Purchasing a purpose-built garden room is a big decision. It’s up there with deciding to extend or upsize, although at less cost and almost endless design options.

You see, a garden room is as much like a lifestyle choice and a sensible investment. Most people who purchase a garden space usually do so to enhance their lives and give them something they were missing before.

It could be that a garden space separates work and home life, gives you a purposeful space to unwind, or to own your very own gym or a spectacular social space. It may even be a combination of all of these.

As soon as you start thinking about possible garden room ideas, you’ll open the floodgates to all eventualities. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with ideas, so here are a few pointers on making sure that you create a garden room that’s just right for you.

Indoor Garden Room Ideas

It’s important to consider how you plan on using your new space. After all, there are countless ideas to consider. If, for example, you plan on using your garden room primarily as a garden office, the configuration may be different to a garden gym room or entertaining space.

When it comes to garden room ideas, your garden office design will hinge on how you intend to use your workspace, with your desk and storage solutions being a priority. In addition, careful attention will need to be paid to where the light falls at different times of day and how the glazing could be carefully positioned to welcome just the right amount of natural light.

A garden gym room, on the other hand, will have different design requirements. Most are fully air-conditioned and big enough to allow for several pieces of equipment. Often SMART Gyms include bi-fold doors and extensive floor-to-ceiling glazing to make the most of the garden views.  For privacy, you may also choose to have integrated blinds as an optional extra. Notice how the owners of this garden gym room below have chosen bi-fold doors and two eyelet windows that allow just the right amount of fresh air in when cycling or running.

Of course, you may be simply looking for a family entertaining area or garden games room. Depending on how your family intends to use the space, there are infinite garden room ideas. Partitioned walls are a good option for families who have lots of different hobbies and interests. Take the owners of this dual-aspect Belle Garden Room. There’s a cinema/gaming room on the right and a sliding partitioned door to the music room on the left (a full video is available on our Belle Garden Room page).

Ideas For How to Style Your Garden Room (Interior and Exterior)

When it comes to choosing and styling your garden room, you’ll be faced with lots of exciting options. We consider ourselves very lucky at SMART Garden Offices because many clients send us finished pictures of their rooms. This means we have plenty of garden room interior ideas to share.  

Embrace Botanical

One of our all-time favourite garden room interior ideas is to bring the outdoors in and make your garden room feel at one with its surroundings. The best way to do this is to introduce house plants and even indulge in the botanicals theme if you love deep dark green, leafy prints and natural organic textures.

Likewise, our favourite botanical garden room exterior ideas are to frame your garden room with flowers, raised beds, and beautiful pots. The people who own this contemporary Ultra Garden Room have adorned the striking anthracite entrance with two elegant bay leaf trees.

Bring in the Warmth

Much the same as a house, our garden rooms are designed to be used all year round, although at a fraction of the cost. Even the warmest of spaces need to feel cosy and inviting, though, which our next set of garden room interior ideas lends itself to. We really like what the owners of this small but welcoming garden retreat have created. Everything has been carefully considered and placed, from the soft interior half-panelling to the fairy lights and soft furnishings. We’ve got to say, the décor is spot on for this 3.2m x 2.1m Belle.

As far as garden room exterior ideas go, they’ve also made the most of the outside features too. The lovely shale coloured paint is a warm blue rather than a cool shade, and the pot plants are a lovely touch too.

Ultra-modern Workspace

More of us are now working from home, which has brought a new dimension to living. Replicating the modern office at home needn’t be a stretch, though, with a garden office. The Affinity Garden Room is a great choice in garden room exterior ideas, as seen on Sarah Beeny’s Renovate Don’t Relocate. Owners, Rhianne and Oliver, were struggling with a house that just wasn’t working for them. So they decided to reach out to Sarah Beeny. Despite having a four-bed house, they didn’t feel there was enough space for them to bring up a family. The solution was really rather simple as Sarah turned her attention to their large garden. She came up with an impressive selection of garden room interior ideas housed within a purpose-built garden room.

Although an Affinity Garden Room was not something that Rhianne and Oliver had considered before, they soon found that a garden room was the key to unlocking the internal space in their home.

We must say, what they have created internally is impressive, from the bespoke dark black cabinetry that matches the exterior portico to the stunning handcrafted desk.

The view from their patio area closer to their house is also equally striking as the Affinity perfectly frames this modern garden.

Where to Position Your Garden Room

The location of your garden room (where you place it) is just as important as the interior and exterior design choices you make.

You’ll have more options in a large garden, where you can almost position your garden room anywhere you like. Just be mindful of where the sun rises and sets though as this will be a consideration, especially if you are planning on adjoining decking. Likewise, you’ll want to avoid being too close to the boundary with your neighbours.

When you’re planning a garden room for small garden spaces, it’s a good idea not to make your garden room too overbearing. Instead, a smaller garden room that’s equally practical to use, can be a real focal point. Take this artist’s beautiful Affinity garden studio, it creates the perception of extra space and makes good use of an otherwise redundant part of the garden. Notice the clever use of symmetry in this design to elongate the patio area.

Garden Room Cost and Payment Options

You may be wondering how much does a garden room cost? Well, at SMART Garden Offices, we like to be open and transparent about the cost of our garden rooms so that you can make an informed choice. The starting garden room cost is £10,525 for a 2.1m x 2.1m Key Studio and £13,265 for an Ultra garden room of the same size.

Within the standard garden room cost, almost everything is included. There are no extra flooring or wall costs unless you opt for a flush interior (without seams). Likewise, every garden room is supplied with a slimline, wall-mounted, thermostatically controlled radiator. However, some people prefer to have an air conditioning system that can either cool or warm the room quickly to the desired temperature. This will come at an extra cost, although the units are competitively priced. Similarly, internal lights and fittings are included in the price.

Single or double doors and unlimited double glazing are contained within the garden room cost – you choose where you want your windows without worrying about cost-creep. The only exception to this is where bi-fold doors are specified.

As is always the case with any garden room manufacturer, the garden room cost does not include installing a base or an electric connection. Again, we can arrange for these, but they do come at an additional cost.

Order Your Brochure Now

If you love the garden room ideas we’ve covered and feel inspired, the next step is to design and customise your very own space using our Augmented Reality (AR) configurator app. You’ll be able to see exactly how your garden room will look in your outside space with a 3D visualiser. Simply search ‘SMART Garden Room Configurator’ on either Apple’s App Store or on Google Play, and download.

If you want to see some more examples of the garden rooms we’ve installed across Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, London and even further afield, please also download our brochure. It’s packed full of fabulous garden room ideas and real-life imagery.