If you have a conservatory, you will no doubt enjoy spending lots of time in there, but decorating this extra room is not without its challenges.
Usually, the décor will be influenced by how the conservatory is used, such as a kitchen, extra living room or just somewhere to relax. However, this additional space also needs to fit in with the rest of your home and not stick out like a sore thumb, whilst being a usable space every day of the year.
Here at G&L Windows, we show you ways to create a room that makes the most of all that light while feeling cosy and welcoming.
Bring the outdoor indoors
Try and create a link between your conservatory and garden by including bi-folding doors, french doors or patio doors in the design. If you don’t have them then it is still possible to give it that garden feel.
Add a few potted plants to key areas like any dining or coffee table you have in the conservatory and you could install multi-purpose seated furniture that you can lounge on inside or outside depending on the weather. Wooden and rattan furniture usually works best.
Light
Even though natural light will flood into the room by day, a small conservatory is in danger of feeling claustrophobic at night and in winter. Avoid this by choosing pale colours for the walls and floor – a washed oak would work well as it still gives you a cosy, warm finish.
Add lots of lighting at different levels using lamps and candles and try to avoid ‘heavy furniture’ – a console table, for example, would be preferable to a chest of drawers.
Mirrors
Conservatories are advantageous as they are filled with windows which let the natural light in. However, as we all know, they aren’t always huge extensions, therefore, to optimise the room available, try hanging mirrors opposite the windows. The mirrors will reflect the light, creating the illusion of more space, while brightening the room even more.
Colour
The colour scheme you choose for your conservatory can be influenced by many factors, including personal taste, however you will need to consider the size of the room and the effect this can have on different colour schemes.
Light and pastel colour schemes are more common for conservatories because they create an airy effect as natural light is able to bounce off the light colours and around the room, illuminating all objects that have a similar tone which creates an illusion of space.
Flooring
Most conservatories are built at the rear of the house, usually with a door that leads outside into the garden, which is why it makes sense to have wooden or laminate flooring installed. This type of flooring is easy to clean if any dirt is accidentally brought in from the garden using a vacuum cleaner or damp cloth, whereas hardwood, carpet or laminated flooring are less suitable and slightly more difficult to maintain in a conservatory.
Choose a medium to light wood tone installed on your conservatory floor because on sunny days when the temperature is high the flooring will dissipate some of the heat that is transmitted from natural light, allowing you to walk on it more comfortably than if a darker tone such as black walnut was installed.
If you are still unsure on how to decorate your conservatory, we offer a free design service that will help you achieve the look you are after and which blends well with the other rooms in your home. For more information, get in touch.
