apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have a similarly narrow balcony in the city. I have tons of flower boxes that hang (safely) on the outside of the railings. They look great!
Ikea is a great resource for small-scaled outdoor furniture.

flower/plant boxes that hang off the railings. and it looks like you could squeeze in a small cafe-style table and two chairs, probably on the end (right side) furthest from the door. Or maybe just one long bench on the right side with cushions.

At 30" deep, it obviously wasn't designed for lounge chairs.

Why not just keep some flowerboxes on the rail filled w/ flowers & herbs and keep the space clear? Just pull a dining chair from inside or keep a folding camp chair or two in the closet for those few occasions when you want to sit outside?

You could place a narrow bench for sitting somewhere along that 20' span.

i too would fill it up with plants and get a folding chair for times you want to hang there.

I went to someone's apartment with a skinny balcony, and there was a hammock there. It was really great lying in it!

This Ikea railing hung table is not sooo pretty but functional and you could always paint it to match. It would be pretty cool to sit at a bench (however narrow) and enjoy a pastry and coffee at this table while taking in THAT view.

Oops. Here's the link for the Ikea table:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30125739

Or stools, preferably the stacking sort. And maybe one or two palms in containers on the floor.

www.theorganicgardenernyc.com

How about some small ottomans for seating? Easy to move around if you need more room for entertaining.

I like the idea of flower boxes. They will sort of extend your space beyond the railing. You can put some tall potted plants at either end. Maybe with a longer bench right in from of them.

30" is not too wide... I really want to know what is going though the mind of these architects. Or maybe they were just doing what their client wanted.

(oh and AT, the "Link to all good questions" has a typo so it doesn't work...)

Since people have started to move into those buildings, I've been wondering -- don't the track lights that seem to be on ALL the time drive you crazy and ruin your evening view of the city?

I like the idea of a long skinny slatted bench. With cushions. I think they even posted some on here that had planters built in on each end. You could also put plants directly on the bench when youre not sitting on it and put them underneath. maybe one of those wall sheet fountains on the end wall would be nice.

Plants are always a good way to liven up an out door space, and hanging them on the outside of the railing is a great way to preserve what little balcony you have. A mix of plants, some vines which would grow down and others which will grow up is a good way to start. I'm one who likes to kick my feet up, so my suggestion would be to create a high bench which could utilize the railing as a foot rest.

I would be careful about hanging flower boxes because they will interrupt your sight line. I suggest narrow flower boxes up against the railing with something light and airy with an upright growth habit. I'm thinking ornamental grasses in the 2-3" range to bring nature to your door step. A couple larger potted trees/palms would be nice on either end to frame your view.

If you want to go for broke some up lighting in the grasses would be magical at night. This would create the illusion of nature over looking a city vista. Good luck

Herbs. They're handsome tough and useful (if you cook) and if they die it's not as tragic: you were going to eat them anyway.

Here is a link to a make your own modern bench with plants. it could be a good solution.

http://www.sunset.com/sunset/home/article/0,20633,1616963,00.html

Here are a few ideas.

(1) Japanese Maples. One or two on each side. The straight ones instead of the fine leaf weeping ones would look spectacular. Never underestimate the drama of a tree on the patio. There is enough room to get a beautiful planter.

(2) It's a little unconventional but wisteria would look wonderful along your balcony rail. It will require annual pruning to keep it tidy and contained, but it will definitely soften the balcony. Plus you have a very long balcony that could grow along.

(3) Since the space is narrow, a bar like table might work. You could get a few bar stool and look out at the field and skyline while enjoying a meal, drink, or morning coffee.

Don't be afraid to go a little bold. Good luck!

Here's my assumption: you want a place where you can sit on a summer afternoon with a glass of lemonade and a trashy novel, or a friend. That's one, maybe two chairs (possibly of a folding variety) and a little table.

You might consider morning glories. Their flowers probably won't come until autumn, but they'll cover your railing with foliage. If you can find the seeds (try http://www.jamaligarden.com in the the Flower District), scarlet runner beans do flower up pretty early.

