Dress Your Small Balcony in Simple and Beautiful Swedish Style
Balconies are the only escape option most apartments in contemporary residential buildings have. They are in the open, allowing you to get a breath of fresh air and feel the touch of the outdoors while still being in your own apartment. They are perfect for a morning coffee, afternoon tea or an evening chat. Moreover, many people use them for work – just bring your laptop outside and you will feel the rush of inspiration coming at you. When it comes to decorating balconies, a popular Swedish style is the perfect way to go.
Image Source: The Basics
When speaking of “Swedish style balconies,” we usually take few things into consideration: wooden floor, light foldable furniture, flower containers, small decorations and bright colors. These are, however, not the absolute must, but are the starting point and everyone is invited to add something new and exciting to the image. Of course, once perfected, these balconies are clean, clear and neatly organized, as well as simple, minimalistic and functional, which goes hand in hand with Scandinavian design philosophy.
Flooring
Starting from the beginning, floors may easily be the most difficult element to achieve in the balcony. That is due to the fact that putting wooden floor at a balcony is much rarer than sticking to tiles and not yet perfected everywhere in the world.
Be very careful not only when choosing the pattern and style you want to achieve, but also with picking the type of wood – think about rainy days and what will happen once winter comes. Rain and snow are the biggest enemies of a wooden floor, so be sure to protect it any way you can and add a floor rug just in case.
Image Source: Furniture
The chairs you buy for your balcony need not be foldable by default, but most people choose them due to the limited space on their balconies. These are more practical, do not occupy much room when folded and can easily be hidden under the table or hung on the wall when not in use.
If you, however, have a larger balcony, you can pick other types of outdoor furniture Sydney and let your imagination run wild. Also, if you plan to spend more time on the balcony, make sure you pick comfortable and relaxing chairs that will turn your outdoor time into enjoyable experience. But, depending on whether you want to use this space just for sitting and relaxing or want to have a few meals there, you can choose a combination of bench, chairs and a coffee table, on the one hand, or a bigger table and six chairs, on the other. The options are limitless, but try to color coordinate the furniture with the rest of the balcony.
Flowers
When speaking of colors, do not forget that the flowers are the source of some of the most vividly color schemes you can think of. And if you are trying to achieve that “natural look” of the balcony, you must not omit flowers as the most natural thing you can introduce into the design. Finally, flowers are great for achieving privacy which is always lacking in residential neighborhoods packed with spying neighbors, but are also a great hobby. It does not matter whether you plant them into pots or containers – flowers are great for creating a specific color palette and adding to the overall beauty of your design.
Image Source: http://cdn.decoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Small-balcony-of-the-Scandinavian-home.jpg
Further Ideas
Among other steps towards a perfect balcony are also lighting solutions and decorations. The former is important especially during late afternoons, evenings and nights when you want to read, eat or spend time with your friends and family in the open. Installing an overhead light with a few smaller sources all around you creates feeling of coziness and will definitely help you relax. When it comes to decorations, you cannot go wrong with small details – framed photographs, sculptures or a tin watering bucket with fresh garden flowers.
Authors Bio: Lana Hawkins is a crafty girl and a student of Architecture from Sydney, Australia. She writes regularly for Smooth Decorator and enjoys reading about garden design and trends in landscaping. She likes spending her free time in nature, cycling.
The post Guest Blogger: Lana – Dress Your Small Balcony in Simple and Beautiful Swedish Style appeared first on Plucky's Second Thought.