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.

Is Building a Conservatory on Your Property one of Your New Year’s Resolutions?

There seems to be nothing quite like the Christmas holidays to highlight problem areas in the home. Although realising that inviting the in-laws was a mistake might be high on the list of discoveries, more practical things, like the need for an extra settee or the need for a whole new room are often highlighted at this time of year.

Most of us end up with more guests over the Christmas and New Year period then we ever expected, or invited for that matter and the small dining room, which feels fairly compact with the normal, everyday allocation of numbers, seems full to bursting and nigh on impossible to manage when family and friends descend on you for the festive season. A few extra feet of space would be very welcome and the realisation dawns that the extension or conservatory that you have always coveted might be the best way forward in the New Year.

You start to dream about what you could do with all of that extra space – a dining area, an extended living space, or kitchen or even an office so that you can comfortably work from home without the need to cram your computer and paperwork into a corner of one of the bedrooms! It’s all coming together –having a conservatory built at the back of your property is now officially your new year’s resolution.

So, what’s hot and what’s not when it comes to conservatories in 2015? All pun’s aside, the temperature of your new conservatory is no longer the issue it might have been in the past. They are so well designed and constructed these days, that it really is a case of being just an extension to your existing space, which can be heated just as well in the winter and air conditioned in the summer months, so it is never too hot and never too cold! The specialist glass, blinds and underfloor heating all play their part well.

What to consider when designing a new conservatory or orangery

1.       The size of the building and its intended purpose – When planning your conservatory, it’s important to decide how big you want it to be and what you want to use it for. For instance, do you want it as an add on to your kitchen, which might enable you to have a kitchen/diner of decent size, or would you prefer it to be the full length of the rear of the property so that it can be turned into a dual purpose area that could be used for dining, sitting, office space or even a play area for the kids. Of course, the size of your plot will have the most bearing on what you can sensibly achieve.

2.       Materials – Next you need to decide how much brickwork you want and how much glass you would like in your conservatory. Most people opt for as much glass as possible as it can deliver not only style but masses of light to your existing building, but ultimately the choice is yours.

Do you opt to continue the style of your existing property or try something more daring?

You probably already have in mind, what your new conservatory extension will look like but it’s important to consider not only the existing style and period of your property but perhaps also those of your neighbours’ houses. Again the choice is yours.

The interior also needs to have the same consideration given to it. Will you match the rest of your home or try something dramatic and new? If you want it to match the rest of your downstairs space in terms of décor, then you can use the same paint colours, curtains and even use similar soft furnishings. If you have light coloured laminate flooring in some of your existing rooms, you need to ensure that you not only match the colour but also the direction of the floor panels.

What can you do with the layout?

Much of this will depend on whatever you've chosen to use your conservatory or orangery for. Will it be used just for sitting and relaxing, dining or used as an office?
Maybe you even plan to have it multifunctional, so that you can achieve all of those things in your new space. You can section off different areas with the use of sofas, rugs and items of furniture to achieve your goals.

Dual purpose furniture

The chances are, that as mentioned above, this new and exciting space will still have to be used for various purposes, so clever and careful furniture purchases can save you lots of money! Here are a few examples:

A console table could also be used as a desk or dressing table. A day bed or sofa bed can be used for comfy seating areas but also double up as guest beds when you are hosting friends and relatives. Daybeds often feature storage space, which can also prove useful. Footstools are another great investment that can deliver extra seating and storage space and coffee tables with lamps can double up as bedside tables. The key is to be creative and forward thinking when you are shopping for furniture.

So, plenty of food for thought there if you are determined that 2015 will deliver a new conservatory to your home. Please feel free to browse Foxfurd’s main website for lots more inspiration and ideas.

A Conservatory for Christmas

It might be a little too late to have a new conservatory built in time for this Christmas and it’s not really the kind of thing Santa is going to get on his sleigh, let alone down the chimney, but that doesn't mean that it shouldn't be on your Christmas wish list. A conservatory for Christmas can actually be a great idea for many different reasons. Not only will it deliver you (when built) the extra living space you have been craving for so long but it can also be used to great effect each Christmas time, when you are trying to squeeze all of those extra family members around the table for dinner!

No Room In The Inn

A conservatory can be used for a range of purposes but perhaps the most popular ones (at least from a Foxfurd point of view) involve creating extra dining or living space – either by extending an existing area or starting from scratch and dedicating the whole new extension to that one, new, chosen purpose. As families grow, so does the need for extra rooms or just some more space and with Christmas being very much a family time, homes are usually overflowing with grandparents, grandchildren, aunties, uncles and friends too. You just know that next year, Christmas will either have to be at someone else’s place or you need to do something drastic in your home to get them all in!

Not Just For Christmas!

What is your greatest need - not just in the holidays but all year around? Do you love to host dinner parties and show off of your latest culinary masterpieces? Then perhaps a new spacious dining area will suit your purposes best – giving you a chance to finally unfold the extra sections of your beautiful dining table, which until now have remained hidden because their simply wasn’t enough room. What a treat it will be during the festive season too – when everyone can dine around the same table rather than having the kids eating off their lap or having to set up a smaller table in another room to cope with the overflow of people.

