Everybody out! Design balconies and terraces

After a year of reinterpreting living spaces to adapt to the new normal, we are now in a phase where the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces have never been so blurred.

In fact, terraces and balconies are seen as an extension of the house itself, redesigned with everything necessary to host moments of relaxation and conviviality, just as if they were extra rooms.

It often happens to turn our gaze towards the other and see balconies all the same or, if not worse, transformed into closets, laundries or deposits for separate waste collection.

Houzz.it, the leading online platform in restructuring and design, has identified, the popular ideas recommended by its professionals to enhance these outdoor spaces and renovate balconies and terraces in an original way in view of the summer.

Plants everywhere

For one glimpse of nature that leaves out the urban frenzy, plants are the most used coating. There is a wide variety of evergreen plants which, if positioned in strategic points, allow with ingenuity both to enjoy a garden-vegetable garden in a building and to create real protection barriers from the wind or the sun. The flowering creepers placed on walls, pergolas, railings or racks can enrich the outdoor spaces with a cascade of colors and scents. The planters, which according to the latest Houzz & Home annual report were purchased by 11% of homeowners, remain a classic of balcony furniture, essential to give a touch of refinement both if placed inside and exterior of the railing.

The jungalow: rattan and bamboo

More and more homeowners are looking for solutions to recreate Zen atmospheres, with oriental-inspired furnishings and accessories, to create that urban and jungalow-style comfort-zone needed to disconnect computers and reconnect with themselves at the end of the day. The non plus ultra of this season is the hanging chair, apotheosis of relaxation, which floats and offers incomparable moments of pleasure. A bamboo canes screen can protect you from prying eyes while rattan, together with a neutral carpet, rope details and a small oasis of tropical plants, is enough to give a small balcony a carefree and exotic air.

Japanordic: less is more

The feeling of relaxation can also be facilitated by a context devoid of stimuli where you can let yourself go and get lost in your own thoughts. And here then is that the balcony is decorated with the bare minimum, a few things but selected with order and criteria. Partner in crime the influence of japanordic style furnishings, which give the space lightness and space, it is suggested to focus on the essential: a comfortable seat, a side table, two lanterns, a vase and a cup of coffee. Everything is in the same color and the furniture does not steal the show from sight.

Almost like in Brooklyn: the lights

The attention towards the lighting of their outdoor spaces. According to research by Houzz, 18% of homeowners purchased outdoor lighting fixtures as part of their renovations while 23% for decorative purposes. Together with poufs, candles, benches and many cushions, the fairy lights create the perfect convivial context for an open-air aperitif or a dinner under the stars. Set against a backdrop of red brick, twisted around the railing or hung like festoons from corner to corner of the perimeter, it’s impossible not to feel in New York.

Alternative and Boho-chic: the pallets

Seats in raw wood, natural fabrics, wrought iron accessories, all contrasted by spots and elements in vitaminic and extravagant colors. If the goal is to create a boho-chic atmosphere, just focus on geometric patterns or in the warm colors of the earth. The overall result is intense but at the same time chic and full of personality. The must have? The pallet. To be left in their raw version in natural wood or to be painted in delicate pastel shades.

A concentrate of hygge: the folding tables

Thanks to the famous Scandinavian philosophy, have a balcony where all the components blend together in a space that is as tiny as it is extremely welcoming. To achieve all this, it is better to focus on space-saving furnishing elements such as the folding tables, ideal for indulging in the pleasure of having breakfast in the open air and can be tailored to fit even very small spaces. In addition, if the space does not allow you to insert chairs or a sofa, chests are a convenient, economical and customizable alternative. Compact and easy to carry, their simplicity can be counterbalanced by décor elements such as faux fur, a carpet and some precious accessories.

Summer lunches in the shade of a wisteria: white curtains

There is nothing better than a terrace that incorporates the Mediterranean atmosphere and stimulates the desire to return to travel. Everything is white and leaves room for the sun and the wind. The real protagonist is the store. In light and white fabric, if fixed to the railing or pergola, it can offer the right protection against the summer heat, amplifying at the same time the sense of privacy and hospitality. However, a simple and non-invasive lighting system is essential, as well as basic furnishings and a few non-invasive and confusing plants.

In the gallery above the design ideas to be inspired by.