New Orangery Extension for Period Cottage

Nestled in a quaint Essex market town, this unique listed cottage needed a new extension in order to open up the ground floor. Being a timber framed end-of-terrace property with original fireplaces and old beams, its charm was something the owners loved about their home. However, they wanted to extend the smaller rooms towards the rear of the property, which felt stooped and closed off, and create a spacious area for their young family to spend time in.

In old cottages, it’s common for individual rooms to feel cramped and closed off, with less of a flow between the different areas of the house. Our expert teams took the time to really understand what the family needed and designed a timeless orangery extension that provides a functional space while still sitting well and harmonising with the rest of the property.

This orangery is all about celebrating modern living with a style that is sympathetic to the characteristics of the family’s home. The existing kitchen doors and sidelights were removed, while the original cellar was retained. The floor of the orangery was levelled to that of the kitchen, helping the space to feel connected to the rest of the ground floor. Underfloor heating was included to keep things feeling warm and cosy in the winter months.

Extending out into the charming garden through four leaf folding doors, the new orangery is now used as a bright and airy open-plan living and dining area. Matching casement windows fitted on either side of the folding doors help to completely open up the space, maximising on the views of the garden as much as possible from within the room. The owners mentioned that their family have been struggling to find extra storage space in recent years, so we added a stylish built-in shelving unit to one side of the orangery for storing toys and books.

A long, rectangular roof lantern with octagonal kingpins not only acts as a show-stopping architectural feature; it makes the orangery feel more spacious, fills the room below with light and brings a touch of elegance to the extension.