Vote Conservatory! The Manifesto for Extra Living Space

Why should you vote conservatory?

A conservatory can give you options – practical, sensible, living space options. A conservatory can

solve problems such as where to send the kids to safely play when you have visitors and it’s raining outside, or where to set up an office if one of you has the opportunity or need to work from home. A conservatory can provide you with a place to relax in comfortable surroundings, whilst looking out onto the greenery of a beautiful garden. A modern conservatory can also be used as a super trendy kitchen/diner, allowing you to cook up your mouth watering masterpieces without missing out on any of the latest gossip from the party delegates (dinner guests) in the other room.

The conservatories of yesteryear were a little stuck in the mud and old fashioned, delivering the same old message – “too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer”. The modern conservatory has learned its lessons well (technology has improved things like underfloor heating and various kinds of glass which in turn has improved insulation) and now offers broad appeal - for properties of all shapes and sizes up and down the country. There has never been a better time to vote conservatory!

Doing the Maths – A decision in favour of a Conservatory simply means MORE:

1. MORE space to work – A light, comfortable environment for getting important work done

2. MORE space to play – either for the kids and their toys or the teenagers and their games consoles

3. MORE space to relax – Create an extra living room space with comfy sofas making an excellent place to curl up with a favourite book or just to gaze out into the garden beyond

4. MORE space to entertain – Create extra dining space for those famous dinner parties with friends and family

5. MORE space to cook – If you have always felt a little too cramped in your kitchen an extension can open this area up and you can even go for that modern kitchen diner you have always dreamed about.

Make sure to vote on polling day

All political puns aside (it is election time after all), with spring well under way and summer just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to finally get your conservatory (or orangery) project underway. For inspiration, design ideas and price guides, visit the Foxfurd website now.

Freshen Up Your Conservatory with a Splash of Green for Spring

                      

Green is a colour that is really popular at the moment, with stores and magazines filled with ideas and

products featuring various shades of green, from wallpaper, prints, paints and accessories.
Of course, there is always something fresh, warm and spring-like about this colour and it can work beautifully if you are planning to inject a bit of life into a conservatory that is either long overdue an overhaul or has just been built and is awaiting its first dressing.
Green is a versatile colour and can work well in combination with colours such as brown, grey, cream and white.

Going Green in Your Dining Area

If your conservatory is predominantly used as a dining room, then there are a few things you can try in order to make it feel fresh and stylish again and give it more than a hint of spring.
You could consider laying carpet in your conservatory, this will certainly add warmth and give it a completely different tone, especially if it has always had a tiled or wooden floor (as many conservatories tend to). Unless you get the dressing just right, a wooden or tiled floor can often feel cold and lack that new spring warmth you are striving for. With doors out to the garden from this room, it’s probably best to avoid carpet colours that are too light – cream for example - as they can soon look grubby and worn. Perhaps you could try something like a charcoal grey, which is both really modern and avoids the pitfalls of those lighter colours. It also works beautifully with green!

What about the walls?

There are some very stylish wallpapers available in various shades of green and papering one feature wall could be the best way to implement the colour into your conservatory. Combine this with perhaps a sage green paint on the remaining walls and it will feel, fresh, modern and make it a room you want to spend more time in.

A Fresh Face for Furniture

White furniture can often deliver clean and modern lines and a white dining table (either new or revamped) can, in combination with the green walls, make for a striking centrepiece. You can further enhance this look with white shelving units, sideboards, coffee tables and even chairs.

Windows

Blinds are obviously and fabulously practical for conservatory windows and allow you to get as much light as possible, especially during those spring and summer months. Some people might prefer fully fitted curtains so if you do prefer this but are desperate for something “lighter”, you could opt for some voiles of your choice – they don’t even need to cover the full expanse of the window, they can work simply and effectively as a dressing.

Luxurious Lighting

Chandeliers and lamp bases made of glass can often look beautiful and give an elegant feel to the room but for this particular theme, fabric lampshades might be a better option and can provide a soft and furnished look. You could even introduce a botanical theme – there are plenty of these currently on the market – to enhance your theme of spring.

Accessories

You can have fun here and continue your botanical theme if you wish, with things like pictures, cushions, vases, throws and even plates hung on the walls. Finish it all off with a suitable centrepiece for the dining table and your spring conservatory makeover is complete.

You can find out much more about different conservatory styles on our main website, where we even tell you what the difference is between a conservatory and an orangery.

