A Maintenance-Free Balcony
There is no such thing as maintenance-free, but you can have a good-looking balcony and not have to worry about maintaining it. If you are living in an apartment for a short time or if you have a black thumb and don’t want to keep plants, there are some things that you can do to have a nice apartment balcony ambience without all the fuss. Here are three maintenance-free balcony ideas.
The Living Room. If your apartment balcony is large enough and private enough, you may want to sit outside and read, or relax with family and friends. You can create an outdoor living room with some lighting, seating and a table. If you really believe you will use the apartment balcony, invest in some comfortable and weatherproof outdoor furniture. It is not economical to purchase indoor furniture to be placed outside. Wood will warp, colors will fade and cloth will get musty and smell. Outdoor furniture from Ikea is a good option for those who do not want to spend a lot of money. Apply indoor design techniques outside on the apartment balcony and arrange your table and chairs as you would set up a seating arrangement indoors. If you have a great view, make the seats face outward toward the view. If creating a seating arrangement for more than two people, face seats toward each other with the table in the middle, but don’t place them uncomfortably close. An outdoor rug might be appropriate underneath the furniture. There are many attractive outdoor chairs, benches and sofas that are comfortable and weather-resistant. Maintenance includes sweeping and wiping off furniture whenever they get dirty. Follow all manufacturers’ instructions when cleaning outdoor furniture.
The Romantic. The romantic apartment balcony could simply consist of a string of white large-bulb Christmas lights stapled around the inside of the balcony’s perimeter, a small table set and a candle. If it’s quiet, a dinner for two could be quite romantic. The only maintenance for this apartment balcony is sweeping, and wiping dust off the lights, candle, table and chairs.
Asian Garden. The Asian Garden could consist of a bamboo privacy screen wrapped around the perimeter of the apartment balcony, a low table with a small Zen garden (a tray filled with sand and rocks, and a small rake), a Buddha statue in the corner and some lucky bamboo in a shady spot. Make sure that the Zen garden will not get filled up with rain. All maintenance that is required is occasionally sweeping and wiping off surfaces, as well as watering and pruning off any of the lucky bamboo’s yellowing or dead leaves.
