8 Apartment Balcony Ideas

 

Enjoy the relaxing outdoors or the fun of outdoor entertaining on your decorated balcony or patio. Create a beautiful balcony with helpful apartment patio ideas from us at Pottery Barn. These decorating ideas are work well for even the smallest balconies. Turn any size outdoor space into a blissful oasis with elements that are pleasing to your eye and functional, too. 

Add Privacy While Opening Up Visibility

When you live in the city, it’s always nice to increase your level of privacy. That doesn’t mean you have to limit your time outdoors. Create a barrier that keeps others from seeing you when you’re on the balcony that still lets you see the scenery. Balcony gardens provide one of the ways to do this. Create a wall of foliage by putting tall, narrow plants in planters all along the railing. Mount a couple of small hanging planters along the handrail to fill in any open spaces. 

Weather-safe outdoor drapes or a large, lightweight tapestry provide another handy way to give yourself some privacy. If you choose a tapestry, hang it over a drapery rod and take it down when not in use. For curtains, simply tie drapes open and tie them back when you want to let all the light in. Then, pull the drapes closed when you want to enjoy more privacy.

Take a Seat, or a Nap

Choose seating that works for your lifestyle and the amount of space you have available. Choose folding outdoor furniture or seating that does double duty as a storage space. Choose folding furniture to open up space for gardening or crafts.  When not in use, folding pieces easily pack up to tuck in a closet or lean against a corner of the balcony wall. Storage seating lets you tuck cushions or other outdoor gear inside when you’re not using it. 

Enjoy napping or reading outdoors with a place to stretch out. Kick back and relax in your outdoor space with a comfortable daybed or lounge seating. These pieces typically take a bit more space, so they’re ideal for slightly larger balconies. If you have overhead mounting space, hang a loosely woven hammock to use as seating. This is also a great way to introduce a vibrant color or pattern.

Create Plenty of Places to Put Things

Neatly combine style and function. Corner shelves and planters are especially suited to small balconies. This style of adornment slides right into space that might normally go unused, making your corners both more useful and more attractive. Use wall space effectively by installing floating shelving or placing a ladder against the wall. The rungs of the ladder make handy shelves for plants.

Add some pieces that are easy to move around to take advantage of space and the different ways you use your balcony. Rolling bar carts and lightweight outdoor furniture move easily from indoors to out and back again to accommodate your entertaining needs. 

Make It Twinkle Like the Stars

Make evenings spent outside more enjoyable with soft lighting from string lights, flameless candles or lanterns. Mount lighting up high for those nights when the stars aren’t out. String lights open up a variety of options for lighting. It’s so easy to wrap them around rails and furniture legs or drape them along the wall to highlight your plants. Wall sconces also provide a way to mount soft lights up a bit higher. 

Make your balcony feel larger by putting outdoor light sources in low areas. Tables, the edges of planters and along the base of your balcony railing also provide places to add the twinkle of soft lights. Battery-operated flameless candles nestled between plants or rest on side tables add a delicate glow. Lanterns add a touch of classic charm to tabletops. Like candles, they look pretty tucked in between the foliage of your patio plants.