If it’s more about having space for the grandchildren to play in, while all the adults watch on and enjoy tea and coffee, then an extended or completely new living room might be the way to go.  Choose your size and style, factoring in all of your requirements, knowing that next time the family gathering is at your place, everyone can exist in the same room in relative harmony! What a blessing the extra space will be at Christmas as the kids frantically unwrap all of their gifts, wrapping paper strewn hither and thither, spaceships swooping low over mum and dad’s heads and board games opened and discarded in every corner of the room!

Planning for the Holidays with Foxfurd

Most successful family Christmases require a degree of planning and building a high quality conservatory is no different. However, with Foxfurd’s help,each stage of planning and design can be pain and stress free as members of the expert team will guide you through each aspect of the process – being as “hands on” or as “hands off” as you wish. You may also need actual planning permission in order to construct your new extension (at the very least you will need to check to see if you need permission or not.) Again, if this is something you are not sure about, Foxfurd can help you in this regard too.

So, if you are planning your dream conservatory this Christmas, even if it’s not for this year – please contact us for more information or visit our website for exciting ideas.

10 Conservatory Ideas – Spaces of Style and Substance

When designing a new conservatory, you are not limited. You can choose to make your extension as traditional or as eclectic as you wish, with perhaps only the budget bringing any sort of cap on your ideas. Essentially you are adding an extra room to your home or property and as you go through the design process, lifestyle and family living requirements will obviously play a part in the direction you take. However, this “extra room” can be more than just that – it can be a space full of style and substance.

Dining Room – A dining room is perhaps one of the more obvious choices, as you consider the best use for a new conservatory or orangery. The light and airy feel can make it a very pleasant place to enjoy a meal either with family or alone. If you feature large outward opening doors, this can give you an almost alfresco feel to your dining in the warm summer months.

Kitchen – A kitchen extension is another popular idea. It may be suitable to extend your existing kitchen, essentially delivering a much larger space to exercise culinary skills, or it may be a case of hating your current kitchen and having a complete redesign in your new conservatory. The old room can then be transformed into an extra living area of your choosing.

Office – Designed well, a conservatory can make a really good space to house an office. If you work from home, having an office crammed into a dark bedroom is not always conducive to a good working environment and if the office also doubles up as a spare bedroom, it can also be really inconvenient when you have guests and visitors to stay. Having a desk near the window can make the most of the extra light and views of the garden can potentially be inspiring. When it gets just too bright, a set of blinds will give you the requisite relief. Depending on design, not only should there be enough space for a workstation area but with a comfy sofa, coffee table and some chairs, there is scope to be able to relax during those important break times.

Breakfast Room –  I guess you could say this is another twist on the classic dining room theme but what a wonderful way to prepare for the working day ahead by enjoying a healthy breakfast in an environment with lots of natural light. With plenty of light coloured furniture, some plants and greenery, this could really help you to start the day with a sunny disposition.

Beach Hut – If you are fortunate enough to live near the sea, then this is a particularly interesting idea, effectively filling your conservatory with beach themed furniture and decorations. If you are already blessed with a sea view, this room can be the icing on the cake and give you the feeling of a permanent vacation when resting here. If you live in the country (far from the coast) but have always craved being nearer the seaside, this theme can still be effective and perhaps you can add a little something to adorn your extension by bringing a trinket of some kind back from each visit to the beach.

Family Room –  It might be that you have already crafted a perfect kitchen and dining room but what you are really lacking is a room large enough for the whole family (children and grandchildren) to spend time together in. Effectively a multi-purpose space, where you can eat, relax, watch TV and host a family gathering in – somewhere warm and cosy to while away the hours on long, dark winter nights. This is perhaps a room where the chosen décor doesn't need to be quite as specific. 

Open Plan – Perhaps you live in a building of a certain period, when open plan living wasn't really on the agenda and you desperately long to introduce a little of this lifestyle into your home. A new conservatory or orangery is the ideal opportunity to embrace the open plan arrangement for yourselves. Whether it’s a large kitchen-diner, living room or a combination of both is entirely up to you as you go through the designing process. Décor and furniture can be as minimal as you like as you create your open plan area and revel in the new found space.

Utility Room – Perhaps one of the more unorthodox uses for a conservatory, but if needs must then the extra space can be very handy to put in all those appliances that are simply taking up too much room elsewhere. There is often nothing worse than a cluttered kitchen, especially if it also serves as the dining room and finding somewhere for dishwashers, fridges, washers and driers can become a nightmare, so this specifically created room can become a very purposeful addition to your home.

Personal Gym/Fitness and Exercise Room – If you are someone who prefers to exercise and get fit in private or simply don’t have the extra time it takes to get down to the gym after work, then designing your very own personal gym to be housed in your new conservatory could prove ideal. Not only can you ensure there is enough room for all of the equipment and exercise machines you will need but perhaps you can also install a fridge where you can get quick access to your favourite energy drink. A comfy chair or sofa to recline in while you get your breath back before heading for a shower will also make a good addition.

