Class under glass

You've seen the last of the builders, the floor is laid and the paint is dry -- your beautiful new conservatory, is ready. But how are you going to use it?

A conservatory is the perfect way to increase the size of your home and can make an extra living room, a delightful dining room, family room, kitchen and breakfast room, or the perfect home office. A conservatory floods your world with light.

Furnishing a conservatory gives you the opportunity to use new ideas, different materials and styles of furniture you haven't used in other parts of your home. Mahogany dining tables, upholstered sofas and armchairs or elaborate window treatments do not belong here.

The environment of a conservatory is, quite literally, different from the other rooms in your house -- the humidity will be higher, as will the levels of natural light, and it may experience periods of intense heat and rapidly changing temperature.

You can take advantage of that environment by growing unusual specialist plants from around the world (in fact, this was the original idea behind owning a conservatory), but you must select furniture with these conditions in mind.

Don't be tempted to move garden furniture or old things from the house into it. Neither looks right -- you will soon realise that this new space is unlike any other in your house.

The most popular and practical choices to furnish conservatories and garden rooms are ratten, willow or Lloyd Loom. Metal and glass are also suitable and stone, mosaic and marble top tables are an excellent choice if you intend to use your conservatory as a dining room.

WILLOW

English willow furniture is made by weaving young willow shoots, known as withyes, on to frames. Craftsmen have hand-made the familiar 'basket' chairs in the same way for centuries. Feather cushions turn them into the ideal conservatory lounging furniture. In a traditional setting, willow looks perfect in a natural finishes -- buff, natural or weatherbeaten gold. Painting removes the rough edges and enables this furniture to be used in a modern urban setting when combined with the right fabrics.

WIREWORK

The Victorians traditionally used wirework for decorative furniture in conservatories and orangeries. Although it looks delicate it is in fact extremely strong, being constructed from wire on a steel frame.

RATTEN

Rattan (cane) furniture is made from the pliable stems of a fast-growing vine-like plant, the Malaysian palm, which is grown widely in the Far East on managed plantations.

The long canes are composed of parallel fibres held together by resin and when steam-heated they can be bent into interesting curves to make robust, long-lasting furniture. It will not dry out or split like wood.

Smaller canes are woven on to cane or wood frames to produce the familiar colonial-style wicker furniture. When you are buying rattan furniture check the bindings. They can be cane peel, or leather. Both are equally strong, but make sure they are secure and show no signs of unravelling. This is one of the differences between good-quality furniture and the cheaper end of the market.

DINING

For casual dining or formal entertaining, your conservatory will become your favourite place to eat. Suitable dining tables for conservatories include rattan tables with glass or wood veneer tops and metal-framed tables with glass, mosaic, stone or marble tops. There are an abundance of beautiful natural stones to choose from for table tops that can often be cut to your exact requirements.

Don't worry about matching dining chairs exactly -- metal chairs with squab cushions in striped or bright fabrics combined with stone tables look stylish and practical and give just the right garden room feel. Tables made out of solid wood, unless they have been specially treated for conservatory use, should be avoided.

It is now possible to have attractive, comfortable furniture that can be used in the conservatory and then taken out to the garden during the summer months. You can buy several different styles of furniture made from an amazing new synthetic material that when woven looks exactly like genuine rattan, but can be left out in the rain. Sofas, armchairs dining and occasional tables and sun loungers are all available. Some of the attractive cast-aluminium dining tables and mixed materials garden furniture also lend themselves to indoor and outdoor use at different times of the year.

LLOYD LOOM

Lloyd Loom furniture is the ideal choice for the conservatory, as it is not affected by heat, or bright sunlight.

Chairs, small sofas, dining and tea tables can all be mixed and matched with other styles of conservatory furniture.

Lloyd Loom furniture is manufactured by several different companies, so do shop around to get the best prices.

LIGHTING

It's important to choose the right conservatory lighting, to create pools of soft illumination for an intimate atmosphere and welcoming surroundings.

You can create a perfect balance using lights in the roof ridge, uplighters, downlighters, wall lights and table-lamps. Low-level lamps are best for creating an atmospheric environment and don't forget that natural light from an evening sky, the moon and stars, can be the best illumination of all - you might want to keep artificial lighting to the minimum.

The possibilities are endless, as can be seen by the huge variety of styles and qualities of conservatory furniture now available. It is sound advice to go to a specialist conservatory furniture retailer. Don't forget -- it is the details that will bring your conservatory to life.

Where to buy it

All the furniture featured on these pages is available from Holloways, Lower Court, Suckley, Worcestershire, WR6 5DE. Telephone 01886 884665 for a free brochure, or visit their website at www.holloways.co.uk