Conservatories and Orangeries…Still Cherished Today

(ABOVE) A classical conservatory by Parish Conservatories, England.

Although glass houses for displaying rare and exotic plants date back to the 16th century, it was the fanciful conservatories of Victorian England that became popular with the masses.

Generally, a conservatory is a room with a glass roof and walls that is attached to a house on one side. An orangery is more or less the same structure, but was originally designed expressly for growing orange trees in cooler climates. Today, some manufacturers, such as Parish Conservatories, distinguish their orangeries with sections of solid roof and skylights.

Whether conservatory or organgery; or Edwardian, Gothic, Georgian or Victorian, these glass houses often become the most prized rooms in a home.

See for yourself why in these gorgeous photographs from Amdega and Parish Conservatories. ~Janis Lyn Johnson

(ABOVE) Simple and (BELOW) more elaborate designs by Parish Conservatories.

(ABOVE AND BELOW) A conservatory can be an entire room or partial extension, as shown here by Amdega.

(ABOVE) Parish Conservatories’ traditional woven-wood French pinoleum shades. (BELOW) Their Solar R Aluminum-backed fabric shades, which reflect 85 percent of the sun’s heat energy. When not in use they contract into a cassette box.