Mike Robinson, an engineer from Plumstead, South-East London, has won the 2025 Cuprinol Shed of the Year with his The Tiny Workshop which claimed top spot in the Workshop/Studio category.
The Tiny Workshop is designed to slot neatly into a garden with limited room. Mike built the shed using two sets of heavy duty steel shelving, bolted together and clad with wood painted in Cuprinol Garden Shades (Black Ash). Splashes of colour have also been added throughout, with the inside doors and pallet seating decorated with Wild Thyme, and saw horses and a ladder finished with Emerald Stone. Two doors flap open at the bottom and top to provide flooring and handy rain protection, with an overhanging green roof to store garden tools.
Built over the course of a few weekends, it is a toolshed, workshop, and storage space.
“We needed a good bit of storage for the garden necessities," said Mike. "Off-the-shelf options would have taken up too much room so we went with a DIY design and build. I think it has worked a treat. It’s a creative space where I can tinker and mend, as well as have the storage space for garden stuff, kids’ games and tools.
“I designed brackets for the old spanner handles with a 3D printer. The green roof will come into its own in the next year or so too, and I’m looking forward to seeing it come to life. I’m so happy the judges loved it too, and can’t believe I actually won.”
As part of his prize, Mike wins an overnight’s nature getaway, £1,000 in cash and £250 worth of Cuprinol product.
“In a difficult time of paying more and getting less, The Tiny Workshop
is a shining example of what can be achieved even in the most compact of
spaces," said competition founder and head judge Andrew Wilcox.
“This
year’s winner takes the competition back to its roots of championing
the simple yet effective. Traditionally, sheds have just been seen as
somewhere to store your tools, or perhaps somewhere to potter and play.
The Tiny Workshop takes this seemingly basic concept and turns into
something so inspired but also still very practical, and truly nothing
like we’ve seen before in this competition’s history. I hope Mike can
inspire sheddies for years to come, and to enter the 20th Cuprinol Shed
of the Year competition in 2026.”
Marianne Shillingford, Creative and Colour Expert at Cuprinol, added: "The Tiny Workshop is a testament to Mike’s ingenious solutions-focused creativity. From impactful use of storage, to striking balance of colour, Mike’s shed is a first-in-class example of industrial chic."
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