Paramount Orangeries
Ultimate elegance, ultilmate lifestyle design
Serving the Northeast and Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. For clients looking for something with the “wow factor” then orangeries are the way forward. Offering the ultimate in style, they really do offer that something special.
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Orangeries are a superb investment and add a breathtaking feature which will create an enhanced living space within your beautiful home.
The orangery was originally the fore runner to modern day conservatories and is mainly built in stone with a large proportion of glass being incorporated into the structure.
The fundamental difference between an orangery and a conservatory is the structure. A conservatory is generally regarded as a temporary non-integral part of the property. An orangery, with its greater mass of columns, pilasters and classic details creates a striking visual impact and contributes to the overall appeal of a client’s home with a robust and permanent presence.
Orangery Design
An Orangery was a building frequently found in the grounds of fashionable residences from the 17th to the 19th century. Similar to a greenhouse or conservatory. The name is derived from the original use of the building as a place where citrus trees were often grown in tubs and wintered under cover.
The orangery originated from the Renaissance gardens of Italy, when glass-making technology enabled sufficient expanses of clear glass to be produced. The Orangerie at the Palace of the Louvre, 1617, inspired imitations that were not eclipsed until the development of the modern greenhouse in the 1840s, which was quickly overshadowed by the architecture in glass of Joseph Paxton.
Notable for his design of the Crystal Palace, his "great conservatory" at Chatsworth House was an orangery and glass house of monumental proportions.
The orangery, however, was not just a greenhouse but a symbol of prestige and wealth and a feature of the garden, in the same way as a summerhouse, folly or "Grecian temple". Owners would conduct their guests there on tours of the garden to admire not only the fruits within but the architecture without. Often the orangery would contain fountains, grottos, and an area in which to entertain in inclement weather.
Typical orangeries were constructed using stone-built dwarf walls containing vertical sash windows. Three-quarters of the orangery is made from glass, with a glass roof on wooden rafters, and glass sash windows around the building.
These days, with the availability of modern materials they are once more gaining popularity and creating wonderful family rooms for use as studies, dining rooms, sitting rooms and play areas to name but a few.