Contemporary & Modern Conservatory Design
What are the latest trends for modern conservatories?
For homeowners who want a more contemporary look and feel for their home extension, a cost effective and stylish solution is to consider what can be achieved with some of the newest conservatory designs in the market place. So, what are your options when it comes to modern conservatories?
Here we will be looking at:
- What are the key design features of a modern conservatory?
- Which conservatory styles would be best suited?
- How much will a modern conservatory cost?
What are the key design features of a modern conservatory?
When we use the word contemporary for a conservatory style, it simply means that it is “belonging to the present”. As opposed to the many period conservatory designs, such as the Victorian, Georgian, Edwardian or Regency style of room.
The most popular design feature of contemporary conservatory design is the absence of clutter and the wide use of “clean lines” giving an almost minimalistic appearance.
The fancy and ornate appearance of Victorian or Georgian conservatories, being almost the exact opposite of what the modern conservatory extension offers.
What do modern conservatories look like?
You are likely to see great use of open-plan rooms, slimline frame profiles and extended use of full length glass sides.
In effect, you are going to see more glass & less frame, combined with straight lines and much greater use of darker coloured frames.
Glass is also being used far more extensively for modern conservatories. Even to the point of using structural industrial strеngth glazing to replace the traditional conservatory frame, creating what is fast becoming known as the “glass-box” conservatory style.
Wide Fascia and Bifold Doors, matched with a Lantern roof
Bifold doors are also used to great effect with the latest styling. The ability of the bifold door to almost disappear from sight when opened is giving rise to another amazing feature, the moving glass wall. Clever use of the “moving glass wall”, can even create the illusion that the roof of the conservatory is floating unsupported in mid-air.
Whilst the UPVC conservatory remains a very popular choice for many homeowners, Aluminium and Engineered timbers are being used more often in modern conservatory design. The structural strength of these materials gives the opportunity for slimmer frame profiles, thereby allowing more of the room to be glass.
You can also see more examples of tiled conservatory roofing. Not necessarily to make the conservatory more modern, but it is a recent trend to have a solid conservatory roof.
Flat roofs with raised lanterns are another upcoming feature trend. Although a little complex in design, they allow for good amounts of natural lighting to the interior, unlike a fully tiled roof.
Colour theme
White is nice, but more and more folks who buy conservatories are using Greys, Blacks, Olive green, Navy blue or other colours such as Bronze and being quite adventurous or bold with their choices.
Darker colours can look more imposing. Mixing a dark blue or charcoal conservatory frame with some internal beech wooden flooring or furnishings looks awesome in contrast to each other.
Contemporary lean to With Black Frames
Which conservatory styles would be best suited for a contemporary conservatory?
Lean-to conservatory with roofline falling left to right
If the main styling clues of modern conservatories are space, minimalist appearance and wide open views, then the conservatory designs most suited are going to be those that can adapt best to those demands.
Lean to conservatories along with Loggia, Gable and Pavilion are great candidates for use in contemporary designs, they work extremely well for modern slimline conservatories.
One thing about the Lean-to, Pavilion and Gable styles is that you can experiment with “rotating” the roof. For example, a typical lean to conservatory has the roof angled away from the main house, but what if you turn it 90 or even 180 degrees?
What happens is, that you get a totally different look and feel for the room. Many modern conservatories take advantage of this to great effect.
