
Go from blah to wow with these easy tips
By Veronique Kipen
A seating area is in one of several rooms Edward Jimenez created on his balcony.
A crispy fern flanked by a flapping towel and a bike with two flat tires—sound like a balcony near you? As close as your own French doors, perhaps?
If what you really want is a cozy place to barbecue, or an enchanted and enchanting retreat—no problem. With just the tiniest bit of attention and effort, you can transform even a swath of bleak and cheerless concrete into almost anything.
First, figure out what kind of weather your balcony has to withstand, said Elizabeth Blome of Open Window Designs in Houston. A northern exposure will limit plant choices to shade-tolerant varieties, while a west-facing patio will be hard on decorative objects like wreaths and topiaries, which can crack and fade in the hot summer sun.
As for that bike—you get to keep it.
"Our feeling is that if you want something, we can make it work," Blome said. "So if the bike is a part of your life, it stays—behind a screen or a lattice or a nice big plant."
Decide how you want to use the space, said Helene Schultz, an interior decorator who recently tackled a patio in New York and a balcony in the Virgin Islands. And have fun. Whether you're making a private retreat, an outdoor dining room or dividing a large area into several rooms, an outdoor space should spring from your imagination.
By Veronique Kipen
A seating area is in one of several rooms Edward Jimenez created on his balcony.
A crispy fern flanked by a flapping towel and a bike with two flat tires—sound like a balcony near you? As close as your own French doors, perhaps?
If what you really want is a cozy place to barbecue, or an enchanted and enchanting retreat—no problem. With just the tiniest bit of attention and effort, you can transform even a swath of bleak and cheerless concrete into almost anything.
First, figure out what kind of weather your balcony has to withstand, said Elizabeth Blome of Open Window Designs in Houston. A northern exposure will limit plant choices to shade-tolerant varieties, while a west-facing patio will be hard on decorative objects like wreaths and topiaries, which can crack and fade in the hot summer sun.
As for that bike—you get to keep it.
"Our feeling is that if you want something, we can make it work," Blome said. "So if the bike is a part of your life, it stays—behind a screen or a lattice or a nice big plant."
Decide how you want to use the space, said Helene Schultz, an interior decorator who recently tackled a patio in New York and a balcony in the Virgin Islands. And have fun. Whether you're making a private retreat, an outdoor dining room or dividing a large area into several rooms, an outdoor space should spring from your imagination.
Jimenez built an Asian garden for moments of reflection.
"In some ways, the space in a balcony or patio is a bonus, it's unexpected," Schultz said. "You can go with something as simple as plants and a few chairs, or you can unleash your fantasies and be bolder or more playful than you might inside the home."
Bold and playful were Edward Jimenez' bywords when designing the spacious balcony of his Los Angeles condo over the course of six years. At 11-feet wide and 25-feet long, Jimenez had a space large enough to be daunting. He solved the problem by dividing it into rooms—one for dining, one for a garden, another as a sitting room.
"I wanted it to look like it had always been there, that it was a place that had been cared for by a family over a period of years," said Jimenez, a hair stylist and makeup artist with a large celebrity clientele. He started with a tree and several plants, then added a seating area. When something didn't work, he gave it away and tried again.
"I went through so much furniture," Jimenez said, and laughed. "My family loves it—I keep giving them stuff that doesn't fit or doesn't work."
"I wanted it to look like it had always been there, that it was a place that had been cared for by a family over a period of years," said Jimenez, a hair stylist and makeup artist with a large celebrity clientele. He started with a tree and several plants, then added a seating area. When something didn't work, he gave it away and tried again.
"I went through so much furniture," Jimenez said, and laughed. "My family loves it—I keep giving them stuff that doesn't fit or doesn't work."

There's even room for a barbecue on the balcony.
Trial and error have given Jimenez a patio that keeps evolving. This summer, guests can relax in an Asian garden complete with bamboo and a statue of Buddha, visit the koi pond, stroll through an Italian room decorated with leafy plants and a Florentine fountain, or rest in an English garden hung with ivy and bird houses. A welcoming dining area is perfect for weekend barbecues or a morning cup of coffee.
"It's like a little playground, a place of fantasy," Jimenez said. "The most important things about a patio is that it reflect your taste and your lifestyle; when you go out to water the plants or sit in the evening, you should feel completely relaxed and at home."
Balcony basics
Make a sun/shade map and plant accordingly. It will save your time and money to know your full-sun balcony would be a death zone for to shade plants like ferns and philodendrons, or that the sun-loving rose bush you've fallen for won't survive your northern exposure.
Once you settle on function—dining room, book nook, romantic retreat—define the livable space. Then you can add furniture - maybe a porch swing, a chaise longue, a wicker rocker, a bistro table and a couple of chairs.
An Italian-style statue watches over the patio.
Next step—style. Staying within a design parameter will give a sense of order and you'll wind up with a coherent space. Wicker and chintz give an English cottage garden feel, while statues, fountains and a tapestry or two have an Italian flavor. Choose one or more focal points to anchor the space. A seating area, a fountain, an arch or even a beautiful potted tree will give the eye—and mind—a place to rest.
A simple color palette that repeats throughout the balcony or patio is easier on the eye than a riot of shades and hues. Use throw pillows, potted flowers or a piece of art balanced on an easel to add a unexpected splash of color. Mix textures. Concrete paving stones can mask a bland cement floor. Add a small rug for warmth and luxury.
Massed plantings of pots filled with the same shrubs or flowers—bamboo, ficus, decorative grasses, daisies—add the illusion of abundant space. Add privacy with a strategically placed tree, a few panels of lattice or linen curtains draped over an arbor. Mix and match lighting—candles for the table, a spotlight for a piece of art, an up-ight to add drama to a tree, strings of tiny white lights for romance.
If something doesn't work, get rid of it and try again. A balcony or patio is the perfect place to try out your sense of style and give in to flights of fancy. Most of all, enjoy.
Veronique Kipen is a Los Angeles-based writer who has written frequently about home decorating.
Copyright © by Move, Inc.
No comments:
Post a Comment