Whether it’s continuous rain, snow, or wind, inclement weather can seem to drag on forever in Calgary. There comes a point each year where your family seems to get “cabin fever” where they need to get out and get some space from each other, but the weather isn’t inclined to help out. The only other option therefore is to find ways to expand your home, and a Calgary sunroom is the perfect year-round solution.
Using Your Sunroom Year Round
When you work with experienced sunroom builders, you should be able to make it so that your sunroom can be used year round. You need to be talking about either a four season sunroom or an all season sunroom, depending on who you contract with, but in either case, you’re looking for a full room that will connect to your home’s existing heating and cooling system. A year round sunroom can sit directly on top of your existing deck or patio, meaning that you can build it quickly and enjoy your new space in every season.
Spring In Your Sunroom
Spring is a beautiful season in Calgary, in part because it means that winter is finally done, and in part because the change from snowscape to green and growth in your yard can be joyful. Your sunroom is the perfect place to sit with a hot cup of tea or coffee in the mornings, enjoying the quiet before your family gets up. Consider turning your furniture away from the middle of the room so that you get the perfect view out of your garden all season long.
Spring Decorating Tips
Part of the fun of owning an all season sunroom is that you can swap out the decorations to create a brand new aesthetic for each season. In spring, the colour palette should reflect the growth and change outside, so plenty of greens and some vibrant pops of colour. A good way to get this effect is to find brightly coloured throw cushions to make everything pop when you first enter the room. You can then add in some floral artwork (though you can also cheat by framing some simple plant and flower wallpaper samples!) and you’ll suddenly get the feeling that you’re sitting outside watching the world wake up.
Summer In Your Sunroom
Make no doubt about it, your sunroom comes into its own when summer rolls around. You get all the best parts of summer in Calgary: the endless days of sunshine, the long days and the glorious warmth, without any of the bugs and wind that can make it hard to stay outside during the summer months. Many Calgary sunroom owners put up a dining table in their new space so you can enjoy the feeling of a picnic lunch or dinner without getting eaten or blown away.
Summer Decorating Tips
It’s super easy to decorate your sunroom for summer. The biggest change to make is to get a series of low level tables or stands and bring your exotic house plants into your sunroom. Not only will they thrive on the additional heat and humidity that comes with your sunroom, but you’ll bring a whole natural vibe to the room that gives you all the benefits of being outside while protecting you from the midsummer heat and the endless bugs. In terms of colour schemes, you can either go bold with yellows and blues to remind you of beach vacations, or more of a pastel blend to keep everything feeling cool even on the hottest Calgary days.
Fall In Your Sunroom
As the days get cooler and shorter, your sunroom still remains the place to be. You’ll find yourself ending the day in front of the big glass windows, watching the sun set over your garden and relaxing after a good day out preparing your yard for winter. To get the best out of fall, you want to invest in some cosy blankets and consider turning the furniture to face the window so you get an up close vision of the changing leaves.
Fall Decorating Tips
There’s so many options for your fall decorating projects. There’s plenty of holidays to choose from, with Thanksgiving being an obvious focus. Picking out some fake harvest fruit and produce to put on your bookshelves and windowsills can be a quiet nod to the season, while a full on cornucopia can make for a stunning centrepiece. You can also pick out the traditional fall colours for your soft furnishing accents, with oranges, yellows and browns dominating. A quick win is to pick up fall themed plush blankets for you to snuggle up under as the evenings get colder and darker.
Winter In Your Sunroom
The first time that you sit in your sunroom in the middle of a big Calgary snowstorm, you’ll wonder why you hated winter all these years. There’s something awe inspiring about watching the snow tumble and fall all around you while you remain warm and cosy. Your sunroom quickly becomes an inner sanctuary during the long months of winter hibernation, and whether you set it up as a family room or a quiet “no kids” space, your winter sunroom gives everyone the breathing room they need to get back round to spring.
Winter Decorating Tips
Out of all the seasons, winter is probably the easiest to decorate for as you likely have a bunch of Christmas and snow themed decor hidden in a closet somewhere. Make your sunroom the focal point for your winter decorations and you’ll find that it quickly becomes the place in the house where everyone gathers when it’s too cold to be outside. Make sure to leave space for your Christmas tree – if you built your sunroom with a gabled (also called an A frame) roof, you’ll be amazed at the size of tree that you can put in your sunroom! Use cotton wool to frame the windows with fake snow, and don’t be afraid to light the room solely with twinkle to get the ultimate in winter magic.
