Midcentury Conservatory Ideas and Designs

Conservatories

S Notaro Windows Ltd

DESTIN- Agencement et aménagement de la partie nuit d'une maison

Esprit Gaïa

Garden Bliss - Glass Sunroom

Lumon

Find the right local pro for your project

Find top design and renovation professionals on Houzz

Pond Vista

Princeton Design Collaborative

Old screen porch behind garage is converted into multi function space of dining and mudroom . Brick wall is preserved to blur the line between interior and exterior. Jeffrey Tryon - Photographer / PDC

Claustra Art Deco

CA2M - Conception de Mobilier Métallique

Magnifique claustra d'intérieur pour séparer le salon de la cuisine. Un style Art deco qu'on adore !

Berkeley Hills House

Parco Studio

Situated mid-point link between the main house and the sleeping addition (right), and liked by floating bridges, the "tea room" (left) serves primarily as an on-grade "tree house" or playroom for the children.

Malik

J. Montgomery Designs, Inc.

16900 Talbot Road

RD Interiors

Bloomington Flansburgh House

Susan Yeley Homes

Nearly two decades ago now, Susan and her husband put a letter in the mailbox of this eastside home: "If you have any interest in selling, please reach out." But really, who would give up a Flansburgh House? Fast forward to 2020, when the house went on the market! By then it was clear that three children and a busy home design studio couldn't be crammed into this efficient footprint. But what's second best to moving into your dream home? Being asked to redesign the functional core for the family that was. In this classic Flansburgh layout, all the rooms align tidily in a square around a central hall and open air atrium. As such, all the spaces are both connected to one another and also private; and all allow for visual access to the outdoors in two directions—toward the atrium and toward the exterior. All except, in this case, the utilitarian galley kitchen. That space, oft-relegated to second class in midcentury architecture, got the shaft, with narrow doorways on two ends and no good visual access to the atrium or the outside. Who spends time in the kitchen anyway? As is often the case with even the very best midcentury architecture, the kitchen at the Flansburgh House needed to be modernized; appliances and cabinetry have come a long way since 1970, but our culture has evolved too, becoming more casual and open in ways we at SYH believe are here to stay. People (gasp!) do spend time—lots of time!—in their kitchens! Nonetheless, our goal was to make this kitchen look as if it had been designed this way by Earl Flansburgh himself. The house came to us full of bold, bright color. We edited out some of it (along with the walls it was on) but kept and built upon the stunning red, orange and yellow closet doors in the family room adjacent to the kitchen. That pop was balanced by a few colorful midcentury pieces that our clients already owned, and the stunning light and verdant green coming in from both the atrium and the perimeter of the house, not to mention the many skylights. Thus, the rest of the space just needed to quiet down and be a beautiful, if neutral, foil. White terrazzo tile grounds custom plywood and black cabinetry, offset by a half wall that offers both camouflage for the cooking mess and also storage below, hidden behind seamless oak tambour. Contractor: Rusty Peterson Cabinetry: Stoll's Woodworking Photographer: Sarah Shields

Midcentury Sunroom

Somerset Universal Home

Christie Leu Interiors

Stacy Zarin Goldberg

Sunroom Addition to a Midcentury Home

Wright Street Design Group Inc.

Photo by Fred Golden

Antler House Restoration

Two Street Studio

Silhouette

Blinds, Blinds, Blinds!

Cigar Room Addition

HAUS | Architecture For Modern Lifestyles

Cigar Room Interior - Midcentury Modern Addition - Brendonwood, Indianapolis - Architect: HAUS | Architecture For Modern Lifestyles - Construction Manager: WERK | Building Modern - Photo: Jamie Sangar Photography

Virginia Highlands Home

WAKE + LOOM DESIGN

Sixties Town House London

Imperfect Interiors

Midcentury Conservatory Ideas and Designs

A conservatory, garden room or orangery is a decidedly British and Irish home extension: a room that allows us to enjoy our outdoor space without having to brave the unpredictable weather. Originally a type of glass house or greenhouse where plants could be grown in sheltered conditions, the modern conservatory now offers flexible entertainment space. Your midcentury conservatory can serve as an additional living area, a garden room, a spacious dining room or an open-plan kitchen; all flooded with the extra light that a glass extension will give you.

What conservatory style should I choose?

A lean to conservatory is the most straight-forward garden room structure with a slanted roof that appears to lean on the original house wall. If you’re looking for a small conservatory then the simple rectangular design of lean to conservatories makes them ideal for bungalows and properties with small gardens. The Victorian conservatory is the most common style, with an elegant shape which features a rounded end wall. An Edwardian conservatory is built similarly, but with a rectangular shape that is perhaps more space-efficient. L or P-shaped conservatories combine the styles of both Victorian and Edwardian garden rooms, and offer a versatile space that can be split into separate areas. Contemporary garden rooms with large glass walls are fantastic additions to modern homes or extensions and can create stunning exteriors. However, designs like these do use a lot of space and could require special planning permission. If you don’t have space for a large, contemporary garden room and you aren’t a fan of the uPVC conservatory, orangeries or sunrooms may appeal more; the structure is sympathetically designed to appear consistent with the style of the house.

What is an orangery?

They are both glass-walled and -roofed structures, but what is the difference between a conservatory and an orangery? The traditional orangery has a longer history ‐ it became popular in the 17th Century when homeowners wanted a place to grow citrus plants (e.g. orange trees, hence ‘orangery’) and so built structures, either stand alone or incorporated into their homes, with glass walls and roofs, similar to greenhouses. The conservatory is actually believed to have developed from the orangery after the fashion for growing citrus plants died down. However, homeowners still wanted a place to grow other tropical, herb or shrub plants that would allow sun and warmth into the house in summer and allow the plants to survive in winter. Today, the real difference is in the construction. Orangeries are considered traditional extensions with masonry walls and more standard Victorian structures, whereas modern conservatories can be more varied and made of a range of materials, including timber, uPVC or aluminium.

What type of conservatory furniture do I need?

Chances are your conservatory furniture will see a high amount of direct sunlight. Keep this in mind when choosing pieces, since some fabrics and materials can quickly fade or become uncomfortably hot. Outdoor furniture will generally stand up well to the heat and light exposure of sunrooms and orangeries, but don’t be afraid to mix and match with indoor pieces as well. Wicker, seagrass and rattan furniture items are good options, while you might want to steer away from metal and leather pieces which will get hot in the sunlight. Installing conservatory blinds or shades that can be drawn when the room isn't in use is a smart way to prolong the life of your sunroom furniture when the space is not in use.

Kenwood Residence - screened porch

Merzbau Design Collective

New screened porch, addition to 1930s bungalow. Photo by Brian Mihealsick.

Ireland

Tailor my experience with cookies

Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.