What is an Orangery and Why is it in Every Stylish Home?

Orangeries, as distinct from conservatories, are a very smart style of garden room, and one with a long and fascinating history in European architecture

There is something eternally appealing about the idea of an indoor/outdoor room, in whatever form it takes. As Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe put it in the foreword of the delightful book The English Garden Room, “the supreme purpose [of them] is the creation of a crystal box that for a brief period carries you to the shores of the Mediterranean (or some equally warm area) to which we are biologically attracted.” The ‘garden room’, meaning a structure that is located in the garden, separate from the main house, has had something of a vogue in recent years.

The Covid lockdown and consequently crowded urban houses made this idea particularly fashionable. Loggias and verandas, which are essentially covered balconies or terraces that have one side open to the elements, conjure up images of classical Mediterranean villas or tropical houses. Meanwhile the term ‘conservatory’ seems to be in something of a decline, owing to unfortunate associations with plastic structures tacked incongruously onto the backs of houses. The idea of an ‘orangery’, however, has a much more sophisticated ring to it, and indeed in its purest form, an orangery is a glorious thing.

But what is an orangery, and how is it different to a conservatory? Historically, the orangery is in some ways the father of all garden rooms, at least in European terms. It was in the 17th century that the (recently acquired) English mania for oranges led to the building of special structures to keep them at the required temperature. These tended to be built out of brick, with flat roofs and large windows along the south side to flood them with sunlight.

The most impressive ones were built on a huge scale: the orangery at Kew is perhaps one of the largest in England (it now comfortably serves as a wedding venue for 200 guests). Beyond our shores, the great palaces of Europe often incorporated staggeringly large versions: the Versailles Orangerie with its endless arches can house 1000 trees along with a collection of statues. We're rather partial to the Linnaeum Orangery in Uppsala, Sweden, which is, unusually, still used as a hothouse for tropical plants. All of these are brick or stone structures. It was only later, when even more exotic and tropical fruits came into fashion in the UK, requiring even warmer temperatures, that this style gave way to what we might think of as a conservatory or glasshouse. The flat roof of a traditional orangery gave way to pitched and glazed roofs, and the whole structure acquired more glass than wall.

These days, if you want some sort of garden room attached to your house, there is little practical distinction between the terms ‘orangery’ and ‘conservatory’. Most companies who supply conservatories use the terms interchangeably. But in its traditional form, an orangery is still much more of an indoor space than a conservatory, and in some ways, it bears a strong resemblance to a lot of kitchen extensions – a room with full length windows or doors running along one side and looking out into the garden.

Why would you choose this traditional style of orangery over a glasshouse or conservatory? There will be less maintenance involved (fewer summons to the window cleaners), for one thing, and it is the kind of structure that could more seamlessly transition from the rest of the house. With its wall of windows, an orangery is also marvellous for making the most of a beautiful view.

Should you be lucky enough to possess an orangery of your own (or if you happen to be planning one), how best to decorate it? Fill it with plants and greenery, and veer towards elegant, 18th-century-style furniture that recalls the golden age of the orangery.

This story originally appeared on our sister publication, House & Garden UK.