Paul and Mineyo Yamisha's shed is in the finalPaul and Mineyo Yamisha's shed is in the final
Paul and Mineyo Yamisha's shed is in the final

IN PICTURES: Leighton Buzzard couple's wobbly Japanese-inspired creation wins a place in Shed of the Year final

The pair spent six months building their shed, starting when they were both furloughed

A husband-and-wife duo from Leighton Buzzard have secured a place on the Cuprinol Shed of the Year 2021 shortlist for their Japanese-inspire shed which has no straight lines.

Paul Yamisha, 49, a commercial manager at the London Underground and Mineyo Yamisha, 48, who works at the Victoria & Albert Museum, won a place in the final with their shed A Ba Ra Ya - which means ‘wobbly’ in Japanese.

Entering in the Budget category, the pair were inspired by Terunobu Fujimori, an architect and professor based in Tokyo known for his teetering teahouses, after they went to his exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum several years ago.

“He designs really odd-looking structures; they're not Japanese and they're not western, but they're kind of a hybrid,” Paul said. “We didn't use a leveller at all. It's all wobbly, nothing about it is straight lines.”

Paul says his favourite part of the shed is its inside wall. “Every single panel is slightly different and you can get lost in looking at them all day long," he said.

“It's quite sparse inside, and we've done that intentionally but looking at the walls is very bizarre, very surreal.”

Between 80% and 90% of the material used to build the shed was recycled, with the pair using materials saved from an extension underway at their house.

The pair spent six months building their shed, starting when they were both furloughed.

“I had actually built the base the year before, in 2019,” said Paul. “I lost my momentum but I thought, when I was furloughed, this is the time now. It was pretty full on and intense, we were working on it pretty much every day.”

Public voting for the annual competition opens today (Wednesday, June 2) and will close on Monday, July 12.

You can check out all of the 22 finalists and cast your vote at http://www.readersheds.co.uk or go direct to the couple's Budget category at http://www.readersheds.co.uk/?type=Budget Shed of the Year is a celebration of the great British shed in all their forms, and this year the much-loved competition is celebrating its 15th year. From the miniature to the massive, the modern to the traditional, the cosy to the minimal and everything in between - you'll find sheds of every shape, size and function in the contest.

The man behind the competition, Andrew Wilcox of Readersheds.co.uk, is also head judge. A passionate "sheddie" since his youth - his mission is to open the eyes of the world to the importance of the shed.

This year’s categories are Budget, Cabin/Summerhouse, Pub & Entertainment, Unexpected / Unique, Workshop/Studio, Nature’s Haven, Lockdown.

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