How to enhance the look of your balcony
| Text : Liana Cafolla |
| Photo : www.thinkstockphotos.com |
The fact that Hong Kong is often hot and humid, with occasional typhoons, makes designing balconies here a challenge. Questions like ‘should it remain exposed or be enclosed?’, ‘can it be used as an extended living space or as a separate outdoor area?’, and ‘is it better to fill it with furniture or leave it as an open space?’ often triggers the mind.
Designing balconies is exciting. But first, one has to consider the size and the aspect. When one is small, we tend to compromise the design and use it as a laundry and storage area instead. But if it’s substantially sized, there are ways to transform it into a beautiful retreat.
A large square or rectangular balcony can function as a valuable extended living space. Fitted with a dining table and chairs, it’s ideal for outdoor eating on balmy evenings, and doubles as children’s play or study area during daytime. But the thought of children falling off balconies is never far from parents’ minds. So to safeguard your balcony, add glass panels above the wall or railing, and you still retain the advantage of an outdoor space.
If your inside living area is small but your balcony is spacious, furnishing the balcony with comfortable chairs and couches in rattan, wicker or plastic provides a welcome place for peaceful relaxation away from the television and other noisy distractions.
“To create the balcony as an extension of the living space, it needs a folding window partition that can open all the way, which can connect the interior and the exterior space,” says George Lam of Bugs Design Consultants (www.bugs.com.hk). “Also, use the same flooring from interior to exterior if possible. That can make the space look even better and more connected, even if the window partition is not open.”
These options can work even if your balcony is small or has no views. For smaller balconies, adding a chair and small table in wrought iron or colourful tiles will add instant interest and glamour to even the tiniest space, as well as providing a nook for breakfast or a quiet drink.
If your balcony faces unpleasant views or is overlooked by other buildings, turn it into a more attractive private space with large lush plants. Lam says that adding green to the balcony will result in a better view from inside, like looking outside at a garden.
Plants are an easy, attractive and affordable option that provide shade and oxygen. To achieve a private garden feel, add some tall pots and leafy plants on each corner. And if space is at a premium, try adding bamboo. Trickling water creates a calming and cooling effect.
Another simple but effective mood enhancer is to use outdoor lighting. Large candles shielded by hurricane glass create a cosy and seductive atmosphere. Choose a citronella scent that will keep mosquitoes away.
For high-ceilinged balconies, add a ceiling fan to create a guaranteed airflow as well as to produce a laid-back, colonial-style effect. Slow-moving and silent designs are often more atmospheric than fast-spinning, high-powered models that are more suitable for indoors.
A final option is to do away with your balcony altogether and enclose it into your living area. Installing large windows will help keep the loss of light and air to a minimum, and you will gain extra indoor space or at least a deep and luxurious window seat in compensation
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