Highland woman is a shed ahead with her 'sensational' outdoor office
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A garden shed can be much more than a humdrum wooden erection – for one woman it's an award-winning outdoor office.
Claire Hughes has taken the top accolade for the "sensational shed" office in her garden thanks to home improvement retailer Wickes and its competition to find a winner for its first-ever home office awards.
Judged by TV celebrities and property experts Phil Spencer and Ben Hillman, Wickes awards were created to celebrate and reward the creators of the best working from home (WFH) spaces across the UK.
After weeks of social media entries, Claire, who lives at Clayock near Halkirk in Caithness, took the top accolade and was crowned winner of the Wickes Home Office Awards.
Her inspiration came when she decided to build a shed for her children’s toys, commenting: “Unable to find a shed sturdy enough for the toys I set about building it from scratch.
"With the help of a friend, I designed and built the shed – which turned out to be the perfect room for home working and has become a sanctuary of peace and quiet for the family. I’m really surprised, it feels amazing to have won. It was hard work so to be recognised for that is incredible, especially from a company that sees a lot of sheds.”
Launched in mid-April, the awards sought the best in home office set-ups, after more than a year of video calls led the nation to upping its creativity when designing working from home spaces.
Talking about Claire's shed judge Phil Spencer said: “The office made excellent use of space, combining design and practicality to create the perfect workspace.
"The addition of plants and a large, glamorous desk helped to elevate this simple shed to an award-winning home office. Looking at property value, home offices are far more sought after than they used to be, and I’m sure this style of outhouse office will help to add value to Claire’s home.”
Claire was awarded the shortlist winner Sensational Shed and was then championed by the judges as the overall winner For the Wickes Home Office Awards 2021.
Wickes was on the lookout for a mix of spaces, with five shortlist awards for Minimalist Master, Best Interior and Mindful Design Award, Cleaning up in the Dining Room, The Sensational Shed and The Savviest Set Up.
Judge Ben Hillman added: “It was amazing to see the different ways the nation have set up working from home spaces, and after the challenges of this past year, every person who entered deserves a prize. The range of winners has really shown what is possible with different spaces and budgets to create a practical and stylish space within the home, or garden.”
For more information visit www.wickes.co.uk/ideas-advice/working-from-home
