Bringing The Outdoors Indoors

Sunday, 16 May 2021 08:00

By Adele Trathan

Home office, playroom, dining room or even a chill-out room; a conservatory can be whatever you want it to be, whilst also adding value and a wow factor to a home as Adele Trathan explain.

As families grow and homes fill up with a lifetime of accumulation, space is always at a premium, even more so during the last year when most of us have had to live, breathe and work in one place — our home!

Originally, a conservatory was a small side extension to a home, in which plants were grown. They were very popular in Victorian and Edwardian times and thanks to modern building techniques they have remained desirable additions to homes ever since.

In the last couple of decades, conservatories have evolved from box shaped, greenhouse styled rooms with temperatures that ranged from freezing in winter to smoking hot in summer. Now, there’s an incredible range of styles, from traditional to contemporary, with better climate control using modern technology and materials to create the perfect conservatory.

To be classed as a conservatory, the walls must be at least 50% glass and the roof at least 75% glass. The structure also needs to be built against the wall of the property and have heating independent to the rest of the property. The size and location of a conservatory will dictate whether or not planning permission is required. After that, the next step is to choose the frame materials.

Hardwood is ideal for a more traditional look and for older properties but is also more costly and requires a certain amount of TLC when it comes to maintenance. Choose from a range of wood and painted finishes to fit in perfectly with your home. If you’re looking for that authentic feel, it might be worth investing the extra pounds.

The most popular and affordable option is uPVC. This material is easy to maintain and comes in various colours. Coupled with solar self-cleaning glass, which keeps rooms at a pleasant temperature as well as saving money on endless visits from the window cleaner, uPVC is a smart choice for the modern family.

Aluminium frames are long lasting, strong and recyclable, available in almost any colour or style. In many conservation areas authorities now accept the fully recyclable aluminium framing as a real alternative to the traditional hardwood.

For the beauty of wood, but the practicality of aluminium, a composite conservatory might be the right choice for you. Composite frames have a timber inner coupled with an aluminium outer, which reduces the need for maintenance, so everyone wins.

Being closer to the great outdoors creates an opportunity to decorate your new conservatory with a calming outdoor theme. Mix nature and comfortability. The range of natural furniture in organic materials is vast and a conservatory is the perfect environment to grow plants more suited to a warmer climate. Bougainvillea, oranges and lemons can all excel with a little love and attention. Accessorise using softer textures such as blinds, rugs, and throws to make a comfortable and calming place to enjoy all year round in a serene and relaxing space.

With the last year of lockdown, many people now work from home and a conservatory could be the perfect option to add value to your property whilst giving the additional space to have a comfortable home office. Working in a separate space helps define the workspace as distinct from the home. It also offers flexibility in the future should you need to utilise the space for different needs.

A conservatory could also be the solution to a much-needed playroom for a growing family. The children will have easy access to the garden and at the end of the day you can close the door on the toys and mess.

Perhaps a dining space is what your home is crying out for? What about using a conservatory as a breakfast room to catch the morning sunlight whilst enjoying coffee and croissants? If you’re lucky enough to have the space for a larger conservatory, then consider moving your dining table and chairs into it to create a permanent place to entertain. As long as it’s close enough to the kitchen, you could use your conservatory to impress friends and chat until the early hours, whether it’s a special occasion or just a mid-week supper.

These days we are all too busy and don’t make enough time for ourselves. When all you want is a bit of peace, the conservatory is a perfect retreat. You can put your feet up with a cuppa and the crossword and let the day’s stresses disappear. A comfy chair, some plants and music can be all that’s needed to turn your conservatory into a calm, relaxing and idyllic hideaway.

Enjoy the exciting journey of investing in your new conservatory but do take the time to visit local suppliers for advice, design ideas and competitive quotes. If done properly, a conservatory should add value to any home and, perhaps more importantly, give you that extra room to escape to when the rest of the family are driving you mad.

Bringing The Outdoors Indoors

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