Dunster House Cabin Wins Shed Of The Year 2019 Award

It was only a few weeks ago when we reached out to Mary about her entry on the Shed of the Year competition. A lot has happened since then and we’re back with an update! We said goodbye to the summer holidays, and we welcomed rainy days and hot chocolate back to our daily lives. Most importantly, we hurrahed just as much, if not a tiny bit more, when Mary won the Shed of the Year 2019 award for the workshop/studio category! Making this as yet another victory for the Dunster House log cabin range.

Like a proud parent cheering for their children’s success, we cheered on for Mary’s gorgeous Lantera log cabin that she so creatively transformed into an art studio. A well-deserved winner of the award and we’re not just saying it for the sake of it. Hundreds of other people agreed too as they voted for her!

It all started with her decision to buy a log cabin…

Small enough to fit in a city garden yet spacious to provide enough room for her passion, art. After years of making art on the dining table, she now has dedicated space for her art and (yet another) reason to smile every day.

After purchasing her shed and painting it white, she chose to ditch the “safe, boring garden shade […] that blended in with the plants”. Instead, she went for the “flamboyant, colourful […] vibrancy of summer meadows” which reflects her creative signature. Mary often takes inspiration from nature and sunny summer days so, choosing what to paint and the colours was an easy call.

But how come she started painting her shed?

Mary explains that what happened as an impulse, turned out to be her biggest painting yet! But it wasn’t her intention to start painting the shed from the get-go. Having her garden cabin for about 5 years, she merely started painting it last summer. The weather was hot and she ended up with no canvas left. The artist in her took to the shed itself and a year later, all her creative efforts have paid off! She now enjoys not only her art studio but also the honour of being Shed of the Year’s latest winner under the workshop/studio category!

Not the first time Artist in the Shed is in the spotlight

The Artist in the Shed has not gained overnight success just from winning the Shed of the Year award. In fact, Mary Price’s vibrant art has been taking over on social media for a while now. Her Twitter handle is booming and her Instagram followers exceed 25k. Her paintings received worldwide attention and they also landed her a feature in a Japanese magazine about tiny homes!

With Mary becoming such a sensation in the art world, we are so happy to have contributed such a small part in her artistic journey. We merely provided her with an “out of the peg” log cabin kit. She, however, brought life into the shed with her exuberant summer meadows. A life-sized canvas that has become a true source of inspiration and happiness to her.

Lesson of the day

Having a dedicated garden space for a hobby is considered a luxury for most of us. It’s certainly not a priority. Just a nice thing to have… Plus, you probably have more important things to spend your hard-earned money on, right?

But consider this…

Although it may seem like a big investment, having your own space can yield some of the greatest results in your daily lives. From creating work-life balance to giving yourself and loved ones precious space to follow your interests and ambitions. Mary Price is a prime example of this! She chose to claim her house back and pursue her passion. She made art an integral part of her life without sacrificing her valuable house space.

Mary has become such an inspiration not only to us, at Dunster House, but to many people all over the world. Not because she put up a shed, but because she chose to pursue whatever makes her happy! For most, it’s simply just a shed but for Mary, it’s so much more. In her own words “it makes me smile every morning when I wake up, I look out of the window”. A shed where her passion has flourished and gained the publicity and success it deserves.

If you had your own garden shed that housed not just your gardening tools and lawnmower, but your hobbies and dreams…

What would you use it as? What would be it? That’s up to you to decide. Without a doubt, your life wouldn’t be the same.

That’s what Mary Price did. She took a decision, invested in her art and now she’s flourishing!

So, let’s all be a little bit like Mary Price. We may not opt for a shed at the back of our gardens, or expensive house extensions just to accommodate our hobbies or home businesses. Even if it ends up being a little corner inside our house.

Let’s at least try to give whatever makes us happy, a proper room! In whatever shape or form they may come in. In whatever space you decide to pursue them in. Just follow your own passions and interests. They’ll reward you with self-fulfilment, that’s for sure.

If you haven’t seen Mary Price’s art studio yet, you’re missing out.

Luckily she provided us with some great photos to showcase her biggest painting to date.

If like Mary, you are looking for a reason to smile every morning, why not opt in for your own hobby room at the back of your garden?

Did you know?

Mary Price’s workshop wasn’t the only Dunster House cabin that entered the competition.

Here are a few more of our log cabins that made it into the Shed of the Year competitions over the years:

• Hut 8, Tim Richardson’s log cabin
• Nick Skerten’s Severn log cabin
• Peter’s Avon 400 Log cabin
• Pat’s Place, Patrick Wickham’s Carsare log cabin here and here
• Star Wars Man Cave, David McMillan’s log cabin
• Ginger Tim’s Tavern log cabin