10 of the World’s Coolest Sheds

While storage is the primary purpose for most sheds, the fact is that they can also be made to be marvels of ingenuity and creative thinking. Here are 10 of the coolest sheds you’ll ever see.

1. The Eco-Dome

Image by Cuprinol Shed of the Year via Telegraph

The owner and creator of this shed, Paul Robinson of England, wanted to build a multipurpose unit that cost as little as possible. He made it with aluminum shell fortified with insulation it to help keep it warm on cold days without powered heating. It serves as storage, an exercise space, wood-shop, or even a guest house if need be. One of its many cool features is that the walls can rotate to change what areas of the inside can be accessed.

2. The Compost Shed

Image by Groves-Raines Architects via Design Boom

Nicholas Groves-Raines Architects in Edinburgh decided to take compost and make it as interesting as possible. This shed’s roof is covered in grass, and the structure is made of rebar. The compost inside is helped on its way by gaps in the steel that allow for the right airflow and sunlight. With the grass and its earthy contents, it may look like a home for a certain small race of fictional wood creatures. However, that distinction belongs to another shed on this list.

3. Hobbit Shed

Image by Jim via MyHobbitShed

The owner of this shed just needed somewhere to put his riding lawn mower when it wasn’t running. When he was finished, he ended up with a little tractor home based on Hobbit architecture. He used reinforced concrete and it took more than 4 years to finish his homage to Tolkien’s little creatures.

4. Postal History Museum Shed

Image via ReaderSheds

Some people like to collect stamps, Steve Knight likes to collect entire post offices. He calls his shed, located in Essex, a museum of postal history. Anything that may have been used in a post office from the past 50 years is probably featured somewhere in the little building, from stamps to dip pens. He believes that the shed could be a fully functioning post office from any point decade the 1960s.

5. The Water Shed

Image via ReaderSheds

This one’s a little difficult to reach, but the concept behind it is very cool. It’s anchored off of Smuggler’s Cove in the UK, surrounded by water. It can only be accessed by boat. The shed is full of tools and supplies that are free to take for anyone who might need them. If you’re not in the middle of a project, you can relax in one of the deck chairs on the “dock” and watch the boaters go by.

6. The Roost

Image via Popular Mechanics

This tiny shed in Toronto, Canada is only 100  square feet big, but thanks to a good design it seems a lot larger. It’s actually used as an art studio, and has a domed roof and windowed walls to create the illusion of size and allow for a lot of natural light to flood in. The roof has cisterns that harvest rainwater and disperses it throughout the surrounding garden.

7. The Zephyr

Image via Popular Mechanics

Glenn Littleford from Queensland is a master at repurposing old appliance motors and using them to power other things. His shed houses several washing machines, a treadmill, and heavy-duty truck batteries to power wind turbines that in power all of  his backyard accessories like tools, lights, television, and any gadgets. The roof even collects rainwater for storage that supplies his home as well as the shed.

8. The Two Storey Shed

Image via Better Homes and Gardens

It’s not often you see a shed that’s two storeys, but it sure makes sense. What better way to maximise space then building up? This shed has the vibe of a house garage with a cab over, and makes one think of a nice place in the suburbs. The top window can be used for show, but will let in valuable natural light and adds a touch of the city-living feel.

9. Diamond Bike Shed

Image via Design Milk

A motorcycle enthusiast in Rotterdam, Netherlands, needed a place to store his two bikes. Being a designer himself, he asked a local architectural firm to design a cool shed for him. What they came up with was a dynamic diamond design that is mostly points and edges, but all stunning. It’s made out of polycarbonate sheets and stainless steel, and took them 12 mockups to perfect.

10. The Power Shed

Image via Energy Installs

This one is perfect for those who want to live off the grid. Chip and Clara Boggs of Coquille, United States, created a little shed they call the Homestead. Resembling an old pioneer log cabin, it has solar panels on the roof and a battery bank inside that’s powerful enough to keep their whole house humming. Blackouts are a thing of the past as long as they maintain it properly.

A shed doesn’t have to a boring storage space, it can be so much more. After being inspired by all of these ideas, what kind of shed would you design?