Porches & alcoves creating a welcoming entrance
It has become popular to incorporate a porch or alcove around the entrance to a garden office. Not only do they provide an interesting design detail, but they also offer some shelter as you enter the office - useful with our inclement weather!
Porches are more typically seen in traditional style garden offices and an alcove in the more contemporary design. This page looks at examples of both styles.
Porches
A porch can create a welcoming entrance to a more traditional design garden office. On larger buildings, they are often positioned in the centre of the building. On smaller models, the porch is often formed in one corner. Timeless Garden Rooms are known for creating porch detailing on both small and large garden office buildings.
Porches set into the corner of the building do not have to steal too much space from inside the office. As we can see with this Timeless Garden Room, the porch walls don't take up much room, inside. The frame of the porch is detailed in such a way that the vaulted ceiling is unaffected.
Alcoves
Alcoves rather than porches are more commonly seen in contemporary garden office design. Typically the front wall is recessed back with the framework of the side walls, roof and floor framing it. The entrance doors are normally set into the wall.
The depth of the alcove differs amongst designs. From about 300mm as in this SIPS Garden Room to over a meter.
Often lights are incorporated into the alcove, creating a curtain of light down the wall. This is a great feature at night.
Tweaking the concept
Whilst an alcove is traditionally framed on all four sides. Many garden office designers offer a tweak on this, by framing the recessed wall on just three sides. With one side wall open. This Bridge Garden Room is a fine example. Look closely, and you will spot the downlights recessed into the roof canopy. They will create a curtain of light in the recess.
Another twist on the alcove concept is when it wraps around the corner of the building. Glazed corners are a big trend in garden office design, and the detailing can be enhanced by recessing the doors back from the main walls. This Swift Garden Room demonstrates this style.
Examples of alcoves and porches used in garden office design:
Use the filters to sort the examples. Click on any image to open a lightbox:
- All
- Porches
- Alcoves
- Corner Alcoves
- 3-sided Alcoves
Talk with a
Garden Office
Expert
Has this page given you ideas for your garden office project? Well, the next stage is to talk to a few garden office experts who specialise in creating personalised garden workspaces. They will work closely with you to turn your vision into a reality.