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With the mushrooming of apartment blocks in urban centres, it has become common to have balconies provide the space where one can enjoy sunshine and fresh air from the comfort of the house.
Though often neglected and highly under-utilised, a spruced up balcony can become an important space where you can enjoy some “me-time”.
Here are a few ideas on how to make your balcony stand out:
Furniture
Depending on the amount of space on your balcony, choose one or two outdoor chairs and select cheerful colours that are sure to brighten up your moods.
Unless your balcony is canopied, the patio furniture selected should be suitable to cope with weather elements, whether it is shining or raining so that you do not have to constantly be worried that the furniture got wet after a sudden downpour.
It is also prudent to select well-designed furniture that do not take up too much space.
For extra comfort, add waterproof coloured cushion covers if needed for the chairs and place a small table where you can keep a book and glass of juice to sip on a hot sunny day. If space allows, you can even hang a hammock where one can relax and unwind.
Flowers
Add different coloured potted flowers to create a garden-feel at your balcony. Planting herbs such as rosemary, parsley and lemon grass to hang on the balcony provides you with fresh homegrown herbs.
Observe from a distance how your balcony looks and purpose that your balcony will stand out from the rest.
In case gardening is a challenge for you, our Home and Away gardening and landscaping columnist offers weekly ideas on how to keep your plants creatively arranged and healthy looking, look for him on Page 10 of this magazine.
Accessorise
By all means, be ruthless with clutter and remove all unnecessary items. The balcony should not be a junk yard.
Place well-selected decorative accessories that will make the space pleasant such as a flower vase on the table, pottery or even themed sculptures.
For those at the coast with balconies overlooking the beach, hang white curtains on rods, preferably using easy-to-wipe shower curtain waterproof fabric that will create a coastal ambience which is both relaxing and exotic.
Photo: thesmallgarden.au.com
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