Conservatory furniture - why??

MrRemus

Hi - this may sound a but stupid but is there a reason why conservatory furniture is generally made of rattian-type material?

We're moving into our new house next month and will be first-time conservatory owners and need to furnish. Is there a specific reason why everyone seems to have this typical type of furniture? ie the environment of the conservatory?

I'm assuming there's no reason why we can't ust chuck a bog standard sofa and coffee table in there?

SuzieSue

MrRemus wrote: »

Hi - this may sound a but stupid but is there a reason why conservatory furniture is generally made of rattian-type material?

We're moving into our new house next month and will be first-time conservatory owners and need to furnish. Is there a specific reason why everyone seems to have this typical type of furniture? ie the environment of the conservatory?

I'm assuming there's no reason why we can't ust chuck a bog standard sofa and coffee table in there?

If you are going to put a fabric sofa in there then you must be aware that it will fade. Also, I am not sure how leather will cope with temperatures of 50 degrees centigrade. Apart from that, there is no reason why you can't have ordinary lounge furniture in a conservatory.

wendyl1967

I think the traditional conservatory furniture can be uncomfortable. We have a normal suite in there. So far it hasn't faded

ariba10

As Suziesue said.

Extreams of temperature will effect ordinary furniture in most conservatories.

sillygoose

We have a normal fabric corner suite type thing, its already in a light sand colour so fading - which will happen - will not show too badly. It is also in sections that can be uncoupled so its quite flexible but provides at least half a dozen extra seats for family gatherings etc.

maninthestreet

Extremes of temperature and humidty levels make a hostile environment for fabric furniture.

Jaynne

Excess humidity could create mould?
You might want to move it outside sometimes?
Its not your permanent sofa so is made of lighter less robust materials?
We probably didn't have conservatories until victorian times and the furniture was initially stuff people had brought back from the colonies and the style stuck?

All guesses but they might be true - we have rattan because we wanted a different style to the living room and wanted it lightweight to move into the garden or out of the way so the dining table could occasionally be moved in when we needed more space.

ed110220

Apart from sunlight causing fabrics to fade, there can also be water splashes and dirt from plants, condensation etc which can damage ordinary furniture.

docmatt

If it's a proper conny and not a cheap lean-to poorly insulated garden room then there is no reason why you can't have a sofa in there.

We've got a large fabric corner sofa in ours, a big shaggy rug and a coffee table. been in there for 5 years, no damp or condensation problems whatsoever.

phoebe1989seb

We had proper conservatories (built of hardwood) in our last two houses, the first of which we had built to match what would have been the original Victorian one and the second we inherited when we bought the house. Despite both houses having adequate reception/kitchen space we put 'normal' furniture (as opposed to rattan/wicker) in there.

The first we used as a tv room and we had a pair of leather sofas and rug for approx five years with no fading/condensation issues. The second we used as a breakfast room complete with granite-topped island unit, a couple of dressers, sideboard and a fabric sofa. They both had calico/muslin draped across the glass ceilings which obviously helped prevent fading.

The only damage we experienced was to a large custom-built cat tree covered in carpet that eventually (after three years) began to turn to dust - the carpet perishing from the extremes of temperature

Kathy535

We feel the same way as you about traditional conservatory furniture. I bought a cheap(ish) chaise longue off eBay and a tub chair - comfy and suit how we use the conservatory, for lounging in, growing plants and lazy, sunny breakfasts on a weekend. They have faded after 5yrs but the fading is fairly even. If your furniture is expensive or if you are using the conservatory as a 'statement' room then you might want to think about how the furniture would last / cost of the wear and tear on your furniture. The other thing we've noticed is the impact of extremes of temperature on electrical equipment, initially we had a tv and free view box in there but they didn't last long.