In the early days of garden office design any windows were positioned in the centre of a wall. This was for two reasons 1) to make full use of the standard style of windows around at the time and 2) it was the easiest place to create the opening without effecting the overall structure of the building.
However, garden office design has moved on a long way. Different styles of window have become popular and garden office designers have created building systems that allow them to create openings where they want without effecting the structural integrity of the building.
As a result of this we see more and more garden offices being built with wrap around glazing. In fact this has become a very desirable design feature on garden offices large or small.
Wrap around glazing is a key feature of contemporary garden office design. How you configure the glazing will depend on how you plan to use the office and its position in your garden.
Some Common Layout Options
Small garden offices with wrap around glazing
Wrap around glazing makes a lot of sense on a small garden office design as it can create the feeling of more space than you actually have!
The building in our example is just 2.5m x 2.5m which has an internal floor space of 2.1m x 2.1m. This is a common size for a small garden office.
The wrap around glazing forms one corner of the building. A fully glazed door forms the front section and a fixed floor to ceiling glazed panel of the same size creates the side section.
As you can see the glazing really gives the idea of more space when you are working inside the office.
Garden office with desk height windows
In most cases the wrap around glazing used in a garden office is floor to ceiling, but this layout doesn’t work for everyone, particularly if you want to maximise desk or storage space. The solution here is to create desk height wrap around glazing.
Most bespoke garden office designers will be able to create this layout with you. The designer will work with you to ascertain the best positioning so that you can sit at your desk and look out of the window.
This layout creates a rather nice feel as you work, its like sitting in a cockpit with your garden around you.
Large garden offices offer different opportunities
Large expanses of glazing have become popular on garden offices and this is particularly effective option if it wraps around the corner of the building.
In our example we have used a large set of bi-fold doors coupled with a fixed glazed panel on the side elevation. As the bi-fold doors open it will create a great connection of indoor outdoor space.
You could use other styles of door in this configuration such as French doors or sliding doors, each option creating a different look and feeling of space.
Some garden office designers can create a cantilevered roof structure which allows them to create wrap around glazing which can be folded back to open up the whole corner of the building. In most cases this is achieved by combining two sets of bifold doors, one on each elevation that fold back to open up the whole corner of the building.
Fully glazed walls
If you are siting your garden office in the corner of your garden you could consider creating wrap around glazing that covers the whole wall.
In our example below we have included a door and fixed glazing panels on two elevations.
This is a great looking effect both inside and out!
Wrapping around three elevations
The most common wrap around window configuration is to have glazing on the front wall and on one side elevation, but there is no reason why it can’t wrap around both side walls.
In this example we have mixed French doors with narrow glazed panels alongside on the front elevation with wider glazed panels on the side walls.
If you focus this type of layout on the South, South West & South East elevations you will maximise the light and heat from the sun entering the office.
Find a garden office supplier to design your ideal layout
The garden office specialists we feature on this site all have garden office designs with wrap around windows in their portfolios. They will be more than happy to work with you to design your ideal layout.