As others have mentioned, if you cook much, you should consider some fresh herbs. (Rosemary and mint are pretty easy, but plant whatever you like to sprinkle on food; the Union Square Greenmarket is the cheapest source I've found, and there's usually a nice selection) Tuck them in the corner if you think they'll mess up your view.

One more thing: get something nice to plant things in. I went with cheap white plastic window boxes, and always regretted it: they looked like Tupperware.

Are these images of the balcony in question? Or some generic images of "a balcony"?

If this is the actual balcony, you will have to take into account how the windows open. Crack your head on one of those, and you're a bloody mess.

Many balconies are more for show than for use. You can do your own windows, thanks to the balcony, and that's great.

I would NOT put planters hanging on the railings. Most will drain, down, and shower your neighbors, which I guarantee is NOT liked. I've been flooded by upstairs neighbors with planters and their water hits my railing, bouncing water onto my windows, making my apartment a mess. Not cool.

So here's what I suggest. Your balcony is NOT set up for large groups of people to mingle and wander. And you should never put more people on your balcony than is suggested by whatever layout you have. If you have a one-bedroom, that's one to two people.

There are plenty of stories of collapsing balconies to back up the reasons why you don't treat the balcony as a phone booth and see how many people you can cram onto it at any one time.

So, look at this:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60105848

It's 23", so you will have a foot to maneuver past it. It can serve as a bench for two or three, or a recliner/lounge for one.

This one is a bit less expensive, but it's 28" wide and that becomes a problem:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60063508

On that KVARNO, you can sit cross legged, facing another person too, and have a board game or food between you.

There are several cushions that would work for that item:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/range/14201/14226/

They have LONG pads. They have square cushions. This style has a handle, which means you can hang it inside, or use a plastic fastener thing to attach it to the railing, so that you don't lose your pillows over the edge.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30125503

Small tables could be placed at each end of the lounge/bench, like this:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70095429

Now what you have is a row of seating, and that's about it. Try to avoid anything that is breakable or is a flame. As in no giant glass candle holders. It's one thing to be showered with someone's plant water and dirt, it's completely different to be inundated with glass shards from above.

These are pretty cool:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90132001

You can buy rechargeable batteries and a charger, so that you are not constantly buying batteries.

Lastly, plants, use something like this (please place a plant saucer under the bottom planter):
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90127085

You can center it along that wall at the one end of the balcony. It won't stick out a lot, but will be enough to give you layers of flowers.

You can choose something as simple as Allysum, a personal favorite, that has tiny white flowers that smell like HONEY!
Second one here:
http://www.ext.nodak.edu/county/cass/horticulture/annuals/ageratum.htm

Example in pots here:
http://www.learn2grow.com/gardeningguides/seasonalgardening/winter/WinterGardeningSoCalStyle.aspx

White allysum in the white pots would be really nice. If you have two ends, with the building framing your balcony, do two planters. And the nice part is that the fragrance will be a pleasure outside AND inside.

The bench not having a back means it will NOT interfere with opening the windows (you don't want that). You can choose different cushions each year. And this whole set up will be easy to maintain.

Let us know what you end up doing, I would love to see images.

My balcony is the same depth but 10' long..I agree about nothing hanging over the railings (then again I live on the 19th floor in a city prone to typhoons).

I'd go for a high cocktail table and a couple of bar stools. I wouldn't do a climber along the railings as it will block out a lot of light and break up the view from inside. I don't do plants but have a couple of stone sculptures on mine that I got in Bali - they look great as they age and weather.

Thank you so much for all of your thoughtful ideas. You all are truly inspiring!

While I was upstate at my in-laws I found a leftover piece of blue stone that's 12" x 36". I'm going to take your idea and use that for the seat of a backless bench, then get a cushion for comfort.

I do agree about hanging flower boxes on the railing, especially with a bench out there. It would be perfect height to obstruct the line of sight. That being said, you gave me such great ideas for flowers and other options.

I'll certainly post pictures when it's complete. Thanks!