Rob and I used to have our balcony set up with a cute bistro table, but winters took their toll, forcing us to get rid of the table a few years ago. For a variety of reasons/excuses, we never got around to fixing up the balcony. This year, we were determined to use the balcony again.
I decided to take it on as a small design project. We wanted a seating area, but agreed that a table for dining wasn't a must. Rob wanted flowers for gardening, and I wanted to grow herbs for cooking. So plants became an important part of the design, both aesthetically and programmatically. I wanted the balcony to feel like an outdoor room, so it was important that the design of the balcony fit with the design of the adjacent dining room. I used the plantings to focus the line of sight to nearby trees and the sky. A rug pulled the space together. We now feels like we have an additional 50 square-foot room in the condo!
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| Unused balcony |
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| Plan and Elevations |
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| Proposed Layout |
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| Proposed Design - View from Dining Room |
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| Proposed Design - From Outside |
Dogs helped with the planting.
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| Furniture and rug in place. |
Ricky is welcoming the Buddha.
Adding a second tier of planting.
Training vines up the walls.
The balcony is ready.
