The balcony is probably the most underestimated part of a home; although many people exploit it as a storage space, it may be transformed into a full-fledged residential room with the help of a minimal arrangement of appropriate furniture. When choosing the pieces to furnish your balcony with, take into account not only their decorative effect, but also functionality and compactness, which will result in a truly convenient and beautiful design.
Requirements to balcony furniture.
- The size of the balcony space is the main parameter to take into account when choosing the furniture. In modern residential buildings, the standard area of the outdoor part of a flat may vary greatly.
- Compactness is a mandatory property of any balcony furniture. Such a choice will prevent encumbrance; otherwise, you may unwillingly transform the space into an incommodious closet.
- Nothing unnecessary. This rule is the first and foremost recommendation related to balcony furnishing. If you don’t use this or that furniture piece on a daily basis, get rid of it – or else this interior item will be eating up a patch of the valuable balcony area.
- Moisture-resistance. If the balcony is open, pay immense attention to this parameter of the furniture of your choice. If a piece (especially a wooden one) is unable to resist the impact of high moisture, it’s likely to fall into disrepair soon as a result of rains, mists and the morning dew. The optimal variant is to employ furniture for outdoor use that is manufactured from plastic or metal.
- Portable or fold-able furniture is of great convenience within a small space. If you own a flat with an open balcony and need to take the furniture inside after a family gathering in the open air, fold-able pieces will be significantly easier to carry through the narrow door opening. The portability rule is highly relevant even when you DIY the furniture pieces right on the balcony. It’s highly likely that one day you’ll need to remove these items in order to replace them with new ones; therefore, carrying out the furniture should not be problematic.
- Furniture configurations require decent attention as well. It’s especially relevant to the storage units, as an incorrect estimation of the required storage space results in an encumbered, packed-up balcony.
- Sunlight is a factor to be considered by US owners of glazed balconies, who want to employ interior furniture in the design project. If the facades of the pieces are constantly exposed to sunlight, they may fade quickly, losing their decorative appeal. Take care to acquire fade-resistant furniture or cover the windows with dense curtains to prevent exposure to direct sunlight.
What furniture choices are the most suitable for balconies?
- A wide windowsill and bar stools. It’s an amazing combinational idea that allows for an effective solution of the problems related to the extreme lack of spaciousness on the balcony. This budget-friendly furnishing choice provides for transforming the windowsill into a bar counter, where you can place all the necessary items and interior decorations. Under this counter, you can arrange additional shelves and boxes, adding up to the balcony’s storage capacity without turning it into a utility room. For the purpose of enhanced compactness, USA designers insist that the under-the-windowsill storage should be fitted with sliding doors.
- Corner furniture. The main distinctive and advantageous feature of this type of furniture is its ability to save up space in a tiny interior. When a storage unit is required for a glazed balcony, home-owners often employ a corner cabinet, which allows to put the total height of the room to good use. The disadvantageous side of this furniture choice is: you can rarely find a ready-made piece that meets your requirements and fits into the balcony corner you’ve allocated for the storage unit. The best option is to custom-order the piece, hiring a professional to develop the design.
- Multi-functional, transformable furniture is a catchy idea for every home-owner who is in the middle of furnishing their balcony. If you plan to use the space as a tiny yet full-fledged residential room, include a couch with a little built-in storage space into the furniture arrangement. If you intend to put a cabinet in the corner of the balcony, have a look at pieces with a door that opens to form a horizontal surface, which can be used as a table.
- Wicker furniture. One glance at the wicker furniture is enough to spark your curiosity as to how these pieces would appear when arranged on the balcony of your apartment. Couches, chairs, chests, tables – virtually any piece you require in this part of your home can be wicker-type, made from bamboo, rattan or vines. Wicker furniture is incredibly lightweight, due to which you’ll have no problems with moving it around for the purpose of mopping or rearrangement. Such furniture comes in both indoor and outdoor variants, which makes it suitable for both open and glazed balconies.