Small balcony? Following these simple furnishing tips, you can make it look and feel more spacious
Having an outdoors area - like a balcony or terrace - is a luxury that not everyone can afford these days, especially in the city. But that said, even a small balcony can be used to enjoy pleasant days and staying in touch with nature.
With this in mind, here's some tips on how to optimize the outdoors space that you do have available:
1. Minimalism
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A minimalist approach is essential when furnishing a small balcony, as it will allow you to keep the floor clear while having all the necessary furnishing accessories present. Choose furniture with a lightweight structures/frames and avoid cluttering your balcony with too many ground-level accessories (use the walls instead). The railings can also be used to support folding tables or hook-on planters.
2. Pay attention to the flooring
Flooring can also contribute to making the space look bigger: choose light-coloured tiles or wooden planking which will have an elongating effect. Alternatively, put down carpets/rugs/mats in neutral colors and with lively patterns/prints.
3. Vertical gardens
Whether you are a lover of veggie patches or decorative plants, take advantage of the height available on a balcony to set up a vertical garden (against one of the walls, for example). This will leave the ground level clear and make for a more relaxing and welcoming environment. Even small planters placed the floor for climbing plants (that you can "train" to climb up the wall to the roof), will help make your balcony look more beautiful and spacious.
4. Suspended furnishing
We've already mentioned using (folding) tables fitting to the railings, but you seats can also be mounted to the walls or be suspended from the roof/ceiling. Another classic to use like this are the ever-popular hammocks (as shown here).
5. Use colors
Colors are also essential in maximizing the space available to you. Choose light, neutral colors to increase brightness and add bright, green plants. Bold, saturated colors for soft furnishings (like cushions) and brightly colored ornaments/decorations, will add depth.
6. Multi-functional furniture
Multi-functional furniture can also help to make your balcony appear larger: storage benches and tables will solve storage needs without forcing you to deploy another piece of furniture for this purpose. Using this type of multi-functional furniture will help in keeping the balcony neat and tidy - and save valuable space!
What strategies have you adopted to maximize the spaces on your balcony?
