinema, when you could have this right on your doorstep?
Anyone who loves the glamour of a fine champagne bar will fall head over heels for Janice Shapiro's stunning homemade retreat. Located in her garden in Essex, UK the stylish space feels more like a swanky London bar than a back garden shed! The bar was created as a 40th anniversary present for Janice and her husband, who decided to invest in a place they could entertain themselves for years to come.
The chic champagne bar oozes glitzy 50s style. Janice created the bar from scratch, decorating the walls with 3D mirror effect wallpaper for a glamorous finish. As well as a bar with stools, the shed bar also offers optics, a bar bell, a record player, and photographs of Janice's favourite stars. The bar cost Janice in excess of £1,000 ($1,300) to create, but we think it was worth every penny.
Truly creative, The Wagon lies in Jim Mills' back garden in North East Lincolnshire. A full-size replica of a North Eastern Railway wagon, the shed was constructed by Jim from scrap metal and other reclaimed materials. Yet despite this salvaged approach, the cabin still cost him over £1,000 ($1,300) to complete, but when you see inside you may understand why...
This quirky pub shed is decked out with plenty of retro memorabilia, including branded mirrors, tankards and glassware. An old-fashioned timber bar, pub table, chairs and stools make this garden oasis feel like a classic working men's club. There's even a coal-burning fireplace for those cold winter months. In warmer weather, Jim can sit outside and enjoy his barbeque area and exterior lounge.
With a love for music and festivals, Jim Sangwell decided to make the most of the vacant space at the bottom of his garden, creating a lively home-from-home bar! Located inside an old potting shed that he carefully adapted by hand using old pallets, Jim's retreat features an exterior beer garden, an outdoor dartboard and plenty of pub-inspired memorabilia. The impressive at-home pub cost him just £350 ($436) to complete.
Inside, the compact pub shed, known fondly as Fred's Bar, is just big enough for a handful of people to enjoy drinks. As well as every sort of spirit imaginable, the homemade pub also comes with full DJ decks, a flat-screen TV with Sky Sports channels, an array of colourful lighting, and a detachable poker table for game nights.
A contender in 2019’s Cuprinol Shed Of The Year competition, Silas the Silo is a rather fancy barbeque space built by retired car restorer Tim Kerridge in his garden in Dorset. He said: “I am, and always have been, a passionate upcycler. I hate waste of any description and when I came across an abandoned grain silo in a skip on a farm in our village, I had to rescue it. I was able to purchase it for a mere £100 ($130).” Now it’s a barbeque with a twist!
Initially Tim intended to convert the silo into a unique glamping unit but being only eight feet in diameter this was not possible. “For three years it remained in the corner of my field while I agonised as to what to make it into. One of our B&B guests suggested that it would be good to have some kind of shelter to get out of the rain to enable them to have a barbeque. Then the idea came together.”
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