SPRUCE-UP YOUR BALCONY

Renovate your boring balcony into a heavenly retreat that friends will love, neighbours will envy and family will be comfortable in.

Balconies are back in style. They add charm to your apartment and give you some outdoor space. But not many people know how to make good use of this part of their home. They either leave it, just the way it is, and use it to heap up all the junk in their homes, or go over the board with its furnishings. But if it is planned properly, a balcony can oblige as a private haven, a cozy corner to calm down in, or a place for nice get-togethers.

Depending on the size of your balcony, use these tips to spruce up its look.

Sit back, relax

•          It’s hard to stay out on your balcony for long time if you’re always standing. If you want that place in your home to be used more often, provide proper seats.  
•          Furniture for your balcony can be in a variety from a swing, to a few chairs with a coffee table, or just a lounge chair or a seat with a side table. You might even find yourself relishing your morning tea or breakfast there.
•          In a smaller balcony, use a seating plan that is multipurpose. For example, a storing bench can be used to store the extra stuff in the balcony and would also be a great place to unwind.

Light it up

•          Give the place a designers touch by adding One or two well-placed lamps or lanterns
•          Hang a large lantern or two wall lamps in shapes and colors from the fortifications, or place a tall lamp on the floor.
•          In a smaller balcony, give it a nice mood lighting to enhance the look.

Green retreat

•          Having plants in the gallery helps a double resolve - they add to photographic appeal and protect the room from punitive sunrays.
•          Choose plants and decorations that can flourish well for a long time and do not need continuous care.
•          To chunk an uninvited view, hang plants over the entire length of the balcony, from the parapet above, in little round pots, equidistant from each other.
•          Use bamboo screens to enfold balconies so you can use it as your own private templ.
•          Hang a few plants, and create a divan-type seating, using the three corners of the balcony as backrest.