I was never a big fan of balconies. I should say I never used to be. That’s probably because when I was a student, I lived in an apartment on the 30th floor in Etobicoke. That’s an area to the west in Toronto for people who live outside of the GTA.
Our balcony was covered in pigeon poop and I’m pretty sure there were at least two or three pigeons that lived there too. I’m sure that was some sort of a health hazard but being the twenty somethings we were, we thought we were indestructible. My roommates and I just couldn’t bother cleaning it up ourselves or asking our building management to take care of it.
Until one day, when one of my roomies decided that he was going to clean it up all by himself. I think I have a picture of him covered in garbage bags from neck to toe and a bandana for a mask on his face and another on his head. If I posted it, I think I might need to go into hiding. But then again, I doubt that he reads this blog! I assure you it was a sight to see. Cleaning out the pigeon poop was as far as we went with that balcony. We never really used it.
A Realtor friend of mine recently told me that people in Toronto want to buy condos with balconies and often pay more for this feature but end up never actually using or enjoying the outdoor space. I can actually see this when I look out from my condo in downtown Toronto. Lots of sad looking balconies and terraces all around me.
Back in my twenties, I never imagined that I would become such a big fan of small outdoor spaces. You see I’ve never been much of a gardener. So taking on a full garden always seemed a bit overwhelming. A small balcony or a terrace seemed like an ideal starter space for a city girl, right?
Fast forward about 10 years and I was in the market for a bigger condo and one of my asks was that it had some sort of outdoor space. I ended up purchasing a unit with a small terrace off of the bedroom. Not ideal but I just wanted somewhere I could enjoy being outside whenever I want. I was ok with it not being a big entertainment space. I wanted a bit of a sanctuary in the city for myself.
Here are some pics of my condo terrace. It’s really is about the size of a average balcony in most condos. Below, I will share my top tips on how to style your balcony beautifully and create your own haven in the sky to enjoy this summer, and next, and the next.
Get inspired.
Start by scouring through Pinterest to get inspiration. I’ve collected my faves from Pinterest and included them throughout this post. Once I gathered enough inspo, there was nothing like taking actual action to get past that Pinterest overwhelm.
Create zones based on function.
I started decorating my terrace by first thinking about how I wanted to use it. I wanted a place where I could sit and put up my feet, read a book, have one or two friends over for a drink or a bite and I also wanted it to feel like I was in a beautiful garden. I wanted it to be cozy and not spread out. But I didn’t want it to feel small either.
This meant I needed to create two zones on my terrace. One was for seating where I wanted an outdoor sofa and a couple of chairs and a coffee table. The second zone I imagined to be a garden that leads to this magical seating area.
Choose a colour scheme.
Just like you would inside of your home, choose a colour palette for your outdoor space. For my space, I chose a colour scheme that is mostly whites, beiges and greens with pops of bright colours as accents. This colour scheme dictated what colour the leaves and flowers were in the garden area too and not just the furnishings, and decor in the seating section.
Via Pinterest.
Decorate the walls and the floor.
Just as you would give some thought to the floor and walls in a living room, consider what you want the floor and wall space to look like in your balcony.
I hated the cold frosted glass panels that marked the perimeter of my space. I wanted to add lots of green but I didn’t want to lose space by creating a living green wall. So, I chose to line the glass panels with astro turf. I left one glass panel unlined to make sure the space maintained it’s brightness.
For flooring, I chose an affordable outdoor floor tile from Ikea that required no maintenance, was easy to install and brings in a lot of style to the space. I installed them lengthwise to elongate the length of the terrace and to draw the eye to my feature wall and seating area. Installing this was so easy. I think I was done with the whole terrace in just about 90 minutes, maybe less.
You can also add an outdoor rug to bring some more pattern and texture to this space. I don’t feel like I need it for mine though because I have so much texture and colour going on already.
Create a focal point.
This tip is no different from how you would furnish a living room. Start by choosing your focal point. I chose the back wall on my terrace as where I would create a feature wall.
I wanted to warm up the space, so I added a couple of outdoor wood wall panels I found at Ikea. They will have to do until I manage to get someone to create something custom for that wall.
Via Pinterest.
Add some furniture.
Depending on how you want to use your space, add some furniture. I chose a sofa, two accent chairs and a coffee table. A console table was added so that I can create a bit of drama with a flower arrangement behind the sofa.
If you’re more likely to eat outside, you could add a dining table and bar stools or if there was a roof, I’d consider a hanging chair.
In the garden section of my terrace, I chose to add a small storage unit. This allows me to store all of the tools and material needed for gardening and I can store the decor items here during the off season. It also gives me the ability to add a pretty flowering plant at a different height. Who said you can’t be practical when you’re making a space pretty?!
Add layers of lighting.
Again, not much different from what you would do inside. If you’re lucky enough to be able to hang some overhead lighting, do it!
Because I had no way to hang lights overhead, I focused on using lanterns on the floor and hanging off the posts that are around the perimeter.
They have flameless candles in them so there’s no fire hazard and they glow beautifully when I light them up at night. Bonus, the candles are remote controlled.
Decorate with accessories and throw pillows.
I’m going to sound like a broken record! Just like you would decorate with throw pillows and accessories inside of your home, do the same in your outdoor space. It will bring your personality to the space and make it interesting (and beautiful). And it would add texture and colour and pattern. All the things we tell you to do for every room! Consider decor for table tops, throw blankets for cold evenings, and artwork.
Via Pinterest.
Play around with plants.
I often see balconies with lots of small plants crowded into a small space. Opt for one or two big plants instead.
Believe it or not I wanted a potted Japanese maple on my patio. I had one for one summer but it didn’t survive as there was too much sun on my terrace. The other plant I really wanted was a potted Magnolia. That didn’t work out either, sadly.
I had to settle for two potted Korean Lilacs. They are perfect for transitioning from one zone to another. They also provid a little bit of privacy or at least it feels like it does. And they smell amazing every Spring!
I love peonies and they grew beautifully on my terrace too. I choose plants that have white flowers and green leaves to stay within my colour scheme. I accented with plants that had pink flowers, like Peonies and Dahlias.
I recommend experimenting to see what plants and flowers will thrive on your balcony and keeping the ones that truly brings you joy.
Those are my tips for creating a beautiful balcony or a gorgeous small outdoor terrace. To be honest, these same principles would apply for a large outdoor space as well. I say this as I contemplate whether I’m ready to graduate from my starter outdoor space to something bigger! Stay tuned.
