An orangery or conservatory provides valuable extra indoor living space, and it can also be an excellent way to help you enjoy your outdoor space more fully. The extensive glazing allows you to maximise views of your garden and provides a natural sense of connection between your indoor and outdoor spaces.
Here are some suggestions and tips to help you create a pleasing transition between your conservatory and outside space.
Consider the style of your house
The first step is to find a style of conservatory that complements the style of your home and the nature of your outdoor space. For example, Victorian style hardwood orangeries with ornate details may suit period properties with traditional garden designs such as manicured lawns and natural stone hardscaping.
This is not to say that a traditional orangery wouldn’t work with a more contemporary style home; indeed some people prefer the deliberate contrast. However, a simple minimalist style can work very well with a more modern property.
Consider the positioning of the conservatory
If you have a smaller house and garden, there may not be much flexibility in where the conservatory is positioned. However, it will ideally be adjacent to an outdoor living area such as a patio, allowing you to enjoy a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor living spaces.
Assess your sightlines from the intended location of the conservatory; ideally you should have an unobstructed view of the garden. Consider moving any large garden structures such as sheds and pergolas that would interrupt your views and block the flow of natural light.
Consider colours and materials
Use similar colours and materials to create a sense of flow between the indoors and outdoors. For example, if the conservatory is adjacent to a patio with light sandstone paving, consider using a similar style of flooring for the indoor space. This will create a seamless visual transition and also help the conservatory to feel larger.
Also consider how the colours of the conservatory will harmonise with your house and garden, in terms of the frames, roofing materials, and interior design. You may wish to repeat colours from your garden plantings, outdoor structures or furniture in the interior design of your conservatory to create a sense of cohesion.
Incorporate large external doors
Large sliding or bi-folding external doors will help you to open up your conservatory more fully on warmer days and evenings, providing easy access to the outdoors.
This can help you to more easily relax or entertain, encouraging movement between the house and garden as guests mingle, and enabling you to move easily in and out of the kitchen if you are serving food or drink.
Create year-round visual interest
Consider the year-round impact of both your conservatory and garden with strategic planting schemes. Use indoor planting to increase the sense of connection between the outdoors, ensuring that the plants can cope with the temperature fluctuations and sunlight levels of your conservatory.
Ideally, use low-maintenance real plants rather than fake greenery, because this will provide you with the natural variation and beauty of nature, but won’t be too time consuming and tricky to maintain. It may even be possible to use similar species to your garden planting schemes to increase the visual harmony.
Look for other opportunities to echo the colours, textures, shapes and materials of your garden and interior design scheme with furniture, ornaments, textiles, and so on. Ensure that the planting schemes in the outdoor areas near to your conservatory or orangery have year-round interest with evergreens, winter flowering plants and so on.
Use strategic lighting schemes
Lighting schemes can enhance the sense of connection between the two spaces. Choose soft ambient lighting in your garden to highlight features such as paths, ponds, or trees to help you enjoy your garden in the evening.
On warmer summer evenings, it will encourage you to enjoy the twilight atmosphere, and in the winter it will provide a welcome and uplifting highlight on gloomy afternoons.
Consider privacy
Finally, consider if your conservatory and adjacent areas are overlooked from the road or neighbouring properties, and if this might discourage you from using them. If so, consider planting hedging or installing decorative screens of fencing to increase the sense of privacy.