31 Oct 2023
Conservatories and garden rooms come into their own in winter – a place to savour slower days and the changing landscape outside. From furniture to bespoke blinds, here's how to furnish yours this season.
Furnishing a conservatory or garden room gives you the opportunity to employ new design ideas and use different materials and styles of furniture you haven't used in other parts of your home.
Here, your scheme can be a total departure from the decor in your other living areas – a bright and refreshing sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the house. Somewhere to curl up in peace with a favourite book, a light-filled entertaining space to welcome family and treasured friends, your home office, a blissful yoga studio or the perfect breakfast room.
If you choose furniture and accessories wisely, you'll be able to use your garden room or conservatory in multiple ways at different times of the year. At Christmas, it might become a second sitting room or dining room, for example. When the children and grandchildren descend, it might morph into a TV room or chill-out space.
Ornate dark wood furniture, upholstered armchairs, elaborate window treatments and modern minimalism do not belong in conservatories or garden rooms. Rather, richly-textured furniture, natural accessories and neutral upholstery are the key to creating a useful, practical, beautiful space.
You can choose from Lloyd Loom, woven rattan – this includes cane – and wicker and other natural materials like woven seagrass – all from sustainable sources.
Traditional or contemporary, our conservatory and garden room collections are as diverse and as innovative as your own style.
For 35 years, we have been the UK's leading specialists in conservatory and garden room furniture. Each piece we sell is designed to respond to the unique light and humidity in glass rooms, and our sales team are experts in their field.
For all that time, our designers have been helping customers create beautiful, useable conservatories and garden rooms. And whether you're looking to create an inviting sitting room, a sunny playroom, yoga retreat, an artists' studio or craft workshop, they will walk through your project with you, helping you choose the furniture, fabrics and accessories to make this area of your house the place you'll want to escape to again and again. They'll recommend specialist blinds and bespoke curtains, helping you choose suitable fabrics and window treatments you'll love.
Call into our showrooms, explore our conservatory and garden room furniture collections and book an initial design consultation. Our interior design service is FREE. Find out more here.
The environment of a conservatory is different from the other rooms in your house — the humidity will be higher, as will the levels of natural light, and it may experience periods of intense heat and rapidly changing temperatures.
Blinds will help regulate the temperature and light levels, protecting your furniture. They'll also make the space cosier at night and more private in the day. Click here for our home shading brochure with an exclusive discount for Holloways customers.
Specialist plants thrive in these unusual conditions – this was, of course, the original function for glazed rooms at the height of their popularity in the 19th century. Connect with your garden by introducing ferns and succulents, both of which thrive in glazed environments. Add silvery olive trees or citrus bushes in wooden planters, continuing the natural theme. Real or silk – Neptune by Holloways, our store-in-store has some strikingly realistic examples – plants will soften the space and make it feel warmer and more inviting.
You can see all of our garden room and conservatory furniture collections online, or visit our stunning showrooms deep in the Worcestershire countryside where our experienced, friendly staff will be on hand to help and advise.
Get all the inspiration you need for your conservatory or garden room project in our Journal.
When it comes to choosing furniture for your conservatory or garden room, think about materials which will happily withstand the light levels and temperature fluctuation – long-lasting materials which will stand the test of time.
The most popular and practical choices for furniture for conservatories and garden rooms are still rattan, cane or Lloyd Loom sets. But more innovative, modern materials are now being employed by manufacturers on strikingly contemporary furniture collections.
Metal and glass are also suitable and stone, mosaic and marble top tables, which come in a choice of colours and finishes, are an excellent choice if you intend to use your conservatory as a formal or informal dining room.
More comfortable, but casual, upholstered armchairs and sofas are fine to use in a garden room, where a solid roof reduces the levels of light. Wooden tables in light oak or a custom paint finish are a practical choice for these spaces, too, and come in extending versions for when you have a houseful of guests.
Designing your conservatory or garden room as a dining room is a natural choice. Dressed up or down, in a traditional or modern style, the expanse of glass makes the space feel elegant and relaxed, creating a natural synergy between your home and garden.
Painting the retaining wall in a striking colour, or papering with a bold wallpaper, will make it feel inviting and dressed. You'll find an extensive range of Edward Bulmer and Neptune paint in our Interior Design Studio, as well as designer wallpaper from all the major design houses.
Light and airy, by day the conservatory or garden room is the perfect place for weekend breakfasts and long, lazy lunches when the weather isn't quite warm enough for sitting outside. By night, flickering candlelight reflected in the glass with sparkling crystal and metallic accessories creates a magical setting for a smart supper party. In larger spaces, create a sitting and dining area with a pretty bistro set or tea set.
Garden rooms and conservatories and a comfortable sofa or two are the happiest of bedfellows.
Whether you're using the space as a second sitting room, a place to relax and recharge away from the hubbub of the rest of the house, or somewhere to enjoy the fruits of your gardening labours when the weather is rather gloomy, comfortable and versatile seating is always a must. Add pops of colour with bright scatter cushions, which can be regularly changed to reflect the seasons and instantly change the room's mood, lamps from our Lighting Studio and vases of flowers for a welcoming feel.
Lay a rug on wooden or tiled floors to soften the space and bring your scheme together. Our range of recycled rugs come in all shapes and sizes and are totally sustainable, made from recycled plastic bottles. Order online or see the collection in our Rug Studio.
From corner units to traditional sofas, nestle-into armchairs to matching footstools, coffee tables to side tables, our showrooms are full of modern and traditional sets in all materials, whatever your style. Order online, in-store or over the phone on 01886 884665 where our friendly, knowledgable team are on hand from 9am-5pm, Monday to Saturday.
Sometimes you just can't wait.... It's why we offer a carefully-curated range of conservatory and garden room furniture available exclusively online for immediate delivery. Click here for our Express Online collection – beautiful, contemporary and traditional furniture in selected fabrics and finishes, which can be in your home in two weeks.
When it comes to designing a conservatory or garden room, the possibilities are endless – as can be seen by the huge variety of styles of quality conservatory furniture available online or in our showrooms. We also have a carefully-curated collections of accessories, from cushions and throws to pots, planters, lamps and rugs. It's the little details that will bring your conservatory to life.
Call us on 01886 884665 – our expert design team is always on hand to help and advise, from furniture selection to accessories and aftercare. Read more about how to care for your conservatory furniture here.
Our Journal is full of inspirational advice for your home and garden. From how to turn your conservatory into a home office, to ways to choose furniture for a contemporary garden room, you'll find all the inspiration you need to create your perfect space. Explore all of our blogs here > Journal - Garden Room
Read about one customer's journey to their perfect conservatory here > Designer's Notebook
