Little evokes 19th-century romanticism like a glass-encased room. Once a haven for orange trees and exotic species too delicate to survive outside, the conservatory has evolved into a delightful connection between the house and garden. Its transparency allows you to enjoy the elements without having to endure them. It can mean playing in the snow in your pajamas, gazing at the moon from beside a warm fire, or sitting amid a spring shower without getting wet.

Alan Stein, founder of Tanglewood Conservatories and his wife, fiber
artist Nancy Virts, chief operating officer, are masters of building
seamless segues between the interior and exterior of a house.

"Emily Dickinson wrote, "There's a certain slant of light and when it
comes, the landscape listens - shadows hold their breath." We believe
landscape, conservatory, and home should listen to one another,"
Stein says.

Stein and Virts blend modern thinking and design with age-old

techniques when constructing their one-of-a kind enclosures.

Their team of 25 artisans use the latest technology in structural engineering and a 300-year-old tradition of artisan woodworking to produce designs every bit as diverse as the settings in which they appear. Design elements from other parts of the house are often echoed in a Tanglewood Conservatory.

Stein and Virts consider every detail carefully. From quarry tile floors to
Corinthian capitals to stained Douglas fir window sashes to custom
chandeliers to fan-shaped windows that draw the eye to the top of the
structure - and to the canopy of trees beyond - their conservatories are
truly works of art.

"Its transparency allows you to enjoy the elements without having
to endure them."

"If utilitarian at heart, the modern conservatory is architectural
in its soul - and sculptural," says Stein, whose designs are both lyrical and practical.

"Conservatories' classic designs typically conjure Old World shapes,
styles and details," Virts agrees. "But they can be as versatile and
functional as you wish." When it comes to getting creative, there's little
Tanglewood can't do. The company has built see-through breezeways,
enclosed entire pools and erected unusual structures including a
freestanding, glass-and-stone octagon housing a bar, mahogany
woodwork, stained glass and a copper dome - to be used as a space
for entertaining.

More and more people are viewing the conservatory as an ideal place
to socialize. A glass room is a spectacular setting for cocktails on a

starry winter night and it's a wonderful spot to host sun-splashed Sunday brunches.

What will it take to make a Tanglewood conservatory appear in your backyard? Between $150,000 and $250,000. Seems a small price to pay for such sorcery.