The perfect connection between your house and the outside world are conservatories. In the past, conservatories were only used as storage rooms, where people could store their food and grow their vegetables without worrying if heavy rain or any weather change will influence their growth. Although people started using them a long time ago, around the 16th century, conservatories became quite popular in the 19th century, which was actually considered the golden age of conservatory building.
As glass usage in architecture became more and more present in the UK’s buildings and houses, people could see the benefits of investing in a conservatory. Apart from their stunning look, the great thing about conservatories is that they won’t limit you at all when it comes to designing the space. You can go for anything you need, from an extended living room to a working area, beautiful cozy gathering space for your friends and family, or even an entertainment room.
Nowadays, people build conservatories and use them for other purposes. For instance, beautiful glass conservatories can allow you to enjoy the rays of light at any time of the year, including the cold winter months. Besides, did you know that drinking your morning coffee with your favourite book on a Sunday morning in your conservatory counts as meditation?
Conservatories are beautiful and serve a great purpose, so when it comes to investing in your house’s expansion, you should definitely at least consider adding a conservatory to your home. Conservatory building costs can vary depending on the style and the preparation that space requires, but usually start at around £5,000 and can go anywhere up to £100,000 for a large and lavish conservatory.
The most popular conservatories include Victorian, Edwardian, lean-to, P-shaped conservatories, and orangeries. However, there are three leading conservatory designs, so read along to find out more about them and get a better feeling of which one is the most suitable for you and your home style.
Modern Conservatories
We’ll start with the most common design of conservatories – the modern ones. These design types are widely used nowadays, perhaps because they are most suitable for the majority of interiors. Also, apart from their lovely interior, everything you want to use to decorate your modern conservatory is easy to get a hold at.
Usually, modern conservatories go with the square shape because it’s easy to transform them into a lovely living room or an entertainment area outside of their house. Depending on what you aim for, the cost can go up if you want it to be ultra-modern and use the latest tech gadgets.
On the other hand, if you want that minimalistic design and don’t need to accessorise it too much, it won’t cost as much. The thing with modern conservatories is that you can play with colours, patterns, and lightning. The conservatory lighting choice is enormous, from dim to direct light, depending on what your conservatory will be used for.
Another thing you should always have in mind is that modern home extensions like conservatories can also add some value to your house. According to Savills, high-quality conservatories can add up to 12 per cent to the value of your home, so in case you plan to sell your house in the meantime, a conservatory of this design type can boost the selling price of your home as well.
Country Conservatories
These conservatories are also widespread, as they can offer an incredibly cozy vibe to every house. When designing their conservatories in a country style, people usually tend to use it as a dining room or additional living room.
However, they can be used for whatever you want to. Country conservatories usually provide a large amount of light in the central area, so that you can accessorise them with many plants and create a kind of inside garden that will undoubtedly have its calming influence on you. In the past, conservatories designed in a country style were very common. People used it as a relaxing place where they usually read a book, painted, and even enjoyed a cup of tea with their close friends and family.
These conservatory design types can also mix well with the whole country feel of the house if you live outside of the city. On the other hand, this conservatory design can complement your modern house layout, too, since combining those two styles is getting more attention these days. This could also be done the other way around; modern conservatories paired up with an older house also go along fantastically.
Traditional Conservatories
If you want to design your conservatory in a traditional style, once again, make sure you include some plants and flora on the main floor to get that sense that you are part of the nature that surrounds your conservatory. As there is nothing that represents traditional English interior design style like it, consider adding some Victorian furniture to get the conventional vibe correctly and on point.
Place a few vintage furniture pieces and accessories, and achieve the perfect cozy and warm atmosphere that characterises traditional conservatories. Furniture pieces like tables and bookshelves should be made out of oak, redwood, or pine to fit. Although you can always mix the colours you adore, interior designers typically go with neutral colours and warm yellow lighting.
You can also consider adding some vintage carpet or a rug to add to that traditional feel. If you want to use the space as an additional living room or a lounge room, make sure sofas and chairs are covered with soft tapestry.
Final Thoughts
We can all agree that conservatories look amazing. Whether we use them as a living room, another bedroom, entertainment room, or closed backyard, they can look breathtaking with the proper interior. What is also very important is the fact that investing in a conservatory is a brilliant plan when it comes to extending your home, as apart from their practical use, they can also boost the value of your property.