TOP ROW
1. This peaceful balcony is protected with hanging lanterns and overgrown planters, turning the balcony into its own little world. Find more ideas for repurposed planters and other outdoor accessories at 79 ideas.
2. Create a lush corner by building a trellis like the one on this balcony from designsponge.
3. With a black, white and green color palette, this balcony, from Livet Hemma, really pops. It also functions as an herb garden, using metal hanging planters from IKEA.
4. The vibrant furniture on this balcony makes for a really fun space. It is all part of the IKEA summer collection.
5. This ultra plush balcony from Rue defines total relaxation. When the season is right, fluff up your furniture with pillows for a super soft look. Check out West Elm's outdoor pillow collection for product ideas.
BOTTOM ROW
6. This little balcony from La maison d'Anna G is simple, understated and elegant. Find similar folding metal chairs in a variety of colors at the American Country Home store for $99 a pair.
7. Wood really warms up this space from 79 ideas. Teak is exceptionally durable and will not warp or rot if exposed to the elements. It tends to be a bit more pricey, but it will last. This pair of teak folding chairs from overstock, for $208, would be ideal for a small space.
8. The miniature balcony of this Swedish home provides some inspiration for those with just a pinch of outdoor space. Position a chair and side table next to the door and on sunny days you can pop open the door and shift your furniture outside.
9. This unique balcony from freshome uses the form of the roof for additional seating - how cool is that? The mint green table and chairs with the rusty red roof makes for a great combo.
10. A wall-hung table provides a great solution for small spaces like this one from freshome. Speaking of wall hung accessories, have you seen this grill?
MORE BALCONY IDEAS ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• Tiny Balconies: Inspiration from Our Tours
• 15 Stylish Planters Under $50
• 10 Modern Outdoor Side Tables
(Images: as credited above.)
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The table and chairs in #7 is also Ikea: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S39898445/
Love these - lucky enough to have just moved into my new rental pad in Brooklyn with it's own private deck, hope I can get it looking anything as good as these. Does anybody know where the bright pink outdoor storage unit in No.4 is from? I checked Ikea USA site but I can't find it there. Thanks!
None of these have a grill : \ I'd like to see a balcony effectively work in a grill and eating space.
wish I had a balcony like this...
I love the way these spaces look but I can't imagine leaving some of these things outside knowing they're going to be exposed to summer thunderstorms. Nice ideas if you live in a dry climate, though.
i had a great outdoor couchy type thing like in #5, made from pallets and cushions covered in outdoor fabrics. It was so comfortable and really made the balcony an extension of the living room. Unfortunately, I had to get rid of it last summer, after the pallets caught fire in our extreme TX drought conditions. It sucked, luckily renters insurance covered the damages but it's an unnerving feeling. No one had even been on the balcony that day! No more wooden patio furniture for me!
I am so jealous. I live in an apartment without a balcony. I have a great view of the Philly skyline. Having a balcony would be perfect, especially at night.
I'm also wondering about the textiles on most of these balconies. Do they stay out in the elements year round, are they stored inside except when being photographed or used?
I have a deck about 4'x8' or maybe a bit more (never measured) with a gas grill, small table, and (at the moment) 6 chairs, although I may put two of those elsewhere... kinda crowded. In the past I used one corner for plants and a nifty sculpture I made, but the sculpture self-destructed in a wind storm, and I only have one pot of plants so far this year. So my space is under decorated... fabrics would be nice, but I've always thought they were a problem.
If not, someone enlighten me!
I'm lucky enough to have a teeny-tiny urban balcony with a fabulous view of Boston. The only thing I didn't like about it is that the lining of it was the same black rubber used on the roof of my building so it was kind of an eyesore. I thought about covering it with bamboo or some other material but all of that seemed a little expensive and probably wouldn't last more than a few seasons. I strung up some oversized lights last year and it has made a big difference. Highly recommend lighting on any tiny balcony!
@PI: I don't know about the laws in other states but in Massachusetts its illegal to have a grill on deck or balcony. A lot of suburbanites do it anyway because... who's looking? But in the city, it's kind of obvious so most people follow that rule. Even if it wasn't illegal, on a small balcony it does seem a bit foolish to have an open flame within inches of your exterior wall.
I love the idea of hanging/climbing plants along the railing of my balcony, but I'm pretty sure (100%) that the condo association would nix it immediately.
And a lot of balconies can't have fire grills for the same reason--condo associations/apartment rental communities often don't allow open flames on balconies for fear of fire.
I'm getting a bonus this year from work, and was debating using the whole thing on decorating the balcony for the summer...hello, Ikea!
#s 7, 9, and 10 and probably 5 and 6 were all originally featured on http://alvhelmmakleri.se. They deserve the credit for these shots, not the various design blogs that reposted them.