Before & After: The Balcony
The balcony in our new apartment was the smallest space we made-over, but the one that has had the biggest positive impact, immediately. When we viewed our apartment it was a dreary, drizzly, snowy afternoon and we only had a quick look at what was out there. When we later got the keys, we found an old planter box full of dead plants and some bags of soil and rusted gardening tools. I didn’t have the brain capacity to even think about what we would do with the balcony until the other rooms in the apartment were finished, so the tiny space outside the kitchen door became a dumping ground for the things that were too dirty to leave inside — like broken pieces of timber or projects that were midway through construction.
As we were putting the finishing touches on the kitchen, we had one weekend of really brilliant weather — sunny and bright, and not too cold to sit outside for a cup of coffee. Something switched inside me and I was suddenly desperate to utilise the balcony space, dreaming of flowers growing in balcony boxes and picturing my future self sitting in the sun with a croissant and a coffee on a Saturday morning. Most of the other projects had been quite straightforward - clean, prep, paint, furnish - but the balcony needed a big clearing (the old flooring was rotted and dirty) and the planter box needed to get emptied and broken down, as it was also in rough shape. A couple of weeks of trying to dispose of things piece by piece with the weekly garbage, a scrub down of the corrugated iron walls and a sweep of the concrete, and we finally had a blank slate to work with.
We used the IKEA RUNNEN click-tiles in cream to re-floor the balcony — we knew the size worked well for the space since it had been an IKEA floor version there previously, and I wanted a colour that would reflect the light back into the kitchen. A Saturday afternoon spent working out the configuration (and sawing a couple of the panels to fit just so) and we had a lovely new floor that instantly made the space feel bigger and brighter. When it came to outdoor furniture, we went back and forth on the best option for us. My heart was set on the HAY Palissade range, but my wallet was let’s just say… hesitant. We mocked-up a few versions of outdoor settings that could fit the space, including some cheaper alternatives from IKEA, and some high-low combinations too. In the end, we decided that the HAY range was the right one for us and that life is too short to live with outdoor furniture regrets. I found some of the set on sale which helped a lot too, and since it arrived I have not thought about the cost once — I just love seeing the green chairs peeking through the window when I walk into the kitchen.
I chose a metal shelving unit from IKEA (the KOLBJÖRN) in cream for the end of the balcony where the planter box had been originally — I wanted something to put my pot plants on that I could easily move around, so I can give my indoor plants some outdoors time. The KOLBJÖRN was the perfect size and colour to match the space without being too busy. It’s simple and sweet and blends in nicely. At the other end of the balcony I’ve put two planter boxes with supermarket roses — and I think it is at this point that I have peaked, and my cottage dreams are as close as they’ll ever be to coming true. I love seeing the roses all nestled into the planter, here’s hoping I can keep them alive for at least this spring + summer season. Wish me luck!
