12 Garden Shed Ideas

A Tinker House

This potting shed, or Tinker House, as owner Donna Reyne at Tinkerhouse Trading Company calls it, is small, but full of light and the perfect spot to start some seeds or repot a plant. The pea gravel and pavers make a clean, dry entryway as well as the perfect spot to add a few containers and even a raised bed. It's the little details in the carving of the wood and the arch of the windows that make this house so elegant.

Storage and Style

Look closely in the windows of this garden shed and you will see it is packed as tightly as it possibly could be. There is never as much room in your shed as you think there will be. As long as you garden, you will keep finding things that need to be stored in there. But this pretty little shed, captured by Naughty Architect on Flickr, with its front porch and picket fence is doing exactly what it was designed to do and the gardener has had no trouble finding a rake to gather up leaves. Once the fence behind it ages a bit, they will blend together beautifully.

Customized and Practical

Hardcore gardeners sometimes like the ability to keep their tools and mess out of sight. If that's you, take a look at what Charlene, at Organized Clutter, did with customizing this shed from one of the big box stores. The bright green hedge is the perfect foil for the weathered gray paint color and the galvanized steel planters keep the color scheme going. You can make any pre-fab shed your own, with a bit of paint and elbow grease. The latticework at the bottom of this shed suggests it is on a raised foundation on top of a dry and level layer of pea gravel. This is a garden shed that is meant to do work and last for years.

Potting Station

If you are only using your garden shed to store tools, light is not crucial. However, if you want to create a spot to linger and fill it with plants, you will want as much natural light as possible. 

Cindy Gardner, at the blog French Gray, has set up a beautiful spot for potting up new plants and watching them grow. The multi-paned windows provide plenty of spots to display pots where they will be in easy reach when needed. The vines, inside and out, blend the outdoors with the interior of the shed.

Rustic Red

There are no rules saying your garden shed has to blend in with the scenery. This rustic red shed stands out but in a good way. There is so much decorating the exterior of this shed, it almost looks like someone's home. FotoGuy 49057 posted this shot on Flickr and it is full of details. The bird bath must get good use, with all those birdhouses near the door. This shed is conveniently placed right next to the garden, with tools and supplies in easy reach. You can see the gas can that is tucked in amongst the border. The Hostas anchor the shed without adding more maintenance. 

Open Air Shed

If you have the weather for it, an open-air shed structure can certainly serve as a garden tool shed. Everything is easily seen and accessible and you've got to admit, the light is wonderful. This little potting nook was photographed by brewbooks in a small Seattle garden. It is positioned right in the garden, with pots, soil, and tools in easy reach when needed. The plants growing in and around it make it seem like a part of the garden.

Rustic Elegance

Sometimes you want more than function. If your garden is your sanctuary, you need a garden shed that will allow you to luxuriate in it. This gorgeous garden house was designed for a client by Kim at Living Vintage. With the rockers on the porch and a potting table on the side brick patio, you don't even need to go inside, but that's beautiful too. This shed is made from reclaimed material, which would be very easy to duplicate at home if you've got a source for reclaimed bricks, old, perfectly peeling boards and some discarded windows. Start collecting.

Plenty of Storage

This garden shed is as beautiful as it is practical. Kevin, at The Nitty Gritty Dirt Man, walks us through how he created this 10 ft. x 10 ft. storage shed. He's made sure there is room for all the necessities in there, with shelves, drawers, a potting table and even room for the lawn mower. There's a radiator for heat, although those slanted windows must do their share to keep the shed warm. There's nothing like going into a potting shed in late winter to start some seeds and get a whiff of wet soil. 

Gingerbread Garden Shed

Hanzel and Gretel might just show up in your garden with this whimsical garden shed. Carol, at The Gardening Cook, share a collection of whimsical garden sheds but said this was her favorite. The care taken to make this house suggests the gardener has small children or grandchildren. What a wonderful way to get them interested in being in the garden. You may not have the skill or patience to create something so ornate, but you can still be whimsical with paint colors and ornaments. It even gives you permission to be slightly unaligned.

A Shed the Neighbors Could Love

We don't all garden on acres, but we still need storage. We also need a garden shed that won't be an eyesore. Melissa J. Will, aka The Empress of Dirt, shows several garden shed makeovers on her blog. This crisp gray shed with the brilliant blue door looks so inviting, the neighbors just might visit. We're not privy to what's stored inside it, but Melissa tries to use what she already has at hand to decorate it. If you picked up a garden gate and still haven't found a use for it, check out what a great focal point it makes on the front wall.

Sleek and Clean

These days sheds are as likely to be places to relax as they are places to grab a tool or pot up a plant. There's no saying you can't do both. Pure Wow's clean, modern she shed is set up for catching some rays and overseeing the lay of the land, but there's still a desk inside for getting some work and potting done. If rustic does not fit your style, create some clean, clear space with a wall of windows and plenty of seats in the sun.

DIY Four-Door Shed

Looking for tool storage that is attractive but won't take up too much garden real estate. This clever shed is made from four salvaged doors and features shelves and hooks inside. The storage belies this sheds size. You can find the easy instructions on The Owner Builder Network's site and have this shed up and functioning in a weekend.