Brigid Arnott
If you think your balcony is too small to provide a beautiful outdoor room to escape to, think again. Take a look at your tiny balcony. Does it serve as an outdoor room, or is it crowded with junk, dead pot plants, washing lines, mops and buckets? If it’s the latter, it’s time for a rethink. How you make this tiny space work for you can be the difference between feeling cooped up inside and the beauty of a balcony garden and alfresco lifestyle. Here’s how to get it done.
If it’s the latter, it’s time for a rethink. How you make this tiny space work for you can be the difference between feeling cooped up inside and the beauty of a balcony garden and alfresco lifestyle. Here’s how to get it done.
1. Plan and dream
What activities would you like to do outside? If your space is limited you may need to prioritise between cooking, dining, lounging and gardening but with careful planning, all may be possible.
Teak outdoor furniture provides a welcome relaxing and entertaining spot on the balcony of this renovated beach house on the Sunshine Coast.
(Credit: Photographer: Anastasia Kariofyllidis)2. Start a moodboard
Collect ideas and devise a colour scheme for what you’d like the space to look like. This will tie all of the elements together and help the space appear streamlined, even when it’s doing double duty. Matching your watering can to your seat cushions, your pot plants to your BBQ cover might sound obsessive but it’s the key to small space style.
3. Clear the decks
Literally! Remove dead plants, empty pots, cleaning equipment, old packaging, broken chairs and washing lines. Leave the space clear as if you’ve just moved in.
4. Clean everything
It’s a small space so a bucket and scourer may suffice to give walls and flooring a good scrub for a clean slate.
Plants are in abundance on the balcony of this coastal home in Queensland, adding to the tropical feel.
(Credit: Photographer: Louise Roche | Styling: Kylie Jackes)5. Consider temporary flooring
Laying seagrass matting or the latest in vinyl rugs can take the space to the next level and set a gorgeous alfresco scene.
6. Rethink your washing line
Don’t settle for a temporary solution for something you do several times a week. Invest in a wall mounted washing line for the most efficient use of space. If you can’t achieve this, choose a sturdy freestanding washing line that’s easy to fold away and resolve to do so each time so the space is kept clear between washes.
7. Use the walls
If you own your home and/or building code allows, hang a vertical garden by securing to the wall. If not, choose ones with stacking modules to go against a wall. Plant herbs and potted colour that’s easy to care for and lovely to look at. Decorative screens are a nice idea to decorate the space with colour and texture.
The star of this balcony in a light, bright home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches is a Malawi Cane single hanging chair.
(Credit: Photographer: Brigid Arnott | Styling: Lisa Hilton)8. Dress for style and practicality
With a small table and chairs or a bench seat that doubles as storage. Choose a petite portable BBQ that can be packed away after use.
9. Add creature comforts
Of cushions and padding for your bench seat, or a hanging chair that beckons relaxation.
10. Use it!
The more use this space gets, the more likely you are to keep it clean, tidy and inviting – and the less likely you’ll start storing the mop out there again. Invite friends over to celebrate your new outdoor room in alfresco style.
“The built-in benches and storage keep it clutter-free and, in time, the vines will grow up the fence to create a lovely green oasis, visible from the living room,” said the owner of this balcony added to a period home in Melbourne.
(Credit: Photographer: Shania Shegedyn | Styling: Alana Langan)
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