This is a photo of Deirdre and I only last month at Borough Market, on one of our podcast days. We were busy recording episodes for our new Season 2 of The DnA of Home Interiors, but with little idea of how dramatically and suddenly life was about to change for us all.
Today we have released the first of these pre-recorded episodes. This one is all about conservatories and winter gardens. We have lots of guest interviews lined up for release over the coming weeks too. We hope you enjoy the podcast, please leave us a review if you do!
You can listen here, or read our notes below.
If you are a regular listener to the podcast, you will probably have gathered by now that Deirdre and I both grew up in Ireland. We didn’t know each other then and we were on opposite sides of the country. But Ireland is a small country and it turns out we share heaps of the same types of memories when it comes to home interiors.
The Conservatory
The ‘lean to’ conservatory is one of these memories we both have. It’s even colder in Ireland than here most of the time and we all know that summer is no exception, add in some rain and wind and the days you could actually sit outdoors eating your lunch were few and far between. So the conservatory was a very popular solution, but often felt like an add-on to the house, or a lean-to, if we wish to speak in more architectural terms! The downside to this was that these conservatories were often too cold in winter as they had no heating and too hot in summer as they were almost completely glass and stored up the sun like a greenhouse.
Contemporary Conservatory from Salisbury Glass
We discuss how the conservatory has evolved since then. Some people may call it a garden room. Often it may be much more integrated with the main house and used on a daily basis as a dining area or a lounge area. In other cases it may be separated from a living, dining or kitchen space by glass doors and feel like more of a ‘snug’, but still acting as a stepping stone to the garden. The advantage of not having the conservatory or garden room completely glazed is that the wall space can be present an opportunity for colour or even a feature wallpaper in the space. It can also be a useful area to put a radiator. I am a great believer that a conservatory should be enticing to sit in all year round, so if it’s a grey day outside then all the more reason to have some colour and pattern and texture inside!
Example of a conservatory style dining area by Imperfect Interiors
We talk about other approaches too - from very contemporary glazed box-like structures to adding tongue & groove panelling for a more colonial or cottage look. And also some thoughts on lighting and how this may influence how much glazing you would like to have in the ceiling.
Flooring decisions are key too - and whether to link the house to the conservatory or the conservatory to the garden through your floor choice. I give some pointers on how to make this decision but also mention my love of bringing the indoor flooring outdoors.
Winter Gardens
Next we move on to the subject of winter gardens. Now, Deirdre and I have of course long moved on from from the Irish homesteads, living in much more urban environments now in Lodnon. Deirdre has been noticing alot more winter gardens in the city on balconies in recent years. I have seen some great examples too. Where indoor space is tight or the balcony space is just not very attractive as an outdoor area to spend time - then this can be a really great way to get some extra useable space in your home!
Example of a winter garden - Image from stylecurator.au
Furnishing your conservatory or winter garden
Outdoor furniture or indoor furniture - we discuss a few ideas and thoughts around this. Also the question around rattan and wicker…what is the difference, or is there one? Well, there is a very clear difference, but you may not know what this is, so here is the answer: rattan is a material (a close relative to the palm tree) whereas wicker is a style of weave. For example, there are many types of garden furniture that use a wicker rattan weave. That means the material the furniture is composed of is rattan, and the weave style is wicker. We are now seeing alot of synthetic rattan being used in outdoor sofas, armchairs and coffee tables in particular.
We discuss how a conservatory that is integrated with the home may feel best with soft furnishings, mood lighting etc, akin to any other indoor space, where as a winter garden / balcony conversion may be best furnished in a more ‘out-doorsy’ way to keep a feel for the original intention of outdoor space. Outdoor rugs can be a great way to bring colour and pattern in here too.
But fundamentally this decision of outdoor or indoor furniture really comes down to a few key things - what you are going to use the conservatory or winter garden for, how integrated it is with the rest of your living space and how concerned you are with furnishings potentially fading over time due to bright sunlight.
On the subject of sunlight, we also discuss blinds and solar controlled glazing. Particularly important if you intend to work in the space!
Example of sheer blinds on the roof glazing - Image from House & Garden - designed by Suzy Hoodless
We hope you enjoy this episode and as always Deirdre and I would love to hear your feedback and ideas. Thank you for tuning in!
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