Garden rooms can be great places to enjoy the heat and sun at this time of year. But summers come and go. Instead, you could establish a room that can be used at any time of the year.
If the recent heatwaves have got you thinking about having a garden room installed, it may be all too easy to focus on the sunshine and heat and think about how you could have the perfect base to enjoy the weather, enjoy some shade and make the most of the season.
At this time of year, nobody wants to think about how the weather might be in a few months, when the days are short, the leaves are falling and the weather is cold and drizzly. But you should, to make the most of your garden room.
There is certainly no lack of garden room ideas out there. For example, English Home listed 11 that can be used all year round, while Ideal Home listed 21.
How Popular Is A Garden Room Bar?
Among the most popular ideas is a garden room bar, although, curiously, English Home missed this one off its list.
That may be surprising, as it is one of the most popular garden room ideas. This was highlighted in a survey by insurance firm Go Compare in 2024:
- Those aged 18-34 were three times as likely as the population at large to use their outbuilding as a bar
- 13 per cent used them as a ‘man cave’
- Eight per cent used the space as a gym, rising to 15 per cent for those aged 18-34
- Eight out of ten used them as a hobby space
These findings covered more than garden rooms, also including more humble garden sheds, although only 13 per cent of these were primarily used for their original purpose of storing gardening equipment.
Nonetheless, what this does indicate is that an outbuilding can be used in many ways. If it is a bar, it can be a great place to enjoy a cool drink in the shade on a hot summer’s day, or gather indoors for a few drinks in a cosy atmosphere in winter.
Equally, a gym is an obvious year-round use for a garden room, as you will want to get fit and then stay fit. With a bit of shade, it may be easier to work out inside than run in the summer heat, while it will be invaluable for burning off Christmas calories.
What Else Can You Do With A Garden Room All Year Round?
Among the other ideas suggested by both English Home and Ideal Home for year-round garden room use were:
- An office
- An art room
- A camouflaged hideaway that blends into the garden
Other ideas included:
- A games room
- A music room
- An entertainment space
- A reading room
- A craft room
- A garden cinema
This is quite a list, but the notable thing about them is that these are all activities that can be undertaken at any time of year. Whether playing music, entertaining friends or family, playing games, doing art and crafts, or there is no one season to do it.
Of course, setting out a purpose for the garden room is just the start. You can then work with us to find the tailored design that suits your garden.
The interior appearance will be mainly influenced by the purpose of the room, with a bar having all kinds of features you would associate with a pub, or a home gym being full of equipment. But the outside design can be selected from the many options that we offer.
How To Match The Design Of Your Garden Room To The Garden Every Season
Indeed, you may even think about the design with your garden’s appearance in mind. For example, if you were to go for the Bluebells design, the emphasis on blue colours could work if you have planted bluebells and forget-me-nots that will emerge in spring.
To keep this appearance going, your garden could have blue flowers that bloom in summer, such as hydrangeas and delphiniums, while blue ornaments and lights could add some colour and stand out more when there are no flowers in bloom in the autumn and winter.
At the same time, an important aspect of making sure your garden room is in use all year is to make sure it is temperature-controlled.
We fit garden rooms with plenty of good insulation to ensure that they are kept warm in winter, while there will be sizeable windows to open to allow cooling ventilation in summer.
With great design and a bit of creativity by yourself, you can enjoy a garden room on every day of the year, from seeing in the New Year with a drink at the bar to relaxing in the warmth of a summer’s day.