Unique Circular Garden Rooms, modular school buildings and lodges - Handcrafted in the UK
Above & Beyond: Eco Furnishings
Today we were tasked with a slightly unusual request; – To source a high quality, ethically made, circular rug to feature in the centre of a client’s 4.5m Rotunda, “Roundel”. We enthusiastically obliged, excited at the opportunity to further our research into Eco furnishings to suit our Eco garden buildings.
It’s not uncommon for us to receive enquiries for bespoke furnishings for Rotundas, and it is one of the most exciting aspects of offering such an innovative garden room as it opens up so many opportunities to source creative alternatives to the bog standard fixture and fittings. What is even more fantastic is that because the Rotunda is such a beautiful and ethical piece of craftsmanship, it inspires our clients to rethink their usual furniture options and instead seek out pieces that reflect the quality of their garden building, often opting for natural and Eco alternatives.
After a bit of research into environmentally friendly rugs we came across ‘rag rugs’ which are usually made from cloth scraps, old sheets, and up-cycled t-shirts. Due to the nature of the materials, the finished result is colourful and intricate, and looks both beautifully simple and yet strangely complex; not unlike a Rotunda. It was immediately clear that this fantastic example of Eco furnishings was the perfect addition to a circular Eco-building.
Once we had confirmed that the ‘rag rug’ concept was one to be pursued it wasn’t long before we not only found a wonderful craftswoman who makes beautiful, large rugs from organic cotton, but also the perfect design to suit Roundel’s spirit. The circular Eco rug, is crafted from a long braid of fabric that spirals outwards to create a mesmerising pattern of colour and texture. The particular creation which caught our eye transitioned from warm yellow to light teal creating an image of a golden sun radiating out into a clear sky which we thought mirrored the ideal view through the central dome of the Rotunda’s cathedral roof beautifully.
As a modular buildings manufacturer we could easily refuse to offer any kind of soft furnishing advice and many companies in our industry believe firmly that their obligations extend no further than providing the base building; even a paint finish is considered an optional extra. We believe that Rotunda is more than just an Eco building and that we are actually creating a full space that enriches the lives of those who use it; if this calls for us to go above and beyond then we are happy to accept that challenge.
If you are interested in developing your own Rotunda space with us then please don’t hesitate to get in contact and begin your journey to creating your own creative solutions in the round.
Size Matters: Tiny Houses and why living smaller is better.
Over the last few decades we have been bombarded with slogans and messages informing us that ‘Bigger is Better’ and encouraged us to believe that happiness, success and even value are directly associated to size. This thinking is also applied to our homes. We often use the size of our abode as a physical representation of our success, and forget what our actual living requirements are, for example if you live alone and spend most of your time out of your house, do you really need those additional four bedrooms?
Thankfully more and more people are starting to break the mould and a large movement has formed supporting the creation and development of Tiny House Living, which encourages people to reassess their actual spacial needs. By drastically reducing the amount of house space available, people are being challenged to really consider the design of their environment; leading to some highly creative and very clever solutions being found.
There are also a number of other benefits of swapping your mansion for a small cabin house;
Easier Maintenance
A smaller house means smaller repairs and less general maintenance and upkeep. What’s more a number of tiny houses are constructed from timber, recycled materials, or natural building products which are much easier and cheaper to repair/replace.
Less Time Cleaning
Even an empty room can get messy and dirty! A smaller space means less time can be spent on keeping it clean.
Saves Money
A smaller house is cheaper to build, cheaper to buy, and cheaper to run! Insurance, utilities, and taxes are all much lower for smaller properties which leaves you with more of your hard earn wages to spend on enjoying yourself.
Less Debt
As mentioned above, a smaller home is much cheaper which also leads to smaller mortgages, or in some cases can be built without a requirement for a mortgage at all!
More Land
Even if you haven’t got acres and acres of land, the smaller the footprint of your house, the more land you’ll have around it. This opens up more opportunities for growing your own produce, keeping chickens or bees, or even just creating a beautiful outdoor space to enjoy.
Closer Family Bonds
Smaller spaces mean more interaction between family members and strengthen family bonds. Of course it’s still important for everyone to have their own space, but with some imagination and a little bit of smart planning, the possibilities for creating a unique area for each family member are endless.
Easier Resell
Affordable houses are always more attractive to the housing market than expensive ones. With so many people struggling to find the funds for homes, being able to offer a quirky, more affordable option makes it highly desirable.
In addition there are also huge environmental benefits as having a smaller footprint also means; less resources spent, smaller carbon footprint, and less impact on the environment. Combining the small house design with an eco build such as straw bale, timber framed, earth bag, or cob is an even more sustainable option.
Tiny Houses can be made from the most unlikely of things too; from shipping containers to pre-fabricated units, metal silos to traditional wooden gypsy caravans. And just because it’s small it doesn’t mean it has to be ugly or low quality, in fact being able to spend less on the building itself means you could have extra to really splash out on the interior.
Round Garden Rooms: The ultimate creative space
Creative Space – Rotunda Garden Room
This blogpost almost didn’t appear today… I have been suffering from a baffling case of writers block and despite the numerous nudges from our SEO professional and the never ending blog-worthy subjects that have popped into my mind over the last few weeks my creativity had just disappeared! Then, moments ago, I opened a book to wind down for the evening and my creative spark alighted!
Creativity is a delicate creature. Some may say that my creativity is in the spaces I create with my clients; in fact, the birth of the ‘Rotunda’ garden room was a deeply creative process (whilst pregnant and idealistic!) wishing to create round sanctuaries which would benefit both the environment and the human experience.
To be creative isn’t a process which can just be switched on and off like a light switch, and yet, how do musicians and artists manage to work on their creative arts on a daily basis? Perhaps they don’t, perhaps they too need to take a few days or weeks out to re-calibrate their creative minds!
