If you’re looking into having a garden room installed, you’re likely to be faced with plenty of decisions to be made regarding how it’s all going to look! There’s no shortage to the customisations available when it comes to the layout, materials, colours, etc., of your new garden room.
Whilst doing your research and looking for some inspiration, you’ve probably come to the conclusion that the majority of garden rooms tend to be clad with wood, such as oak or cedar – or they are at least wood-effect. However, there’s a new style to look out for!
These days, black garden rooms are becoming increasingly popular.
Across the country, black-clad garden rooms are appearing more and more. Like any aspect of interior (or, in this case, exterior) design, garden rooms have their own trending looks that come and go over time. At the moment, black garden rooms are very much the popular option.
So, why is this?
Well, the obvious reason is that black garden rooms simply look great! Black has always been a staple, on-trend colour – it’s like they say, ‘Black goes with everything’. Black garden rooms are no different. Black-cladding provides a sleek, stylish finish to any bespoke garden room, giving the structure a contemporary, modern look overall.
These days, garden rooms aren’t just a space for storage like the sheds and free-standing garages of years gone by. Garden rooms in 2021 can take shape as almost anything, from a home gym, to a garden office, a cinema room, a garden bar hangout – even as an extra living or sleeping space. With so much creativity and attention-to-detail being put into place on the interior of a bespoke garden room, it makes perfect sense that your garden room should look just as polished on the outside, too – that’s why black garden rooms are such a great option.
Of course, when installing a brand new garden room, you want to ensure it looks great for years to come. This is yet another reason for the growing popularity of black cladding on garden rooms – not only is black a timeless colour and one which quite literally never goes out of fashion, but black cladding will maintain its appearance for a long, long time.
This brings us to our next point. Black cladding doesn’t just look good – it’s incredibly durable, too.
Whilst the long-lasting cedar panels that are currently the most commonly used on garden rooms are naturally resistant to rot and fungus, this type of cladding is highly prone to colour fading over time – usually from a vibrant red-brown colour to a dull, greying shade. This can be prevented in some cases by applying a UV oil to the cladding as the garden room is installed, but this will need to then be reapplied every couple of years in order to prevent heavy aesthetic damage.
With black garden rooms, there are no such issues with longevity when it comes to the depth of their colour. Black garden cladding is generally constructed from materials such as redwood, Thermowood or Siberian Larch, before being painted using a long-lasting specialist barn paint. Barn paint is generally incredibly effective, as it looks excellent and will stand the test of time brilliantly, with little risk of cracking, flaking or blistering in the years following its application.
Of course, that’s not to say that there aren’t some downsides to opting for a black garden room over the more traditional wooden-clad options.
Firstly, it’s a well-known fact that black is the colour that absorbs the most heat, which could lead to your garden room becoming rather hot in the summer months. If you’re using your garden room for more casual leisure purposes – for example, as a garden bar or extra living space – this may not be too much of a problem. However, it could prove troublesome if you are planning to use your garden room as an office, gym or extra bedroom, as it could become much too hot on a particularly warm day.
Another downside is that some people tend to find black structures to be a little unsightly in comparison to more natural, wooden options, so installing a black garden room could lead to complaints from neighbours. It may be best to clear your decision with the neighbours first or, if you do go for a black garden room, prepare to plant plenty of trees, greenery, etc., in order to mask the appearance of your garden room a little.
There could also be an added cost involved, depending on the materials you want to use for your garden room. Black and grey uPVC doors and window frames tend to be a little more expensive than those in white, so unless you’re planning to stick with white or are happy to paint wooden doors and frames black to match, you could find yourself with some extra charges on your final bill.
Finally, large expanses of darker colours do tend to make a space appear smaller or make the structures themselves appear larger. If you like the idea of having a black garden room but worry that it may leave your garden looking a little more cramped, it may be worth adding more – or just larger – windows, as well as installing mounted lights onto the exterior of the garden room.
So, how do you know that a black garden room is the right choice for you? It really all comes down to personal preference and to the overall look that you wish to create.
However, if ‘contemporary’, ‘stylish’ and ‘long-lasting colour’ are on your wish list of desired attributes for your new garden room, it’s safe to say that black garden rooms are most certainly an option worth putting some thought into.