How to Furnish a Conservatory

Our Guide on How to Furnishing a Conservatory

This post was originally created 04/11/20. The latest update was 11/09/22 

Any advice on how to furnish a conservatory must really start with an understanding of the space itself and how it fits into your life. The choice of furniture is the biggest decision and it's pretty fundamental to making the room work. Then, exploring different materials and textures helps you pull together a look that absolutely hits the spot.

Your conservatory comes into its own during the months of spring and autumn. The weather may be keeping you inside but the environment outside can still lift your spirits. What a treat to be able to draw inspiration from the rising and setting sun or simply witnessing what the birds get up to in your garden.

Having more in common with your garden than the inside of your house, your conservatory gives you the opportunity to furnish it in a style that's unique to the room. We like the idea of creating an 'all day garden room' that becomes as well-used as the kitchen. Time to take back control of your conservatory from the spiders!

Cane and Rattan are ideal Conservatory Furniture

However you decide to use your conservatory, there's only one style of furniture you should consider: cane and rattan. 

In our experience, cane and rattan will give you a better source of conservatory furniture ideas than solid wood styles. This traditional type of furniture dates back to when conservatories were used like indoor greenhouses, taking advantage of the bright, humid environment to cultivate plants brought back from the Mediterranean.

Today's garden rooms also have a lot of glass so you really want your furniture to reflect the light, airy feel of the outside, particularly if you start to grow 'exotic' citrus fruits! 

Whether it's a room for relaxing and chilling or somewhere to eat with family and guests, here are 2 ways to furnish your conservatory with cane and rattan. 

The relax and chill conservatory

The 'relax and chill' conservatory calls for casual but high quality comfort. Go for sofa and armchair sets that unite your space such as the Lupo cane and rattan range. This is a first class sofa set - looks good and is incredibly comfortable thanks to the high grade seating. Long-lasting finishes reduce wear and tear and keep this furniture looking the part for longer. Add a coffee or side table as required and definitely a footstool. Ranges from Desser & Cane Industries contain fantastic variety no matter the size or space.

Finally, be brave and limit the amount of tech you allow into your conservatory - maybe audio instead of TVs and play stations. Remember, this is the space for feet-up contemplation rather than high octane activity.

The snack and dine conservatory

If your conservatory is near the kitchen, then it's an obvious dining space for both informal family meals and entertaining friends. Eating in a conservatory adds a positive vibe even to a sandwich lunch. The Amalfi dining range, for example, offers you stylish comfortable seating for up to 6 people. For smaller conservatory ideas, their bistro-style 2 seaters will help you use your space wisely.

It doesn't have to be beige in the conservatory

Just because your conservatory gives off a light and airy nature, doesn't mean you have to avoid strong colours and go beige. The exact opposite in fact. Natural colours reflecting plant and animal life alone can take you to furnishing that reflects a country garden such as the Poppies and Paradiso fabrics of the Baltimore cane range.

Conservatory accessories to pull the look together

Once you've chosen the main pieces of furniture, other conservatory interior ideas will help you pull everything together and complete the look. Your accessories can strengthen a theme through colour and texture. Blinds, cushions and throws that follow a 'Scandi' palette of soft but varied colours, for example. Or, at the other extreme, vibrant, exotic colours and materials reflecting Mediterranean themes. 

Add plants, rugs and wall art to reflect your personality but, to really create a mood in your conservatory, think carefully about your indoor lighting. From storm lanterns and fairy lights to traditional table tops and free standing floor lamps, how you light your conservatory will really help set the scene for it to become a vital room in your house.

Give careful thought to how you want your conservatory to look and feel. Choose furniture that's comfortable, looks good and makes you want to linger. After all, conservatories can be quite magical and transformative places, encouraging you to take a breath and reset.

This post was originally created 04/11/20. The latest update was 11/09/22 

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