Spring is the perfect time for doing some home improvement and bringing to life new interior ideas. It’s even more true in relation to the big seasonal clean-up and renovation of the balcony space.
A small balcony, whether open or glazed can become a full-featured and frequently visited part of your home during the warm season. Its design requires a responsible approach to the choice of style, color scheme and decorations. A traditional balcony includes a table with chairs for get-togethers with friends or family, and lots of potted plants. The preferred styles are Country and Provence, although this year Eco-tendencies have been gaining momentum in the field of balcony design.
Small balcony usage ideas.
- Arrange a corner for reading or solitude. Even the smallest balcony can accommodate a comfortable arm-chair with several pillows and a warm plaid blanket. Such a corner, especially if decorated with live plants, is a place where you can sip on the morning mug of coffee or relax with an interesting book or tablet in the evening. The idea of transforming the balcony into a personal space is great if it’s adjacent to your bedroom or if you live without any home-mates.
- Transform the balcony into a lounge zone. It’s the perfect space for creating an oriental-styled lounge zone, with soft pillows place immediately on the floor. Such pillows are easy to remove when the weather turns nasty. Even more important is that such a solution will allow you to accommodate more guests on a small balcony. An oriental chill-out balcony design establishes a relaxed and easy atmosphere; those US home owners who are fond of tea ceremonies and hookahs will definitely enjoy spending time here.
Space-saving ideas for balconies.
- Use compact fold-able furniture. The balcony is often viewed as a space where the family or friends gather in the evenings. However, it’s quite difficult a task to accommodate all the necessary furniture pieces within such a limited space. The recommendable solution involves fold-able chairs, which you can hang on the wall when folded, and lightweight drop-leaf tables. Such furniture is designed specifically for outdoor use and is available in different designs within a large price range.
- Exploit the railing to the highest extent. Non-glazed balconies have their advantages. You can brighten up this small outdoor part of your apartment with several potted plants in boxes designed to be attached to the railing. If you’re craving for every square inch of space, you can even position these pots on the outer side of the balcony fence. And on the inner side, you can employ a drop-leaf tray table, which can be folded up when you don’t need it.
Decorating a modestly-sized balcony.
- Hang a mirror on the wall. Interior elements are always eye-catching when used outdoors. Decorate a balcony wall with a mirror in a beautiful frame. This will make the space cozier, adding up a certain zest and expanding the space, which is crucially important.
- Employ bright textiles. As a means of freshening up the appearance of a small balcony without an overall renovation or big expenditures, designers from the USA suggest the introduction of bright accents. The simplest option involves using textile decorations: throw a colorful rag on the floor, place patchy pillows and plaid blankets on the the chairs or benches. Such bright and attention-getting details will not only instill a summer mood in everyone who’s on the balcony; they will also come handy in the evenings, when the spring air gets cold.
- Employ natural materials in finishing and decorating. The balcony is the intermediary space between your home and the outdoor world, which is why many home owners like the idea of making this area close to nature. Inexpensive natural materials suit the purpose well. Weatherboard, cork material, bamboo or jute wallpaper are what is welcome in the Eco-style interior of a glazed balcony. An open balcony can be decorated with dried sedge or reed grass. Such materials do not require you to spend a lot on the renovation, but they are still able to create the desirable atmosphere of a private cottage patio.
- Purchase a portable bio-fuel fireplace. Compact fireplaces of this type are highly portable; they neither give smoke, nor require engineering communications. The sight of live flames will warm you in the evenings, making the atmosphere cozier and more romantic. Naturally, opting for a portable fireplace, you have to see that nothing flammable is placed near the fire, and to stock up some fire extinguishing means at hand – just in case.
Tiny balconies & potted plants.
- Grow potted plants that bear edible fruits. Cache-pots and flower boxes on the windowsill and the railing are suitable not only for ornamental flowers and cacti. Think about using them for growing various useful herbs and plants with edible leaves or fruits: different species of lettuce, parsley, dill, chili, etc. They will not appear any worse than ornamental plants (not taking into account flowers). In addition, home-growing an organic harvest of plants and herbs in an exciting experience.
- Arrange a vertical garden. If you enjoy the idea of balcony gardening, but the amount of space you can allocate for potted plants is tragically small, try arranging a vertical garden. It’s a fashionable solution that allows for transforming a wall into a garden or flower bed. The boxes for a vertical garden can be either store-bought or home-made.