Making A Conservatory Habitable

[IrmaGhostSlayer]

Soon my Conservatory becomes a
fridge no go area of freezingness.. Please hear my plea to make it semi habitable.

Atm Horrid vertical blinds, tiled floor. Very Dingy broken light with fan inherited from last owners. Small radiator.

I would put a rug down, replace the light and get rid of the blinds. Maybe get a little fan heater too.

We have the same problem - I really need to sort out curtains/blinds but it's going to cost a fortune.

We too need a decent fan heater.

Yes Cost is a consideration .. I was thinking about Jute rug need something hardwaring as with have no other exit to garden.

If you use those rag rug things you can put them in the washing machine.

yy to rag rugs, cheap and cheerful from Ikea.
Get hard wearing outdoor mat for the door outside, just lift it in when it rains.

I would make/get some nice Roman blinds nice fabric here Line them. When they are hung up the will be flat and tidy against the window, but you can put them down and conserve some of the heat in the eve.

Buy a good radioator- Delonghi is a good brand.

Get nice big blankets on the chairs, so you can sling them over you when it cools. these are so nice but pricey

Not to everyones tase, but I like fairy lights up again the window in conservatory as it makes it feel cosy and festive.

Lots of votive candles doted around and lit at night. Play with diff types of light against the glass.

I love love love your post thatsnotmymonkey.

I almost feel warm reading it.. Rag Rugs sound excellent.

I must finally do an ebay sale to free up some funds, then can go a spending.

Shall I do a before and after piccy for everyone ?

Oh a quick p.s I that a think fairy lights would look quite magical in the winter.

Fairy lights are essential. And so are pics.

Yes, pics please! I am having a changing rooms flashback!

My last post was FULL of typos, sorry! I am coherent, I have only had one glass of delicious rioja.

Convector heaters are better than fan heaters. They are much quieter and very fast.

pippop, I was just about to suggest the same thing :)

or just rip it down and put up extension like we did

Well as some silly person mistakenly had my lottery numbers last Friday we can`t afford an extension. My relatives have a gorgeous one with two glass walls, one brick, beamed roof, log burner .. It is called the Garden Room as they are pretentious posh.

I`m liking the Vanessa Arbuthnott Fabric but need a Discount oulet. I like the dotty cranberry with the dandelion fabric.

Candles dalyesford orangic have some nice ones I`ve found in kilner jars.

The nice blanket/ throw.

Fairy blossom lights I`m not a fan or twigs.

www.blaze-on.com/product.php?id=829here

Ideas on light ?

Cotton braided rugs are very expensive found them at Bespoke Country any cheaper places I could try ?

We've just accepted that the conservatory is a freeze box at night in Autumn/Winter. Can't you shut the door on it? Unfortunately ours opens out from the kitchen, so the kitchen is freezing too, but you might as well stand in there and burn £10 notes if you want to heat it.

ours is the same I blame the cheap polycarbonate roof, heat just flys out.
but have recently had solar panels fitted, so I might see what its like if I put some radiators on (see how much heat is lost during the day.)

We have a large wool rug, then one of those dirt traper mats by the door on the inside. If we are doing lots of tramping in and out then I put an old sheet down by the door. I keep it in the conservatory.

We have 2 oil filled electric heaters which also have a convector. These work well once they are on for a while. I have plug in timers for them. Also have a small, cheap fan heater to get things going.

We have tall uplighter lamps. I think they are called mother and child lamps. You know the ones that have a small adjustable light half way down?

I have linen curtains and roof blinds.

For all these reasons outlined above our conservatory is going to be demolished soon.

I was going to ebay it but am seriously considering taking a sledgehammer to it myself.

I don't know anyone who successfully uses a conservatory all year round.

I don`t think it will be 365 days job. Just want to utilise it warmer autumn days and early summer. Atm is gets no use only as a dumping ground. On warm days it is pleasant as we are north facing and the conservatory south is the warmest place.

Deux - I would LOVE to beat the hell out of our ice box conservatory. Ours is NE facing too

We can use it 9mo of the year though atm, I'm determined to make very insulating blinds, have massive insulating floor length curtains and a small fan heater to heat it (hey, it works in a tent) and we WILL use it this winter.

Last winter it was very handy as a second freezer.

We had a NE facing conservatory in our last house, but it was double glazed.

TO make it useable all year round we had insulation put in the dwarf walls which were then plastrered (also makes it look like a proper room), plus insulation under the engineered wood floor and two chunky column radiators from B&Q with high BTUs.
We painted the walls in F&B String, which is soft and warm and had lots of fairy lights and candles.
We used it all year round - as a playroom in the day and dining room at night, and I really miss it now!

It is painted a yellow/ochre colour F&B. Which is nice when the sun shines. Though thinking maybe something else.

I love those chunky rads have a lovely one in our living room also B&Q.

Ditto use it for DS as a playroom

I thought :

www.thedormyhouse.com/product/all/storage-shelving/2011-storage-seat-here

Really really like the fabric you have chosen, maybe look on EBAY?

Like the lights, but thinking that maybe plain white lights on a white or a clear cord would be better, a cleaner less fussy look?

I LOVE F&B paint Dimity , I would stick with what you have or go for a pink tone. I love which is very almost nothing there, but is very nice in diff lights. I also like smoked trout

The radiators are lush. Sounds like it is all coming together.

Lights this is big

quirky light

BHS has good quality cheaper lights.

Beautiful light that second one.. I didn`t think about Habitat though they often have excellent design led products.

I agree with the clean look I`m quite mininmal on the whole so if something is too fussy I get bored of it very quickly.

F&B colours yummy with have to get some sample pots test it in different light.

Right off to scour Ebay/Google for fabric bargains.

If you don't have small children, a portable Calor gas fire is lovely in the conservatory, especially these dark evenings. Unlike an electric fire, you've already paid for the fuel, you get the 'fire' effect as well and the heat seems to hang around longer than with an electric. I carpet my conservatory with a cheap (dark) remnant, get the Calor gas out, put the lamp on and it looks really warm and welcoming.
(And by jove it's handy to have when/if the heating breaks down)