Gone are the times where we lived in a 1000 square yard old bungalow built by our folks or grandparents with a beautiful garden to sit and watch the squirrels being chased by our pets or in our case decide who will water the lawns today because it took almost an hour. We now dwell in cities that are larger than some countries mind you and Multi-storey apartments that are smaller than match boxes (Bombay folks are you listening)
Early last year we moved from Gurgaon to Hyderabad, now relatively apartments in Northern India are still lavish or we were lucky to have a 3 BHK with 3 Massive balconies to our mercy. Compare that to our tiny 1200 sq ft rental in Hyderabad that has a 3 by 5 balcony and then you also have laundry to deal with, . And we never imagined how we will fit the 50 odd plant pots we carried all the way from Gurgaon. The first week post shifting Plants lay all across the Balcony Floor and some on top of my Furniture or unpacked cartons, the kitchen Slab & for once I thought I cannot have them all here but I was also determined to not donate my babies that I collected & nurtured for years altogether. So the task on hand was to use this tiny space I had in a functional way yet have all my Plants give me company for the morning Coffee or an afternoon read.
A thriving Garden all in 3X5 square feet
Fast forward this day and for a while my most favourite spot in the home is the Balcony and its not just me I bet ,the Instagram community loves it too and I receive numerous queries on certain things and compliments often. So I thought why not begin the year on a detailed post about HOW TO CREATE A SIMILAR OUTDOOR SPACE THATS A PLANT HEAVEN YET FUNCTIONAL & FEELS CALM & COZY. No matter the size of your balcony 3 by 5 or 1 by 2 its possible to convert it into a nook you will love and adore specially with another lockdown hanging on our heads now.
This blog is in two parts – PART 1 everything you need to know about planning your balcony and PART 2 has some chic ideas for space constraint Balconies as bonus and links to all the products that can help you achieve a look similar to ours . Sounds cool right now without more blabbering lets dive into Part 1.
PART 1
Create A Vertical Garden Keeping the Floor Plan Open
One look at the Balcony & I knew I didn’t want Plants on the Floor so it could be cleaned daily and we could have a little sit out area without toppling over a Pot. So here comes vertical gardening options if you have noticed those Metro Pillars clad with some self watering greens something similar to that. Now there are tons of way one can create a vertical Garden , Shelfs , Ladder , Hanging Plants , Wall Mounted Pots and a few others. We chose Wooden Shelfs that we built ourselves from Pine Wood bought at a local Timber store. Wood is a little heavy maintenance but I have always loved how raw wood and its grains feel and look in a garden lending it a ‘Cottagy Foresty Feel ‘. The Brackets are solid iron brackets from IKEA that really added depth to the beautiful grain of the Pine wood.
We mostly have Succulents placed on the shelfs and a few creepers that I water once a week bringing everything down so the water doesn’t damage the wood, you could also add trays below your pots to collect excess water seeping onto the wood. The planks are 3 ft in length (same size as the balcony) and easily accommodates 6 to 7 small to medium pots . Here’s how it looks on a winter afternoon.
Our DIY Pine Wood Shelf with Cast Iron Brackets
A selection of earthy Planters in different shapes that I have collected over time
Used the Railing
Yes you heard me there are railing planters from Amazon but you can find them even at your local nursery or any garden store. They are usually made from Metal or Plastic with Hooks behind that you can hang onto the railing like a flower box & then add smaller potted plants to them or grow directly too . Mine have Geraniums & Herbs that need full sun so they were a good fit here. The White ones are almost 4 years old that I spray painted to white from Red. And I was very sure I wanted to add nice green ones that go with my overall muted theme.
Some Metal Railing Planters & My Geraniums
Another look at my lovely Geraniums
Use Hooks – On the Ceiling or Walls
You could also hang plants mostly creepers from the ceiling or with hooks on the wall (like me), we did not do the former because that would block light & Sunin our case . I am a sucker for natural light & direct sun hitting my Skin everyday, but if that’s not a problem , get some hooks installed on your ceiling & hang creepers they indeed look very dreamy. Part 2 of this blog will show you some cool ideas on How to.
My six year old Jade hung on an iron hook
The Railing Pavement Wall
Right below the railing there is a little pavement which is about 6 inches wide and since I do have a lot of Plants I placed a few ok quite a few here as well. This way the Floor stays clear of plants except for 2 big Planters plonked in a corner for added greenery. We recently added Flowering creepers here so they actually cover a part of the Fence and add more lush green to my Balcony. A tip while styling plants that I would say works is adding Plants in various heights , breaking the greens with a little bit of coloured foliage Plants and Flowering ones. I personally prefer keeping the pots neutral like Terracotta or whites/blacks for symmetry and you’ll rarely find colourful ceramic pots but that’s just me, feel free to add colors that you like but try and build a binding factor & balance them, a riot of colors can be visually very confusing & distracting unless done right.
Introducing my fragrant Clematis to you all
Get Compact Furniture
Invest in compact outdoor furniture that can be folded and put away when not in use. If you ask me IKEA INDIA has the best range in outdoor furniture that’s so well priced but if Ikea doesn’t deliver to where you live there are few other options that you could explore or for that matter even build one with the help of a local carpenter , a rustic bench , a Carpenter’s Table or replace the Table top of an old table to a slated one by getting some planks from a Timber store yourself. A nice sit out nook where you can start your day sipping Coffee slowly , or throwing a Barbecue lunch on the weekends or just meditate makes a host of a difference in your quality of life in my opinion specially if you are a Homebody like me.
How The Balcony Looks from our Living Area
Winter Sun, afternoon coffee & a little reading on the side
Add Dreamy Lights
Well there is no drama without lights on this planet, a space is transformed with the sheer use and style of lights you add. In the Balcony add a dreamy Macrame Lampshade (Mine is under construction by my good friend since a decade now ya like forever Ha Ha Ha) Or add a rustic country style pendant the ones that hang over the Doctors Operation Table works too. Or like me add a string of Edison Bulb lights or simply some fairy lights, LED lamps , Country style Wooden lanterns. They all look nice as long as they are a mellow yellow or a warm white, Please refrain from adding a Tubelight in your Balcony, choosing a warm light with perfect luminous is equally important for added coziness.
LED String Lights on the ceiling for some evening Drama & LED Candles on the Shelf
Add some art if you Please
Go a step further and add a piece of art , anything a Garden Quote , A Framed Art, Carved Wooden Trivets or a cool Bollywood Poster. Make it a little personal but yeh don’t go too heavy on the art by creating a Gallery out of it that takes away the Focus from Nature I feel. If you like Bohemian style add Macarame Dream Catchers or add a Swing & ditch the furniture. I like to keep it a little cozy with the feeling of old country charm so I just added my Chalkboard Art. Yes I kind off dupe myself all the time that I am living in a tiny cottage somewhere in the woods and not a Metro city with 10 million people.
Its a No Phone Zone Here OK !
Fresh Rosemary & Mint in my Balcony Garden
So here’s How you can do it too if you have been thinking about it. If all this planning , shopping , drilling , painting, which Plants to get is still a very daunting task for you and you would rather go for Professional services I cannot recommend enough a good friend of mine who excels at creating outdoor spaces that talk character & exude charm. Please take a look at The Greenish Affair website if you are looking to hire a talented Professional to do this for you.
Happy Green Spaces to you. Look out for Part 2 of this blog at the end of this week with links to all or similar products. Have a good day & a great week ahead. Leave me a comment if you found this useful will you 🙂
Kamakshi