Glass Half Full: five homes with sun-soaked conservatories
The joy of a space that lets all the light in is unparalleled, not least when you explore all the potential it presents, whether it becomes the setting for a moon-silvered dinner party, a solo cup of coffee before everyone else awakes, or a new book in the gentle heat of the afternoon. And with longer days ahead, the moment’s ripe to round up five of the best among our listings
- Words
- Cat Sarsfield
The Mount, Faversham, Kent
How often does a two-bedroom apartment possess its own conservatory, let alone a Victorian, terracotta-tiled one? Enter the Mount. Forming part of an 18th-century Grade II-listed one-time retreat for a Napoleonic general, this split-level apartment has remarkably ornate interiors that bely its simple painted-brick façade: think stained-glass windows, intricate cornicing and a majestic cast-iron fireplace surrounded by heavy marble in the living room. But the star, of course, is the conservatory with its Minton-tiled floor. Lined with house plants and currently home to a long dining table crying out to be covered with dishes for dinner parties, it’s a beautiful spot from which to enjoy the impressive gardens and lawns.
Sandwich Road, Eastry, Kent
Spanning more than a century’s worth of architectural aesthetics, this sprawling four-bedroom house offers the best of both the Georgian and Victorian periods, balancing the romance and rigour of the former with the elegant detailing of the latter. Add to that a well-designed farmhouse kitchen, the Aga its hearth, and the beautiful restoration of the stables into a two-storey annexe, and you’ve a welcoming home that feels full of country charm. The conservatory, which looks out on to the garden (also home to a refreshing swimming pool, hidden from sight), is the perfect place to enjoy breakfast as the sun breaks through the trees.
Cambridge Grove, Hove, East Sussex
On a quiet mews in the coastal town of Hove, this three-bedroom house makes the most of its smaller footprint, with interiors cleverly designed by Isabella Worsley. She’s responsible for the run of deep greens, autumnal reds and seasidey blues that welcome you as you pass through a pair of traditional garage doors from the street and into the kitchen and dining room, where you can peer out on to the cobbled mews and watch life go by. And she’s aloso behind the chic mix of textiles in the old vinery upstairs, where grapes would have once been warmed by the sun. Now it’s a soaring sunny reception room, its pitched cathedral ceilings fitted with double glazing. Oh, to curl up with a book and a cup of tea and listen to the wind outside the windows…
Cotham Vale, Cotham, Bristol
Reached through a honeysuckle-tangled front garden and elegant white façade, this five-storey Grade II-listed Georgian house is notable for its full-bodied interior palette, with dark mahogany, forest greens and leathery reds lining the walls, floors and stairs. In contrast, however, is the book-lined library, which serves as a conservatory of sorts, its glass walls curving up and overhead, perfect for reading beneath. And, when the light goes, the time comes to retreat to the richness of the rest of the house. A whiskey by the fire, perhaps?
Badingham Road, Dennington, Suffolk
Illogical though it might be to begin at the back of a house, we can’t help but focus our attention on the hidden suntrap of a conservatory in this early 18th-century farmhouse. With cool stone flags underfoot, this vast sunroom benefits from floor-to-ceiling windows and a central skylight that fills the space with warm, bright light. Open up the doors to grab herbs from the garden – the grounds stretch to more than two acres – for a verdant spring lunch, eaten in this sun-warmed but sheltered space. Bliss.
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