It’s the second day of spring! Gosh, winter was intense this year, guys. I’m very glad it’s over, and even though temperatures are still rather wintery at times over here, the sun has been showing itself more and more to put a big smile on my face. Robbert and I moved into our Amsterdam apartment back in late November, so this is the first time we’re actually getting some sunshine in the house. We’re facing east so every morning I get to wake up with bright rays of sunshine entering through the window. Love it! Now something that I’m extra excited about with the change of the seasons, is getting to decorate and use our little balcony. Back when I first moved out of my parents’ house I moved into a house with a balcony which looked out over the downstairs neighbours’ garden. That’s quite common in Amsterdam but boy was it awkward at times. I found myself not really using the balcony as it always felt as if I was intruding in their garden, haha! After that I moved to a tiny studio which didn’t have any outside space at all, so whenever I wanted to enjoy the sun I’d walk over to the nearest park. That was lovely, don’t get me wrong, but every time I wanted to grab a snack or visit the bathroom I’d have to walk home and give up my spot in the park. I’m beyond excited to finally have some private outside space now!
Now that spring is officially here, we’re getting ready to give the balcony a proper makeover. It’s completely bare and dirty now, and we’re hoping to make it into a lovely space for lounging, eating, working, reading, and sharing drinks with friends. I’d love for it to be a functional place where we can do all of that, so the makeover is going to require some planning. The first step is, as always, inspiration! I’ve been pinning away at small balcony decorating ideas for a while now, so it’s time to condense all of that into a streamlined mood board. Let’s take a look!
This is pretty much exactly where I want to go with the layout: a bench against one of the sides, a folding table next to that and an arm chair across from it. I think this way we can make the most of the space we have and provide seating for three people, while still having enough space to move around the furniture. In fact, I’m pretty positive this is the same line of IKEA furniture I have in mind for our balcony. I’ve even saved these exact planters in my shopping cart… Once an IKEA fan girl, always a fan girl, haha!
I’d love to do something like this with the plants. No idea if I can pull it off, and I don’t think the neigbours would appreciate me putting a tree on my balcony (lol), but I love the look of all the green plants in different heights, textures and shades of green. I do like the look of flowers but I feel like blooming plants don’t last as long, and I’m hoping green plants might survive the winter and look pretty all year long, with a little love and care.
Here’s another example of the bench on the side of the balcony. I feel like this is a great space maximiser, and it creates a place where one can lie down and read a book or just relax in the sun. This is also the flooring we want to get, by the way.
This is a bit of a different style than the other pictures, but I actually really like it! It gives off beachy vibes, which isn’t usually my style but works so well here. I like the grasses and the rug as well: might incorportate something like that into our balcony too. Oh, and loads of pillows! I love how inviting that pile of throw pillows looks.
If I do go for flowers, I do think I’d like to stick to white ones (and maybe make an exception for lavender). I really like the way little white flowers look against all that green! I also gravitate towards more neurtal coloured pillows and blankets like this. Our flooring and furniture will probably be made of pretty warm coloured wood, so I’d like to keep the rest as neutral as possible to keep the whole look calm.
As the balcony is quite small, I’m all over the idea of vertical gardening. I really hope I’ll be able to fit a shelving unit like this in there so that I can grow lots of herbs. Not sure how realistic this one is (I’m afraid there isn’t enough space), but it’s definitely on my wish list!
The weather forecast is looking good for this weekend, so we’re hoping to get started on the balcony makeover then. I can’t wait to get my hands dirty and make something awesome happen!
