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What Is An Orangery?

Jul 11, 2023 | Orangery

what is an orangery
Over the years, our team has been asked countless times ‘What is an orangery?’. People tend to have a general idea but are often looking for a bit of clarification. This is likely to be because orangeries can be incredibly varied and, as all of our builds are bespoke, you’d never see two of ours that are the same!

General Description

An orangery is a brick and glass structure with large windows and a flat roof with a roof lantern. A roof lantern is an architectural feature that sits on top of the roof, letting in lots of natural light. Often, after being asked ‘What is an orangery?’ and giving that description, people ask what the difference is between an orangery and a conservatory.

In short, an orangery is a home extension with a glass roof typically covering less than 75% of the overall roof area and glass walls covering less than 50% of the total wall area. In contrast, a conservatory has a glass roof typically covering at least 75% of the overall roof area, and glass walls covering at least 50% of the overall wall area. You can head over to this previous blog to learn about the differences in more detail.

What Is An Orangery Used For?

An orangery can be used for pretty much anything you want! Here are some of the most common usages.

Growing Plants – The original use for orangeries was to grow plants that were not hardy enough to withstand the Northern European weather. Often, these plants would be orange trees and other citrus fruit trees, hence the name ‘orangery’. There are a number of beautiful, historic orangeries, bursting with plantlife, open to the public – Belton House Orangery for example. Whilst an orangery of this size would be unsuitable for most homes, this can be a wonderful source of inspiration. If you’re thinking of growing plants in your orangery, we have some advice here.

Kitchen – One of the most popular uses for an orangery is to create a beautiful kitchen, giving you an incredible place to cook and entertain. We can actually build and design a bespoke kitchen for you! If you’re wondering ‘What is an orangery kitchen?’, you can learn more about them here.

Dining – Many of our customers use their orangeries as show-stopping dining rooms, holding a dinner party in a fantastic space like an orangery really brings the ‘wow factor’! You could also opt for a kitchen and dining room together to really make the most out of the space.

Entertaining Space – Orangeries are popular settings for events, particularly weddings. There are numerous orangeries around the country that make for beautiful wedding venues, here are some examples. You could even hold a ceremony in your own orangery at home!

What Is An Orangery To You?

As you can see, an orangery can be used for a wide variety of different things. With that in mind, it’s our turn to ask a question – what is an orangery to you? If you’re looking for ideas, you should have a look through our online gallery to see what we have created for other people and what they have done with the space.
We undertake all the work associated with your project, so we’ll be the only company you need to deal with from conception to completion. This means we can work closely together to design and create the perfect orangery for you, whatever that is.

Get in touch with us today for a free, no-obligation discussion about what it is you are looking for.

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