A beautiful Margam Orangery built by Paramount Orangeries of UK
More and more people around the United Kingdom are opting for an orangery to extend their house or to let in a little bit more light into their living rooms. And they are right to do so. Because a contemporary orangery will look and feel like it has always been part of the building, while providing your living quarters with something that will greatly improve your health – light.
A lot of people are not aware of it, but light, especially natural light, is incredibly important to our well-being. It makes sure our internal body clock runs smoothly; bright light in the morning wakes us up, while dimmer light in the evening and night makes us sleep soundly.
Let the Natural Light Come In
Dr Victoria Revell, a Chronobiologist at the University of Surrey says, “Light is critical for our health and well-being. Ensuring that we receive adequate light levels at the appropriate time of day benefits our alertness, mood, productivity, sleep patterns and many aspects of our physiology”.
And this light cannot just be electrical light! Although your lamps are perfectly fine for most evenings, according to research recently published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, spending too much time in electrical light increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. This is one of the main reasons why more and more people are looking to find ways to let more natural light into their living rooms. Enter the Orangery.
Origin of Orangeries
Orangeries were first seen in Europe in the 17th century. Rich Europeans had gotten a taste for Mediterranean citrus fruits like oranges. Since oranges and lemons do not grow in colder climates they were forced to find creative ways to protect their trees from the cold weather. They built large, many-windowed buildings in which they could put the trees during the winter months. This kind of building was only available to the wealthiest of nobles. The European nobility loved only one thing more than their oranges; flaunting their decadence. So, often they would invite friends for tea in their orangery in the winter months, unknowingly improving their health by spending time in natural light.
Luckily nowadays the orangery is no longer just available for wealthy European nobility! Even families with a small budget will be amazed with today’s orangery prices and quotes. And because of the long history of the orangery, even houses in conservation areas can be granted a planning permission (when designed properly). Many older houses are not designed to let in a lot of natural light, as more windows used to mean more draft and higher heating bills. With modern techniques however this just isn’t true anymore, which is why many people with dark living rooms are finding ways to increase natural light indoors.
Benefits of Adding an Orangery
Families with members that spend a lot of time indoors, such as small children or the elderly, are greatly benefited by having living space with a lot of light. Installing an orangery will instantly make any house livelier and the mood of you and your loved ones will improve overnight. Not only that, but adding an orangery will greatly increase the value and attractiveness of your house, which is certainly a big plus if you are selling your house in the current market.
There are many benefits to adding an orangery to your house, but none of them are as important as increasing the health of you and your loved ones. If have trouble sleeping, feel depressed or lacking productivity, getting an orangery might just be your ticket back to health. Bring natural light back into your living area and you will be surprised at the benefits.
All Orangeries pictures featured above: © Paramount Orangeries
Robbert Sas is a professional blogger who writes on behalf of Paramount Orangeries, part of the Crownfold Group.
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