A MAN who transformed a rotting structure in his garden into a colourful paradise has claimed the title of Shed of the Year.
Archie Proudfoot, an independent artist and sign painter from London, battled it out against over 200 impressive shed entrants to become victorious in Cuprinol Shed of the Year’s 17th year.
He was voted top of the ‘Colourful’ category by the general public and chosen by judges as this year’s overall winner.
.The new categories ‘Colourful’ and ‘Simply but Effective’, were added this year to show that even in the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, small home and garden improvements and pops of colour can make a big difference to our homes.
The evolution of The Frankenshed –named after Archie “brought it back from the dead” – showcases the highest levels of technicolour transformation.
What was once a standard shed left to rot has been rebuilt with recycled timber, old fence posts, and a colourful pop of colour to becoming the now award-winning creative haven.
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“What started as a bored attempt to save a rotten shed turned into the most elaborate and enjoyable piece of artwork I’ve ever created,” Archie explained.
“The Frankenshed is now a beautiful place to escape and enjoy an afternoon sketching, writing, tinkering or potting plants for the garden.
“Seeing the reaction to the shed has been amazing and I’m delighted that so many people have been as taken with this little project as I still am today.
“Rebuilding and decorating the shed was a very personal undertaking for me and to see it win not just the ‘Colourful’ category, but be crowned overall winner – well, I’m over the moon.”
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Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director and Colour Expert at Cuprinol, adds: “It’s wonderful to see such artistry and craftsmanship triumph in this 2023 Shed of the Year.
"The extraordinary mural work in the interior of Archie’s ‘Frankenshed’ are such a unique expression of his individuality, skill, and love of colour whilst the bold Rich Black painted exterior makes what’s inside even more alluring and delightful.
“A true labour of love, Archie’s shed shows how it’s possible to bring anything back to life with a bucketful of passion and a lick or two of paint.”
Archie will take home Cuprinol Shed of the Year’s biggest prize yet, including £1,000 in cash and £250 worth of Cuprinol products, to help bring even more colour and protection to his garden.
Founder and Head Judge of the competition, Andrew Wilcox, says: “The quality of entries in this year’s competition were incredible and the final results were tight. There were less than 50 votes between each of the shortlisted workshops, which is the closest any category has come before!
“This didn’t make the judging easy, particularly as we’ve seen lots of charitable and community-supporting sheds entered this year, which goes to show just how far just one simple shed can reach.
“I’m so pleased Archie has been crowned 2023’s winner – The Frankenshed is unlike anything I have seen before in the nearly-20-years of running this competition. His artistic flair takes centre stage, but the way he transformed his sorry shed into something so elegant has to be seen to be believed.”
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