Tanglewood Conservatories Blog – Alan Stein's Writings about Custom Conservatory Design and More

What’s the difference? According to Webster’s, there isn’t any. If one looks up the definition of a conservatory, it will tell you that it is a greenhouse. Both are glass rooms in which plants can be grown. But just as a violin and a fiddle are the same instruments, there the similarity ends. The way in which they are played makes all the difference.
It is the way in which a conservatory is used that distinguishes it from a greenhouse designed exclusively for the nurturing of plants.

While some greenhouses offer design features that set them apart from the purely utilitarian, they usually are not designed to be living spaces so do not offer the creature comforts we expect from the environments in which we live.

A conservatory on the other hand is suitable not only for growing plants, but also accommodates the opportunity for a myriad of activities. Dining under the stars, luxuriating in your private spa, enjoying fireside conservation with family or friends, are just a few possibilities suggested.

Whether it be an extension of your home, or a freestanding garden or poolside venue, an appropriately designed conservatory can fulfill both your needs and your dreams—including those of growing beautiful plants– by creating a year ‘round living space that is unlikely to achieve with the common greenhouse.