Decorate Small Apartment Balconies

Does your small apartment balcony feel like the runt of the litter? Do you want to spice it up? When you’re renting an apartment, it’s always a challenge deciding what to do with the balcony—as a result, many people leave it bare or just use it as storage for bikes and milk crates. While it might seem difficult at first, even the smallest balcony can be turned into a cozy retreat with some simple seating, plants, and a little imagination.

Steps

Understand Your Space

  1. Small balconies present big challenges. What is the shape of your balcony: short and square or long and skinny? Enclosed, covered, or open to the elements? Deck-style flooring or concrete slab? Knowing these things will help you determine what kind of furniture, plants, or accessories will work best, and what won't work well at all. Putting a wide bench on a narrow balcony won't leave you much room for anything else.
    • A good rule of thumb would be to use furniture that mirrors the shape of the balcony.
  2. Assess your wants. Would you be happiest with a visual delight, a place to barbecue, or a spot for relaxation and cozy conversations? Small balconies will make it a challenge to have it all, so narrowing your focus to what’s most important to you is crucial.
  3. Know the rules. Your landlord or management company undoubtedly has a list of things you can and cannot have on your balcony. Many apartments and condos prohibit charcoal barbecues, for example.
  4. Know your neighbors. Consider them when planning your urban getaway. You may love having a bonsai rain forest on your balcony, but your neighbors below you might not enjoy having a steady flow of water on their carefully constructed desert scape or baby’s playpen.

Build Your Paradise

The Garden of Visual Delights

  1. Enjoy the beauty of nature. If your balcony is very small, consider turning it into a flower and herb garden. Mix up colorful perennials, seasonal delights, hardy ivies and herbs that you can use in the kitchen. Get a sturdy stool and a soft cushion for the seat so that you’ll enjoy working your own private garden.
  2. Build in layers. Put plants that need sun up higher, and plants that like shade down lower. Fill in the corners with larger herbs such as rosemary or tomato plants.
  3. Keep it fresh. Make sure you water regularly, fertilize your plants, and keep them trimmed. This will keep it looking like paradise.
  4. If you’re on the upper floors, make sure your plants are secured so they won’t be crashing onto your neighbors below.

The Cozy Retreat

  1. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the view. One of the easiest way to make your balcony more comfortable is to add a chair or two and a small table. You’ll be able to have a place to sit and admire the view, have a pleasant conversation, or simply enjoy an afternoon snack.
  2. Match your seating to the space. If your balcony is long and skinny, consider a park bench, multi-purpose storage bench, or hanging porch swing, and add a side table for drinks, books, glasses, suntan lotion, and other friendly clutter.
  3. Add flowers, plants, and herbs, as room permits. While this may not be the focus of your balcony, plants add a personal, colorful touch that will really make your little retreat a welcoming, homey place.
  4. Add lighting. There are several ways to approach this. If you have electrical outlets on your balcony, consider adding an inexpensive outdoor-rated lamp from the local hardware store, and use low-wattage bulbs for a warm and comfortable glow. You can also use a string of white outdoor Christmas tree mini lights strung up on the perimeter for an attractive effect. If you don’t have electricity available on your balcony, candles are a beautiful way to bring light to your retreat. Just make sure they are allowed by your covenant, and that you extinguish them whenever you leave the balcony.
  5. Unless your balcony is enclosed, make sure any furniture you buy is adaptable to the elements. The last thing you want is a soggy seat.

The Man Cave

  1. Take charge of your domain! The flowers are pretty, and who doesn’t like a nice place to sit? But for you it's barbecue, friends, and libations all the way!
  2. Start with the barbecue. Being mindful of apartment covenants, get the nicest barbecue that will fit your space. This will be the centerpiece of your balcony world, so do it right. Place it opposite the entry and exit doors if possible, so that you can make a quick dash from the barbecue to the kitchen in just a few steps.
  3. Bring the light. Barbecues sometimes last well into the evening, so you’ll want to be sure you can see what you’re cooking. Either use floor lamp (make sure it’s rated for outdoor use), or a battery-powered barbecue lamp.
  4. Add a few stools. You’ll want a place to sit and talk about the game, the boss, and other deep topics.
  5. Chill! Refrigeration is something to consider as well, if your covenant permits. A small outdoor refrigerator is a great place to keep beer, condiments, and other barbecue essentials cold and fresh. It also works well as a little countertop, so consider adding a heavy-duty cutting board on top of it.
    • Should you be unable to add a fridge, a cooler is a good alternative, and can function as an impromptu seat as well.

Be Creative

  1. Express yourself and make the balcony your own—it’s your living space, after all.
  2. Paint the walls. Then decorate as appropriate with pillows in complimentary colors, alternating shades and hues of the color, different fabrics, and different textures.
  3. Go on bargain-hunting excursions. Garage sales, flea markets, clearance sales, Goodwill stores, and other places of low expense.
  4. Hang pictures, window boxes, calendars, decorative thermometers and barometers, and things that make you smile. Of course, make sure they’re all weather-resistant.

Tips

  • Before you bust out the paintbrush or start drilling holes for the eye-hooks that will hold up your hammock, check with your landlord or property manager first to see what is and isn’t allowed, and what standards they have for accessorizing your balcony. Many cities and apartment buildings have specific rules for what a tenant is allowed to do with their balcony. For example, don’t allow charcoal grills but permit gas grills. Others might not allow the balcony to be used for sporting goods storage, or permit satellite dishes to be installed without insurance.
  • Take into account your environment: sun, winds, neighbors, etc., should all be considered when planning your balcony.
    • Set your seating so it's perpendicular to the sun's path, so you don't end up staring at it instead of enjoying your space.
    • Don't put plants that need sun on a balcony that never gets it.
    • If you have nosy neighbors, hang weather-proof blinds you can lower when necessary.
    • If you live in an area that's prone to severe weather or things like earthquakes, make sure that everything is either permanently secure and won't get blown or shaken off your balcony, or easy is to pull inside should conditions warrant.
  • Watch decorating shows and make the advice they use benefit you.
  • Less is more, at first. Leave room for adding that thing you forgot, or that thing you just bought.

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