Groomed Home Smarter Living
Balconies, especially in apartments, are often underestimated. Spending a little bit of time decorating them will add a ton to your place. Best of all, it doesn’t need to be mind-boggling.
Here are our six basic steps when it comes to decorating apartment balconies.
Flooring
Assuming you have a choice in the matter, what kind of flooring you’re gonna pick is an essential part of your balcony’s style.
Duckboards and wooden slats are probably your best bet. They are a relatively inexpensive and simple solution to organize your balcony, and also bring a warm touch to the ensemble. Pick them out of exotic wood or treated pine. They’ll be easy enough to install and maintain.
The width of your slats do not need to match perfectly with that of your balcony. If it is not, you can finish off the flooring with some gravel or white stones.
Verticality
To arrange your balcony and give it added privacy, you can cover the railing with some reed fencing.
You can also create a green wall on one side with plants. Set up a trellis and add to it passion vines or star jasmines. These are vines that grow out easily, and have very beautiful flowers come summer time.
Containers
Choose the flower pots of your balcony to give them a sense of harmony. They can be in the same color tones, made of glazed terracotta or wood. The terracotta pots are fairly resistant and retain freshness. However, they are also quite heavy. Fiberglass flower pots are less insulating but lighter. Wood is usually a good compromise.
For a very narrow balcony, there’s nothing quite like hanging pots. It’s an interesting alternative if you don’t have a true balcony but still want plants outside your windows.
Plants
Choose flowering shrubs that you can put in front of the windows. You’ll be able to also benefit from them inside.
If the size of your balcony is small, it is not necessary to add shrubs as it requires your balcony to be aerated sufficiently. Try to pick evergreen plants instead.
Select a few that can bloom (camellias and mahonias), and others that have nice leaves or decorative berries (Laurustinus and Japanese maple).
If you have hanging pots, you can happily grow strawberries, herbs and vegetables from there. They will however take a more regular water maintenance to prevent plants from drying out.
You can finally add some smaller seasonal flowers. They will need to be placed in front of the shrubs’ containers.
Furniture
Prefer maintenance-free materials that can stay outside all year long. The wooden balcony furniture are warm and stylish. Fiberglass or metal allow you to have both lighter and modern furniture.
Choose furniture that is not bulky: a small table and two chairs is plenty. If you have enough space, you can also add a folding lounge chair.
Lighting
To complete the installation of your balcony, plan a nomadic lighting setup that you can move according to your needs. Colored glass lanterns, candles or light strings are ideal.
If your balcony is big enough, you can also include spotlights that will brighten your plants from below.
Before creating an entire new setup for your balcony, try to wait a full year. Having seen your balcony under all four seasons will allow you to know which ways best suit your decorating needs.
