Glass extension ideas and inspiration

Glass extensions are increasingly being recognised as a stunning modern alternative to traditional extensions such as conservatories and orangeries. If the whole idea behind extending your home is to create extra space for you and your family, why not make that space as light and airy as possible?

Thermally-broken glazed structures work so well as home extensions because they allow you to maximise natural light, help your room appear bigger, and enjoy panoramic views of your garden. Not only that, but they also look amazing!

Because a glass extension's thermal properties allow it to function just like any other room in your home, you can use it all year round for anything you like. Most glass extensions are custom-made and offer a range of flexible design solutions, meaning you can create a space specifically tailored to your needs.

So what would you use your glass extension for? Read on to discover some great ideas for how to use your glass extension.

Glass extension ideas

As a thermally broken structure, a Wintergarden glass extension only requires an internal door or no door at all between it and the rest of your home. This gives you the freedom to choose what you’d like to use it for. From a stunning dining kitchen to a cosy family room, a spacious home gym, or a light and airy swimming pool and spa area, the best use for your glass extension is purely a matter of individual preference.

Additional family space

A fully glazed structure is a great choice if you are planning to use your home extension as additional family space. It will let natural light flood in which can do wonders for everyone’s mood and wellbeing. Because it is thermally broken, it is cosy in the winter and cool in the summer, meaning it will soon become your family’s favourite place to hang out together at all times of the year. Open your glass extension onto your garden or patio during the warmer months and watch the children make the most of the freedom this affords. And on a clear night, get everyone together for a spot of stargazing through the glass roof of your extension.

A home gym

The light and spacious feel offered by a fully glazed extension works perfectly for a home gym. Look out across views of your garden or the countryside beyond while you’re pounding the treadmill and you’ll almost feel like you’re going for an outdoor run. Using your glass extension as a home gym will add a wellbeing dimension to your workout that means you’re looking after both body and mind.

Swimming pool / spa

If you have the space and the views, an outdoor swimming pool can be a wonderful addition to your garden. But the unpredictable British weather makes outside pools redundant for much of the year. Covering your pool with a thermally broken glass extension allows you to enjoy a swim and all the benefits it brings throughout the seasons. It also helps to keep it free of dirt and leaves, reducing the need for frequent cleaning and changes of water.

Equally, if you’re designing a spa area, a fully glazed extension is the perfect way to create a sense of space and freedom that will boost your wellbeing and allow you to fully relax.

Glazed kitchen diner extension

A kitchen and dining space is one of the most popular ways of making use of a glass extension. With natural light flooding your room and the ability to throw open the doors for a seamless transition into your garden or patio, a glass extension creates the perfect place to eat, drink and socialise with family and friends. With all the benefits we've mentioned before, such as an abundance of natural light and panoramic views across your outside space, a glass kitchen extension also adds a wow factor to your home with a stunning aesthetic and superb engineering that will impress your guests and make you smile every time you use it.

A double-height extension

With a bespoke glass extension offering the ability to go as wide as you want, you could cover the entire width of your house to create an absolutely stunning and totally unique home extension. And because the roof of the glazed structure can project at an acute angle of up to 45 degrees down from the wall of your house to first floor height, the possibility exists to incorporate the upper floor of your home within your glass extension too. This means that, with enough imagination and careful planning, you could create extra space upstairs too, just like this incredible two-storey extension on a family home.

Home office

With the increase in the number of people working from home following the Covid pandemic, many of us are now spending more time than ever within our own four walls. Many of these office spaces have been created in dark corners or unused, smaller and uninspiring rooms of our homes. Using your glass extension to create a bright and stimulating home office will do wonders for your motivation and productivity, as well as helping to ease stress.

A tranquil space

A fully glazed extension can help you feel closer to nature and the outdoors, aligning with elements of biophilic design. With the glass walls offering panoramic views of your garden and beyond and the glazed roof allowing for some star-gazing at night, you'll feel fully immersed in the world around you, creating a sense of calm and boosting your mental health.

Glass extension or glass room?

Glass rooms, sometimes called glass houses, garden rooms or orangeries, are glazed structures that are not thermally broken. Unlike true glass extensions, glass rooms provide shelter from the weather but will still let heat and cold enter and exit the room, so you would need an external door between your glass room and your home. Glass rooms may therefore not be very welcoming or practical in the depths of winter but can nevertheless be used for much of the year and really come into their own during the warmer months. This makes a glass room a great alternative to a glass extension and a worthwhile addition to your home that will undoubtedly add value and enhance your enjoyment of your outdoor space. 

So what can you use a glass room for? As with a glazed extension, a glass room can be used for whatever you like - just remember though that, unlike a glass extension, it isn't thermally insulated!

Glass room ideas

Outdoor kitchen

The great British weather always has us second guessing, and never more so when planning an outdoor gathering. To guarantee the perfect alfresco dining even when it’s not quite barbecue weather, why not create an outdoor kitchen. The new trend for stand-alone glass kitchens in your garden means you can make the most of outdoor dining while keeping sheltered from the wind, sun and rain.

Swimming pool canopy

For an alternative to a fully glazed, thermally insulated extension to house a swimming pool, or if you already have an outdoor pool in your garden and wish to create some cover over it, you could consider installing a glass room instead. Opt for a structure without glazed side panels for a canopy that protects the pool area from rain and sun, or add glass panes around the side for further protection from the wind. Either way, a glass canopy or glass room will enable you to enjoy your outdoor pool for longer.

Solarlux glass extensions and glass rooms

Solarlux Wintergarden glass extensions and glass rooms are all custom-made at their single site in Germany and, as such, offer limitless possibilities for creating something really special and totally unique for your home. Each element of these premium glazing systems is precision engineered and designed to fit seamlessly with all the others, resulting in a perfect appearance as well as excellent usability and durability.