Christmas in Your Conservatory

For many people, an existing conservatory becomes even more useful at Christmas time, especially when it comes to the conundrum of fitting everyone around the table when it’s time to tuck into the turkey, or even somewhere to retreat to for a few minutes of sanity when the kids are running riot with their new toys!

Modern conservatories can be built in many different shapes and sizes, and are frequently used as an extra reception room, whether it’s for dining in, living in or for a combination of uses. Long gone are the times of cold, unwelcoming glass rooms that were primarily used in summer months. Now with underfloor heating, specialist blinds and just an overall more intelligent design process, the conservatory has become an invaluable, luxurious addition to the home.

Christmas List – Dressing Your Conservatory

So, how do we go about transforming a room that is largely made of glass, into a homely, festive, winter wonderland? After all, if Christmas lunch is the focal point, your guests will be spending plenty of time in this room, so it needs to feel welcoming and comfortable.

Let’s have a look at a few ideas to help with the holiday season overhaul.

Transforming Your Table into a Seasonal Centrepiece

If you don’t already have a table in your conservatory, then that will be the first thing to organise.

Positioning will be important, and if the table is usually situated in a corner or to the side of the room, it needs to be moved into that central position, hopefully allowing plenty of access for everyone.

Seating Arrangements and Table Dressing

You may think that seating should be the last thing to worry about when simply decorating the table, but knowing how many will dine can help with the overall structure, and putting out place mats can help you map out your plans. Once this is sorted, you can think about the actual table decorations.

You might have a really impressive centrepiece for the table but if it’s too high, your guests might find it difficult to communicate, which in turn will ruin the atmosphere you have strived so hard to create.  Something a little less bulky, made from a combination of tea lights, woody cones and red berries will deliver the Christmas touch with warmth and colour without dominating the table.

Baubles in a bowl

You can have fun (and impress your guests) with table cloths, mats, serviettes and holders and you could even make your own themed place settings. How about a pine cone, wrapped with a beautiful ribbon and name card, hand written using gold or silver ink for the finishing touches! Baubles in clear bowls is another simple yet effective decoration.

Choosing a Room Theme

Of course, your table decorations should be very much influenced by the rest of the room, assuming you have gone to great lengths to make the room look spectacular.

Modern Magic

To create a truly modern feel for your conservatory room, you may need to be brave! For example, if you have a Christmas tree in the room (who doesn’t?), a black one would make a really effective back drop for bright colours. A black Christmas tree isn’t everyone’s idea of fashionable. However, it will certainly look modern and stylish!

When using decorations, choose bright colours such as a vivid pink. Along with blues, purples and greens, they will not only work but make a striking impact for your table colours, tree and accessories.

Traditional and Trendy

For many, there is nothing quite like a traditional Christmas theme. Often magical and comforting, it’s a great combination. Choose a real tree (rather than artificial), hang stockings up with old fashioned pictures of Santa along with gold decorations, lots of pine cones, holly and red berries.

At the time of writing, woodland themes are considered very trendy within the world of interior design and it’s a theme than can easily be combined with that old traditional feel, giving you that modern-retro vibe. Ideas? Fabrics, surfaces and ornaments featuring deer or even reindeer are available in many shops and combined with a blanket on an easy chair, some fur cushions and a sheepskin rug, you will have complemented the theme perfectly.

Vintage Wonderland
The “vintage” look remains very popular and if this style appeals to you, why not carry it over into

your Christmas conservatory. Using soft pinks and metallic colours will help to create a magically soft feel with perhaps a white or even silver Christmas tree and a ballerina instead of a star, for elegance. White or silver wreaths, lots of fairy lights, a bird cage or two and flourishes of silver throws and cushions should finish things off nicely.

Conservatory Lights Fantastic

So, once you have your theme, your table centrepiece, your fabulous tree and accessories sorted, it will all be coming together. Lighting is perhaps the final piece of the jigsaw. White fairy lights will work with any theme and can feel even more enchanting at this time of year. Hang them along the windows and drape around mirrors and pictures. Battery operated rice lights can even be placed on the table.

A clever use of candles can be the icing on your immaculately baked Christmas conservatory cake! They can be placed on the table, window sills or other pieces of furniture and will give light, colour, glow and a winter spice fragrance if you so choose. (Never leave burning candles unattended and don’t put them anywhere near fabric such as curtains etc)

Most of all have fun decorating your conservatory for Christmas!

The entire team at Foxfurd would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!