What do you think of when the image of a greenhouse fills your mind’s eye? Isn’t it space generally dedicated to growing flowers and other plants? Yet, there are other uses for your greenhouse — besides growing flowers, tobacco, fruits, and vegetables year-round.
In fact, during those months of the year that are the hottest, or when there’s additional space, then it’s time to try out some new ways to use your greenhouse.
In this article, we’ll go over some fantastic ideas for turning your green space into a multi-purpose garden building!
Eat outdoors this winter
Well, eat in your greenhouse. It’s a space that’s not in your house, right? Think about it. When temperatures drop, and it’s more than a tad frosty out, you might think about turning some space in your greenhouse into a serene dining spot!
Consider purchasing some furniture that would complement a space that contains natural things. Perhaps similar in concept to Scandinavian minimalist decor, you might get a wooden table and chairs. Alternatively, you might go with wicker furniture and top off the look with lanterns or candle holders.
Breakfast, lunch, or dinner (if it’s lunch or dinner, don’t forget a nice bottle of wine!) eating in your new greenhouse dining room could be a fun change of pace.
Make it a yoga studio
For those workout and wellness enthusiasts among us, the idea of converting a part of your greenhouse into a yoga studio just may get the heart rate up there. For some, there is something special about creating a space away from all the habitual tasks and daily stresses that fill your everyday living space.
Perfect for yoga and meditation, a converted greenhouse space can put you into a setting filled with the feel and smell of earth and plants. It can allow you to get a sense of being grounded even when practicing yoga outdoors would typically leave you with a chill.
Keep it simple by rearranging the plants so that you have enough room for your yoga mat and you’re good to go. (Then again, if you want to go all out, think about installing a sound system in your greenhouse. You can either rock out while doing your yoga, or you could play some soothing ambient music to meditate by.)
Make it a home extension
Spend some time cultivating the plants in your greenhouse, then sit back and relax. Enjoy the fruits of your labor and soak in the atmosphere you’ve created. Take some time to decorate the inside as if the space were another room in your house.
All you’ve got to do is make enough space to bring in some comfy outdoor furniture (the kind you’d put on your patio) with some cushions. Hey, you could turn it into a sofa or daybed.
In any case, the idea is to do some work and then sit back and chill with a cup of hot tea and a good book!
Turn it into a bathhouse
Until now, we’ve talked about using your greenhouse for its main function … namely as a building to grow various plants year-round. In every case until now, you’re utilizing only a part of the greenhouse’s space for another purpose.
Here, we suggest removing the plants altogether!
You can still create a humid, warm microclimate wherein it’s essentially a bathhouse or steam room. To do this, you must close every opening and block the ventilation system. Then, of course, you’ll need to create a space for a heated body of water. Indeed, you could even turn the whole floor space of the greenhouse into an in-ground, heated pool.
Of course, this would entail some significant work and would change the entire purpose of your greenhouse. From this point on, it’s unlikely that you’d be using it to grow plants any longer.
Convert it into a little guesthouse
Like that of the bathhouse, this idea requires a little redesign of the interior of your greenhouse. You can still use the overall structure, but of course, you’ll need to remove the majority of growing plants. You may wish to keep just enough to enliven the space and maintain a sense of life and nature inside.
However, to truly turn your greenhouse into a little guesthouse, you’ll also want to change the flooring perhaps and bring in new furnishings and then decorate to make it feel cozy and inviting.
At the end of the day
You’ll find that your greenhouse is a space that’s useful for all kinds of things. They’re incredibly versatile, and there are practically innumerable ways you can use them. Put your thinking cap on, get inspired, and imagine all the different uses to which you could put your greenhouse!
