The Latest Interior Design Trends to Inspire Your Orangery Project

Orangeries are a spectacular addition to any home, providing a stunning focal point that can be decorated to reflect your personal taste and style. In this article, we’ll explore the latest design trends to help inspire your orangery.

In this article, we’ll explore the latest design trends to help inspire your orangery. 

The Traditional Orangery

Traditionally, orangeries were spaces designed for growing citrus fruits and housing exotic plants transported from places far away.

They offered a controlled and humid environment that provided plants with the warmth and light they needed to flourish in the colder climates of the UK or in colder climates.  

According to The National Trust, orangeries “became a staple of the country house garden, increasingly elaborate and soon called greenhouses or conservatories because of the ‘green’ plants that were ‘conserved’ within.”

Related: Learn more about the history of orangeries.

Orangeries Today

Since advancements in glazing technologies and the improved heating efficiencies of these structures, orangeries today add extra space to properties around the UK. These are often integral parts of the home, commonly used as kitchens, living rooms or dining areas.

They also offer a key way to introduce more light into a home and create a spacious and sun-filled environment.

Orangery Ideas: Interior Design Tips to Transform Your Space

If you have an orangery, we know you want to make it your own. Whether you’re looking to create an extension of your home’s interior or you’re searching for something a little different, these orangery interior design tips will help maximise the design and functionality of your space.

1. Hire a Professional Interior Designer

We know that including this point as number one on our list might feel a little like cheating, however hiring a professional interior designer could be just what you need. 

2. Embrace the Natural Light 

Orangeries are designed to take full advantage of the changing light patterns throughout the day. A designated reading nook could be the perfect place to benefit from the golden hour, while a well-placed breakfast area could capture the softer, early morning light in your orangery.

Gain even more control of the light levels in your orangery by installing window shutters that are handcrafted to fit your orangery’s windows. While orangeries naturally regulate temperature and light effectively, shutters can provide you with an additional layer of sun protection when needed. 

If you’re simply feeling uninspired, a professional interior designer can be the key to unlocking your orangery’s full potential. Interior designers will consider areas you may overlook that will help take your orangery to the next level.

Interior designers will often look at creative ways to add visual points of interest at different heights within your orangery – this helps to avoid one-dimensional or flat spaces. This may include Incorporating elements such as tall plants, statement light fixtures or artwork that guides your eye up to the ceiling.  

3. Positioning your Furniture

Where you position your furniture in an orangery is important in order to make the most of the space and the light it captures. 
We recommend different zoning areas within your space to serve different functions depending on your preferences. Whether you’re looking to create a zen corner accompanied by your house plants and  cosy armchair for reading, or a dining area for family time or entertaining guests, furniture positioning makes all the difference.

By intentionally positioning your furniture, you can create a harmonious design and flow between each zone.  

4. Choose Stone Flooring and Underfloor Heating

Orangeries can be naturally warm spaces. They capture the sunlight and hold warmth more than other rooms in your home, creating a beautiful sun trap where your plants can flourish and you can warm up on colder days.

Choosing the right type of flooring for your orangery has a big effect on your comfort levels as well as the overall aesthetic of your orangery. As the trend for drawing nearer to nature continues and homeowners increasingly attempt to bring the outdoors in, many people are choosing stone flooring solutions for their orangery.

Stone flooring is a great solution because stone creates an elegant and natural effect that compliments your interior design choices (whatever they may be). What’s more, stone flooring is resistant to wear and tear, cool underfoot on warmer days, and helps to connect your property’s exterior and interior.

When combining stone flooring with underfloor heating you can achieve a comfortable space all-year-round, without the need for heavy rugs that may compromise the heating efficiency. 

5. Invest in Top-quality Orangery Furniture

Orangeries are naturally very sunny spaces and whilst sun damage to furniture is now mitigated due to the advancements in glazing technology, the main focus should be selecting the furniture that sparks joy for you and your family and can be functional for everyday use. 

When selecting furniture for your orangery, start with a colour, piece of artwork or a piece of furniture and then work your scheme and design choices around that initial piece.

You can dress up furniture with throw cushions and blankets to add a pop of colour and texture.

6. Considering Door Layout

During the design phase, avoid having too many doors into your orangery. For example, opting for doors on every side might compromise your furniture layout and will limit your ability to hang any beloved artwork.

If you have a smaller orangery, one of the most popular small orangery ideas are to install french or bi-fold doors. This makes the space look bigger and allows the orangery to work as an intermediary space between the main house and the garden, creating a fluid movement from outside to inside. 

Including French or bi-fold doors into your orangery’s design is also a lovely way to let more air into your home. Rather than opening lots of windows, you can simply open up the doors and let fresh air circulate through your home all year round.

7. Go Bold with Vibrant Colours

Introducing darker colours into your orangery is a unique but effective interior design tip. It allows you to create a cosy environment that has a calming effect. What’s more, it lets you accentuate the parts of the room that you love, such as particular houseplants, your bookshelf, or the colours of the cushions. 

Dark colours are increasingly common as an interior design choice, with forest greens and ocean blues being particular favourites. According to Kate Wiltshire Design, “Picking the right finish is just as important as picking the colour itself, as the finish can completely change how the paint absorbs light. A higher sheen paint will have a more shiny finish, and dark paint colours tend to look better with less sheen.”

You can also offset these dark tones with a feature wall of patterned wallpaper (think a leafy scene, for example). Playing around with paint colours and wallpaper designs can really bring your space to life.

8. Add Colour and Texture with Houseplants

Houseplants are one of the most popular interior design trends sweeping the UK. Houseplants allow you to bring a bit of nature into your home, in a controlled way, while introducing different colour palettes and textures.

Including houseplants in your orangery is both traditional and effective. It allows you to emphasise the beauty of your space whilst creating a warmer, more livelier environment.

9. Decorate with White for a Beachy Feel

If you live near the beach or you simply want to feel like you live near the beach, decorating your orangery in stark whites can be the solution. White orangeries are clean and peaceful. They capture sunlight and create a coastal-inspired aesthetic that is extremely popular.

According to Architectural Digest, “Coastal interior design is a sophisticated design perspective that should evoke a sense of easy, luxuriously understated living […] Coastal interiors have soft tones with relaxed and comfortable materials executed with strong lines and intention without feeling too loose or undefined.” 

Stick to shades of white and grey in your decorating choices and create a distressed white floor to give a real ‘lived-in’ feel. Using watered-down paint can also create a whitewashed effect that is very effective. Sticking to this colour palette throughout the room will create a very finished and considered look that is reminiscent of long days spent at the beach soaking up the sun.

10. Be a Sympathetic Designer

Designing the interior of your orangery can be tricky. But one simple tip is to be sympathetic to your surroundings. This means looking at your garden, the style of your home, and the colours you see there. Then incorporate these elements into your orangery so that it acts as an extension of your home rather than something standing apart.

Whether you have a country-style cottage garden or a sleek modern feel to your home, using your orangery’s interior design to reflect this is a lovely way to design your home sympathetically and create a seamless transition from home to garden.

Or you can design your orangery interior first and then design your garden to complement it – whatever works for you.

Final Words

As you can see, there are numerous ways to transform your orangery into a vibrant space where your family can thrive. 

We hope this article has provided you with some inspiration and we look forward to hearing how you take our ideas and make them your own.

Written By Kelly Edwards

https://kellyedwardsinc.com