Small sunroom ideas – 10 small designs to give your home a vitamin D boost

By Hazel Ruff On Feb 18, 2022

A room with lots of natural light and a connection to nature is a must for your well-being, and with the right little conservatory idea, you can find space in your home to take a moment to refocus.

From small but perfectly formed spaces, to conversions and even ways to incorporate a sunny spot into another room, there are plenty of sunroom ideas to consider even if you don’t have a sunroom. dedicated in your home.

“You might even consider converting an existing space instead of building a whole new addition — for example, converting a garage or a screened-in porch,” suggests a Connecticut-based interior designer. Georgia Zikas.

We’ve rounded up 10 sample small conservatory ideas to inspire you to create a space where you can relax and bask in the sun.

Small Sunroom Ideas for New Additions, Layout Inspiration, and Adapting Your Space

1. Create a sunny spot in a breezeway

a covered walkway with storage on one side

If you don’t have dedicated space for a sunroom, it may be possible to find room for a sunny spot in one of your home’s transitional spaces – consider hallway ideas, entryways and patios. covered walkways.

Although a breezeway isn’t a feature of every home, it makes a perfect place to introduce seating and create a space with a connection to the outdoors. “A breezeway is a connecting space — but with some connection to the outdoors,” says a Pittsburgh-based interior designer Colleen Simmonds. “It’s not an inner hallway, but a connecting hallway/passage that speaks to the outside in some way.”

In the design of one’s own house, this covered passage performs various functions. From the space where the family enters the house and stores their gear to the connection of the house and the renovated garage/home office. However, it also offers a place to enjoy the view outside, overlooking the street.

2. Add a small glazed extension as a veranda

When you are planning to build a new small conservatory for your home, there are many single story extension ideas you can try. While the simplest and most affordable will undoubtedly be a basic build with lots of built-in windows, for a modern take on the idea you might consider a small glazed extension.

The choice of door and opening elements can have a big impact on the space. For smaller conservatories, a folding door or sliding pocket door would be best suited to be able to be opened during the warmer months, leaving an unobstructed opening and allowing the interior and exterior spaces to merge, something this design by Architects can take in consideration.

“A chamfered glass door slides into a concealed pocket leading to a raised patio,” says architect Matt Barnes. “The project has transformed the way customers use the house; by offering them a living space on the ground floor well connected to the garden, rain or shine.

3. Build a small three-season room

When building an additional structure, you may find that the costs of the conservatory start to skyrocket. However, for some states, a three-season room might be wise middle ground, especially when considering a small sunroom idea. This type of veranda is completely covered, glazed and remains an interior space, but is not insulated, therefore more at the mercy of outside temperatures.

A three-season room lives up to its name by being fully usable for most of the year, but you may find that it’s too cold to use in winter and potentially too hot in mid-summer. It will, however, be a much cheaper addition to your home and still give you the veranda experience.

4. Choose a glazed ceiling for more light throughout the day

Not all sunrooms have glass roofs, but for single-story extensions, specifying an addition of glass is a great way to increase the amount of sunlight your sunroom receives for more of the time. the day.

“Structural glass roofs are a must when adding a conservatory to a home because it’s the easiest way to maximize the flow of natural light,” says IQ Glassis Shannon Normoyle. “For small verandas, a single pane can be used without the need for supports.”

For a largely glazed structure, you may want to include window treatments in your plans, which means your sunroom can be used at different times of the day without necessarily being neglected.

5. Create a glazed part in a living room

a small glazed section creating a veranda element in a living space

If you have a living room idea for a space you’d like to make it function more like a conservatory, then this addition of a glazed roof lantern at the edge of your room might offer the perfect solution.

Depending on the climate where you live, you might worry that too much glazing will make your main living space too hot or too cold, but by choosing modern glazing you can better control these fluctuations.

“Solariums can take many different forms but all have the same goal, to create a space where you can enjoy the feel of the sun on your face while remaining at a comfortable temperature,” says Shannon Normoyle of IQ Glass. “Traditional conservatories are prone to overheating in the summer and uncomfortable cold in the winter, but by using modern glazing systems this can easily be avoided.”

6. Enlarge a small veranda by knocking down the interior walls

a veranda in a hallway with partitions removed

Even with an expanse of glass providing a view of the outdoors, if your porch is small in size, it can feel a little claustrophobic to spend too much time there. Why not follow the lead of this south London home, where the owners removed the partition walls from the hallway to create a casual, open seating area?

Colorful rattan-style furniture, a natural palette and lots of plants give this conservatory an open-air feel, which helps create a connection with nature and gives it a peaceful and relaxing feel, despite being open to the the rest of the house. What was once an idea of a small hallway and a small room has become a large, welcoming veranda that provides the perfect place to relax.

7. Choose the right seats for a small veranda

While in large sunrooms the seats can be comfortably positioned away from the walls and facing the window, small sunroom ideas may require you to be a bit more creative.

One of the most effective options for maximizing seating space in a small conservatory is to use built-in seating around the windows. These window seat ideas are brilliantly versatile as they can be used both ways to sit looking out the window and also facing the space. However, they don’t offer a view to the outdoors with a supported back, so it’s worth supplementing a built-in window seat with more comfortable occasional chairs for those times when you want to linger in your sunroom space. .

8. Emphasize ceiling height

“Consider your ceiling height for a small sunroom,” says interior designer Georgia Zikas. “If you can do a vaulted ceiling or raise the ceiling in some way, it could add a lot of impact to the design as well as the illusion of a larger room.”

For existing spaces, consider ways to draw the eye up and visual tricks to make your porch look bigger. There are some clever ceiling decoration ideas you can use for this, including painting it the same as the walls to soften the visual outline of the ceiling.

While adding a small sunroom on its own won’t give you a whole lot of extra living space, by combining it into a larger, open-plan room, you can transform the way you use the space.

In this space created by XUL Architecture, for example, a small veranda – big enough just for a comfortable L-shaped sofa – opens up to this open kitchen idea, adding a whole new sociable aspect to the design and ensuring that the kitchen is served in natural light throughout the day.

10. Choose spectacular colors for a modern veranda

“As with any space, don’t be afraid of color,” says interior designer Colleen Simmonds. “A sunroom can be any color and just as ‘designed’ as the rest of your home.”

This is especially true for a small sunroom, where smart color and pattern choices can make a big impact, while plenty of natural light will let your palette sing.

However, one thing to keep in mind is the practicality of a conservatory, a space that is exposed to a lot of natural light and can therefore be subject to UV damage. Light finishes, such as floors, are often preferred, as they are much less prone to fading than those of a darker shade.

With the right UV treatments, guards and window treatments in place, however, darker choices can always be chosen for a more impactful darkroom idea.

How to style a small veranda?

Choosing the right porch furniture can make all the difference in a small space. Armchairs and accent chairs are useful for small verandas and can be moved around to follow the sun through the space throughout the day. A mix of different seats – from small sofa to stools – will make your design more versatile.

Style is also important in getting a sunroom. “Try to use more organic materials since you’re trying to bring the outdoors in,” suggests Georgia Zikas. Wood, rattan, jute and plants are all popular in a conservatory, borrowing style elements from your outdoor space for a piece that acts as a middle ground between the interior and your yard.

“You should even consider buying outdoor furniture – it’s more durable than your standard indoor furniture,” Georgia continues, which is especially worth considering when it comes to the fading and discoloration caused. by the sun.

If you want a dining nook for your breakfast or morning coffee, a small two-seater table with two chairs is a perfect cafe-style setup for a small sunroom.