I’ve always maintained that being in the ‘Round’ (whether in a circular garden room or in a yurt) seems to amplify the energy of those activities taking place within it. The years in which I spent working in a roundhouse were without doubt the most productive of my life. Coincidentally, we moved into a rectangular office earlier on this year and I am not enjoying it half as much as I enjoy the round. The buzz seems to be missing; although we are busier than ever it’s a functional and serious busy rather than the excited uplifted feeling one experiences in the round!
Over the last 12 months I’ve been noticing the correlation between all of our clients and how they use their Rotundas… the overwhelming majority are using their round garden room as therapy rooms, meditation rooms, yoga or spiritual purposes. A large percentage are utilising them for arts/music and creativity whilst others treat their Rotunda as a secret hideaway and spare guest bedroom for surprise visitors . The very last few are used as garden offices and one is soon to be used as a family home.
So, creative spaces, therapy rooms and meditation or yoga studios are at the very top of the list….
It is no surprise to me that the calming and uplifting energy of the round is attracting those of us who wish to enhance their ability to heal and create – the cornerstones of our human essence. It would appear that creatives and healers appreciate the benefits that energy and form can bring to your life when everything around you is oh so terribly and absolutely square.
Rhiannon (our business development manager) and I sat down with some dulux colour charts and chose bright vibrant greens, deep oranges and pinks for the rectangular office; this is our first step towards making our space as creative, uplifting and vibrant as possible, irrespective of the unfortunate rectangular shape! We’ve realised that to have a creative space one must rely on colour if not form! (We shall post photos on facebook next week for those of you who follow us on there!)
A creative space is vital, for all of us as human beings. If you have a desire to enhance your creativity or would just like to maintain your current activities in an uplifting and uncluttered space, the Rotunda may be the space in which to thrive.
If you’d like us to design your creative or therapy garden room space for you please do get in touch, we only have two installation slots left for 2014!
…….Let’s create!
Blogpost written by Gemma
How a Garden Room can Improve your Health and Wellbeing
Welcome to our first guest blog-post written by our friend Mr Shaun Rudden, over in Melbourne Australia, hailing the health benefits of the Garden Room!
Shaun is a freelance writer with a passion for the outdoors and has a very interesting spin on the Garden Room! It’s an honour to be publishing his blog on our site!
Take it away Shaun!
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Building a garden room could actually be beneficial to your health. Now, it may sound like a rather ambitious claim, but not so overly ridiculous when we consider the facts. Firstly, let’s face it, although we often make plans to ditch the sofa and TV in favour of outdoor activities, taking in natural light and fresh air on a regular basis is easier said than done most of the time. So, could a garden room be that simple stepping stone to a more rewarding lifestyle?
The Modern Family In the modern day family, it’s not uncommon for both parents to have full-time jobs. Evenings then revolve around the usual household chores, along with preparing dinner and ‘sorting out’ the kids. By the time the little ones are in bed, mum and dad can only collapse on the couch with barely enough strength to reach for the remote control – perhaps a slight exaggeration, but probably not overly far from the truth.
And it’s not just the adults either; we’re losing the ongoing fight to get our children outdoors. Games are nowadays solely played via consoles and interaction is done through Social Media portals, so getting the kids out of their respective rooms is a challenge in itself, let alone out of the house.
Indoor Routines Whether you’re a parent or not, think about your usual weekly routine and the main components that it consists of: Work, gym, supermarket, drinks with friends? For the majority of us, they’re all located indoors; so even when we’re getting out of the house, we’re still breathing stale air and possibly even relying on artificial light.
In fact, some people even have all the apparatus to complete said weekly activities without even leaving their own four walls (save for opening the door to the Tesco Online delivery man).
Convenience is the main buzzword within our lives now; everything can either be delivered to us or is available ‘on-the-go’, so even our need to venture out for the odd errand is also rapidly decreasing.
Why is Being Outdoors Important? There are many benefits for spending time outdoors:
- Our skin creates and supplies our bodies with 90% of its Vitamin D intake, and it does this following exposure to UV light from the sun. Vitamin D helps to prevent some forms of cancer, as well as heart attacks and depression, and the best thing about it – you can get the majority of it for free.
- According to studies, fresh air has been proven to enhance your immune system and heart rate, whilst also giving you more energy and improving your mood levels.
- Lounging in front of the television actually sends the brain into a more dormant state than when you’re sleeping. The same can be said of performing typical yet mundane activities on your computer, such as perusing YouTube videos or Facebook statuses.
- Exercise your brain by engaging in other activities away from the living room.
Benefits of a Garden Room
Although it’s important to get outdoors, as mentioned previously, it might not always be feasible. So what’s the next best thing?
A garden room is the perfect multi-purpose retreat for the whole family, in your own grounds. By transferring your normal daily activities to your garden, you and your loved ones can benefit from brighter and more tranquil surroundings.
The function possibilities of the garden room are endless: The kids can complete their homework there (because if you can’t get them out of the house, perhaps getting them into the garden room is a step in the right direction?), it can be a relaxation area for you, family meals can be livened up outdoors, social gatherings can be hosted there – you get the idea.
Your garden house could even become your garden office if you work from home, or you bring work home with you.
Whilst you’re not exactly in the ‘great outdoors’ by being in your garden house, it’s still a brighter alternative. Unlike a conservatory, it’s also detached from your home, meaning that you can disengage yourself completely from the indoor distractions. It can also be heated, insulated and covered, so you’ll be sheltered from the unpredictable British weather.
Use a garden room as your gateway to a more outdoors lifestyle.
Blogpost written by Shaun Rudden.
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