The minute the sun came out, I knew it was time to set up my outdoor space. Like most people living in Vancouver, instead of having luscious green space, most of us have to settle for a small balcony. Since moving from my condo to a townhouse we were fortunate enough to also upgrade to a larger outdoor footprint. I have never been more excited, all I need is for the rain to stop so I can enjoy it.
Limited space means a carefully thought-out layout and intention for the space. I knew these four things were important to me, lighting, privacy, comfort and of course space to BBQ! Check out my Pinterest board where I brainstormed all my ideas!
Lighting
I have one light on my balcony, which does absolutely NOTHING at night. For those late nights on the patio I knew I would had to look into extra lighting. I love the look of the balcony above, it looks so warm and inviting. To create a nice atmosphere I wanted to use fairy lights, Edison lights, candles and lanterns. Amazon has a wide variety of lighting options for reasonable prices.
Privacy
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Privacy was not essential but nice to have. Our balcony looks onto an alley, so it is not that appealing. There were a few different options I considered, either using tall planters, putting up a privacy wall using a curtain or using lattice work.
Lowes has quite a few outdoor privacy options including privacy screens, trellises, and planters. I stumbled across mine at Homesense, they seem to bring in all their outdoor furniture and accessories early spring (March/April). I chose to plant Boxwoods in my planters because they are easy to care for and last all year round.
Comfort
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I couldn’t decide if I wanted a table and chairs, a sectional or lounge seating. I finally decided lounge seating was the best of both worlds. Patio furniture is quite expensive, an outdoor sectional is the same price as an indoor couch and you can only use if for half the year. I spent a lot of time searching Craigslist and looking for sales at local hardware stores and Ikea. I decided on a few lounge chairs and this adorable pouf.
The last and final step is to set up the BBQ. When there is finally a sunny day I will post a pic of the final product. I am looking forward to having quite a few icy cold drinks on my balcony, hello patio season.
