How to update your balcony this summer

Having an outdoor space to relax in during the summer time, especially with the days as balmy as they are now, is a luxury not to be taken for granted. Even if you’re working with the smallest of balcony spaces, there are so many things you can do to inject colour and life into the area. Here are five essential tips on making the most of your city living space.

Be clever with plants

There are so many options when looking at plant storage for balconies, including creating a living wall with a vertical wooden panel, allowing you to use basket hooks to hang plants from, saving yourself valuable floor space. You could also consider using stacking crates or upcycling an old rustic step ladder to showcase your planters. Look at balcony planters to again, maximise available flooring and try to make plants that need sunshine portable so you’re able to move them around to secure the best spot for sunny day rays.

Function and form

Consider stylish yet compact garden furniture for your balcony such as stacking chairs, multi-functional designs such as small storage bench or fold-away pieces that can hook onto the wall or slide into an inside cupboard. Even if you just manage to squeeze in a small stood and side table, it creates somewhere to sit and enjoy your urban jungle with a glass of wine.

Underneath your feet

Flooring is something that can often be forgotten when it comes to balcony gardens but laying tiles can change the space immediately. It also feels like you’re brining the inside out, as you open the balcony doors from your living space to the outdoors.

Add colour

We’ve spotted many a monochrome balcony over on Pinterest, but colourful outdoor spaces really do create an inviting and relaxing space to enjoy the warmer days. Add colour by painting crates, using bold planters, planting bright flowers (our Eden plant subscription box will add copious amounts of colour every three months), waterproof cushions or even throw down an outdoor rug in a vibrant print.

What about lighting?

Finally set the atmosphere with lighting. Stylish ideas include wrapping fairy lights around your balcony railings, hanging battery operated faux tealight candles, lanterns and solar powered lamps that turn on once the sun’s gone down so you’re not using electricity.

The key is to spend some time planning your balcony space to really make it work for you, whether it be for relaxing, creating an urban oasis or eating dinner outside with mother nature.

If you’re looking for new flowers to add life to your balcony, look no further than our subscription delivery service which you can find out more about here.