Before and After: My Summer Balcony Make-Over

Sponsored* 

On our top floor (third floor) we have a balcony which I have to confess, we've never actually used. In fact, a good friend who has visited my home millions of times even commented that she never knew it existed! It's actually a lovely, peaceful spot which gets at least one more hour than sunshine than our little backyard. And in a time when our homes and outdoor spaces have become increasingly important, I finally decided it was time to do something about it! The balcony is 2.5 metres x 1.5 metres and there's a big door that opens outwards onto it, making it a fairly tricky space to furnish. Fortunately, the wood decking was already in place when we moved in so I didn't need to start completely from scratch - just furnish it! I noticed my lovely Danish client - Nordal had just the outdoor chairs I was looking for and it all went from there. Here's the lowdown:

This is the view from our bedroom. It may look like we only have sheer curtains but look closer and you'll spot a tightly rolled up black out blind over the door. 

I absolutely love plants and surrounding myself with greenery. I planted a wisteria in the ground when we moved in over 10 years ago and it has climbed the entire way up our house, and onto our third-floor balcony! If it could, it would take over the entire interior too (like something out of 'Little Shop of Horrors'!). It's my pride and joy - especially when it blooms - the scent is divine! 

I picked out a pair of rattan-inspired Vasai lounge chairs which have a rattan and wood look but designed for outdoor use.  

Look at any outdoor Scandinavian seated area and you'll no doubt find a blanket - a year-round staple! This one is the linen Saturn towel - which I think works equally well as a blanket, although I have no doubt the girls will enjoy taking it down to the water as soon as Toney catch wind of this new piece!

In my mind you can never have enough greenery so mI'm always looking for ways to add more. This Ajonu pot has a wonderful grainy effect - and is perfect for adding more plants to the balcony (sadly, not everything can grow three storeys high!). 

Since the balcony is on the top floor and therefore quite a long way from the kitchen, we figured a rattan tray would be ideal for carrying items up and down the stairs, but shied away from a table since there simply isn't really the space. Maybe I'll add one later should I feel I miss it!

Also seen here: a summery WEVA pitcher (I might have to exchange the water to PIMMS later!), Tonga notebook in suede and brass watering can. 

I also added a summery jute rug from Granit, so that it would feel softer underfoot. It looks pretty but it will need to bene taken in in wet weather. 

I hope you like my balcony update as much as I do. 

If anyone's looking for us this weekend, you'll find Per and I right here!

See also:

10 Ways To Maximise your Tiny Balcony / Outdoor Space

Wishing you all a great weekend!

Niki

*This post is sponsored by Nordal. However, all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the wonderful businesses that make My Scandinavian Home possible.

Styling: Helen Sturesson

READ MORE...

7

The Design Plans For Our Tiny Swedish Cabin (Komplementbostadshus / Attefallshus)

A while back I wrote that Per and I are planning on building an attefallshus (a small Swedish cabin usually measuring 25 m2 (269 sq.ft) - but in this case it's a 'komplementbostadshus' which is allowed to be 30 m2 / (322 sq.ft) in the garden of Per's family's summer cottage in South Sweden. We've been pouring over lovely cabins for ages as you know from this post! We were hoping to buy something ready-made but after assessing all the options we eventually decided to design it ourselves. Out-of-the-blue, I came across Anela Tahirovic - a really talented architect based just outside of Malmö, whose home I featured yesterday. Anela has been working with us to help realise our idea - while also adding some great ideas,  tips and tricks of her own. Ready to see the plan?!

Tadaaaa! This 3D drawing (by the fab Mahir at Studio Ark) gives an idea of the overall look and feel. We wanted to draw inspiration from the surrounding forest - and decided on brown wood panelling (see the inspiration below for a photo of the wood finish we are hoping to achieve). 

Since the living space is so small, we were also keen to draw in as much natural light as possible and create an indoor-outdoor living space. This is why the cabin has so many windows and doors - which we can throw open on warm summer days.

I am toying with the idea of swapping out the black frames in favour of slim brown ones for a softer look (as seen below in this lovely 'Hållbar' 40 m2 house by Woodworks. What do you think? 

Here are some drawings by Anela showing how the cabin will look from different directions:

Inside, there will be a tiny sitting room area, basic kitchenette (fridge and sink), double bed and bathroom on the lower level, and then an upper loft area (accessed by a ladder) for two more beds. In such a small space, storage is a struggle - so, not only do we need to live fairly minimalist (not easy for the Brantmarks!), but we will also need to find some smart storage solutions! Here is a sketch of the layout: 

I am looking forward to sharing more inspiration for the interior and the outdoor area with you soon. In the meantime, this past post might just give you some idea of the general design direction!

And good news, we have planning permission - WOOHOOOO! We were hoping to have started the build this spring, but all the local builders are crazy busy due to the pandemic, so now we're looking at September. Feeling excited but ever so slightly nervous too! 

I hope you like the plans so far! 

Wishing you all a lovely day, 

Niki

A huge thanks to Anela Tahirovic for the design sketches and Mahir from Studio Ark for the building and construction drawings as well as the 3D visualisations.

READ MORE...

12