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.

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!

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.