Modern v Traditional Orangeries

The orangery has to be one of Italy’s greatest ever exports, an elegant structure that was originally utilised for growing citrus fruits and other exotic plants. It’s now more commonly used as a sitting room and contains a high volume of brickwork, lengthy glazed sections, a Lantern roof and beautifully ornate columns.

Though it contains less glass than a conservatory and feels a more natural extension of a house, a modern or traditional orangery feels similarly bright inside and offers the same captivating garden views.

Most orangeries, modern or traditional, can also be built without the need for planning permission when Permitted Development Rights apply (this is something that Permaframe will check on your behalf).

Your main aim when choosing between a modern or traditional orangery is to ensure the design suits the architecture of the property and things like selecting brickwork that replicates the house bricks and opting for a suitable coloured finish helps.

You may want to consider integrating some form of door into the design. French doors work particularly well with traditionally styled orangeries, while bi-folding doors look most at home when incorporated into modern varieties of the orangery and open it out into the garden like nothing else.

So far as building materials for the orangery are concerned, you have the following 3 options available:

UPVC – this is the most affordable and favoured material for orangery construction. We wouldn’t recommend UPVC though for period residences as the denseness of UPVC doesn’t tend to complement these types of buildings.  

Aluminium – a major characteristic of aluminium is how it can be moulded to create the slenderest of sightlines which is beneficial if you desire an elaborate orangery like the ones you would find in Georgian and Victorian times.

Heritage – a wooden-framed orangery really looks the part at traditional homes, but authentic timber quickly ages and is susceptible to rotting. Our maintenance-free Heritage frames are actually UPVC but you would swear they are wooden as they look so like timber.

Have you noticed that we have avoided the issue of which of the two is better; a modern or traditional orangery? The reason being is that we find it impossible to pick a favourite – it all comes down to personal preference! You can make the final judgement during a visit to our Frome showroom.