Star Gazing Room – Perhaps more of a luxury than an actual purpose, but if you like to look at the stars – when night falls, switch off the lights, sit in your favourite reclining chair and get ready to have your breath taken away at the sheer scale of the universe above you, as you gaze through your glass ceiling. Particularly effective if you live in the country, where the night sky is less diluted by man-made light.

With the Foxfurd team, designing a new orangery or conservatory has never been easier. Contact us, tell us what you hope and dream your new extension will become and with your ideas and our expertise, we can ensure that your home or building gets the dynamic extra space it deserves.

Daring to Dream with a New Conservatory

There are a variety of reasons for choosing to add a conservatory or an orangery to your home. You might simply be looking for more functional living space, you may be seeking to add value to a property or you might just want to improve the aesthetics of the place in which you live.

It might be the case that you love your garden and wish you could be closer to it all year round and adding a conservatory is an opportunity to bring a more open feel to an area of the property as well as taking a step closer to the garden without leaving the house!

Of course, conservatories and orangeries in general have taken huge strides in recent years, with underfloor heating providing more consistent warmth in the colder months and specialist glass and blinds helping to moderate temperatures in the hot summer months.

It’s not simply a case of more space but it’s also very much about style and you can tailor your new living area to be exactly what you want it to be. It’s also an opportunity to explore open plan living in a property that perhaps has always been a little more enclosed.

Working hand in hand with Foxfurd, you can realise your dreams, crafting and creating the perfect extension to your living space.

Here are just a few ideas to consider if you long to be able to enjoy your garden from the relaxing comfort of your favourite armchair.

Opening the Door

The doors are a critical piece of the jigsaw if you want a conservatory that feels closer to the garden. They have the potential to either open a room right up or make it feel smaller and claustrophobic. Bi-folding doors are one option to consider, where the whole of one side of your conservatory or orangery (the side or front that faces the garden) is made up of these particular doors. Enabling you to fold back the doors on a beautiful summer day, can effectively merge indoors and outdoors together, breathing in the scent of the garden flowers and balmy air. In addition, the whole space will just feel much larger and of course much lighter, delivering a really contemporary atmosphere.

What’s on the Floor?

Continuing the theme of having your living space reach out into your garden and grounds beyond, flooring can also play an important role. Perhaps you already have some existing decking outside and this can be utilised to great effect if you choose a flooring style of similar materials and colour. If the grain of your decking goes one way, choose a flooring solution that imitates the pattern and this will help to create the illusion of one continuous open space, flowing from the inside out.

Wall to Wall

Any wall space you have remaining, once the glass and windows have been fitted can also be tailored to your particular specifications. Shades of green can help contribute to the “outdoors” vibe as well as being relaxing and easy on the eye as you spend quality time in your new room.

Finishing Touches with Soft Furnishings

Natural themes such as trees and flowers are currently very popular and therefore will work very well with your desire to embrace your outside surroundings. With rugs, cushions, curtains, blinds, lampshades, lamps and throws you can remain on topic and stylish at the same time. Indoor plants (either real or high quality fake) can also help with the theme, choosing pots that you like and that blend in easily. Rattan furniture can often be used both indoors and outdoors and could work really well in a setting like this with some of it being made specifically for conservatories, with sofas, chairs and tables populating the area.

Of course, all of the above are simply ideas for one particular theme. With Foxfurd, you can design and then have built a conservatory or orangery in exactly the style you want – something that blends in seamlessly with your existing property. Please visit our main website for more ideas and inspiration.

Exploring Conservatories and Orangeries with new Foxfurd Blog

Welcome to the new Foxfurd blog! Over the coming weeks and months we hope to bring you all the very latest news from the team at Foxfurd, take a look at what you can do with your new luxurious orangery or conservatory and also dangle our toes into what is the wider industry as a whole.

You can find out more about who we are over on our main website at www.foxfurd.com but by way of introduction, we are a small family based business with a vast amount of experience in designing and building luxury conservatories and orangeries as a genuine extension to your living space. Our products and our services are respected across the UK as we strive to put our customers and clients absolutely first.

We believe that a job worth doing is worth doing properly and extending and enhancing your property is not only a big step but also a major commitment. It is for these reasons that our team will be there every step of the way – as we plan together (with you) exactly what it is you are looking for in your new orangery or conservatory. Are you looking for some extra kitchen space in order to be able to cook for all your friends? Are you needing some extra living space – perhaps a room to relax in or to let the kids play in? Or maybe you are simply looking to add value to your property! All of the above can be worked into your exciting new design.

So, please stay with us as we explore the possibilities and the options available. Check out our latest news and of course feel free to head over to our main website, where we hope you will find inspiration and answers to your questions. You can also contact us regarding any of our services and we will be more than happy to help.