“It’s all about the decadence”

Interiors expert Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen urges us to turn our humble sheds into fancy gin palaces

Following hard on the heels of Shed of the Year winner Danielle Zarb-Cousin, with her pretty Crème de Menthe bar in Southend-on-Sea, comes this elegant garden bar created by interior design legend Laurence LlewelynBowen. The Changing Rooms star wants to encourage the nation to battle through the cobwebs, find a new place for the lawnmower and install sleek lights, bespoke glass holders and ice buckets for the perfect boozy night at home.

The design has been commissioned by Craft Gin Club, and features a fully stocked gin bar, LED lighting and sumptuous seating. Inside, the 6x4ft shed comes to life with pops of blue and yellow, mosaic tiles, Laurence’s bespoke wallpaper, a large banana plant, astroturf floor and eye-catching optics holding a range of craft gins. Outside are four yellow Chinese lanterns, decking and two green velvet bar stools.

“When you’re making yourself a gin-otorium it’s all about the decadence – slightly sexy, slightly nightclubby... For the bar interior I’ve created a new style, which I’ve called ginoiserie. It’s about colour, finish, luxury and texture. It’s a celebration of all that is luxe and indulgent.

“My favourite tipple is basically gin in a vase, no tonic,” confides Laurence. “A typical ‘out out’ night for me would be going to an incredibly glamorous dinner party,

and then to be desperate

to get back home to my gin bar. As you can

imagine as the hours tick by on a Friday afternoon, my thoughts are with my gin shed. The advantages are very plain. For a start, I don’t have to queue for the loo and I’m hardly going to short measure myself am I?”

“My favourite tipple is basically gin in a vase, no tonic”