What is there in common between a balcony, a garden and a terrace? This outdoor space which belongs only to you deserves some adjustments to become a real living space. Small, medium or large, there are a thousand ways to adapt the ideas that will follow to your surface, your budget and your tastes. Overview of the best ways to add value to your outdoor spaces.
Garden furniture: the essential
Ok, this is the basis for making a living space outside. Classic but effective, the garden furniture allows you to make the most of its grounds. With family or friends, the armchairs or sofas arranged on the terrace transform the terrace into a place of relaxation, suitable for lively meals or peaceful aperitifs.
Large tables, coffee tables and parasol complete a complete garden furniture where there remains only the style to choose. If you only have a small space , think of the bench or the chest covered with a few cushions, perfect for improvised aperitifs on the balcony.
Lighting that throws
Lighting is what turns a pleasant space during the day into a pleasant space 24 hours a day. To extend the summer evenings, installing outdoor lighting on your living areas is essential. You have of course the choice: light spots on the ground or on the facade, LED strips or pretty lanterns that light up after dark.
This lighting contributes to the ambiance of your terrace, whether strong, colorful or subdued, the choice is yours. Also think of solar lighting which has the advantage of not requiring any electrical installation and which can be changed place at any time.
A Zen corner for relaxation
Relaxing outdoors is also possible at home. A small furnished corner, if possible far from the hubbub and delimited by a terrace or a veil will create a perfect relaxation space for reading, listening to the wind or meditating. With a deckchair or an armchair arranged on a wooden platform surrounded by greenery, the Zen corner of the garden will certainly be your new favorite place.
And with a little reading arranged in a basket or pretty lemongrass candles to keep mosquitoes away in the evening, you create an ideal Zen space. In a courtyard or on a balcony, the exercise is more strenuous but some nice patio seating separated by a screen can also do the trick or just a hammock. Take advantage of the walled corners of a courtyard to create an area of privacy.
Flowers galore
With a very vegetable decoration and flowers in quantity, we create a pleasant and soothing atmosphere. Ideal for the balcony or the terrace area! Planters, small and large pots, by multiplying the species and sizes of flowers , we create a small botanical garden where we like to spend time. And if you like the scents of your favorite flowers, you can install them all around your armchair to bathe in floral scents from spring …
By adjusting the size of plants and containers, you can adjust this tip to all available surfaces. The more limited the space, the more it is necessary to choose a common thread for your plants and their containers. It can be a color like white here, a material (the anthracite resin tanks for example) or even a style of plants (succulents, Mediterranean …).
A corner for coffee
Ideal on a small balcony, the coffee corner offers a charming relaxation space, which transforms into a dinette corner for two if necessary. With a space-saving table and chairs , or even foldable to have space once stored, the balcony is also ready for breakfast or an aperitif.
And to make the most of your balcony on hot days, an umbrella or an arbor provides refreshing shade. If this idea is perfect for a balcony corner, it also very well complements a real garden furniture when you are in a house with a large terrace. This possibility of creating several convivial corners in a garden is even a very good idea to organize the space.
A vegetable garden or edibale plants
Whatever the size of your garden, even your balcony, you can easily install a small vegetable patch. A simple planter with cherry tomatoes, radishes and cut salad is already a pleasure every day. If you have more space, you can opt for very productive square bins .
Finally, a real garden will allow you to create rows or mounds to savor a wide variety of fresh products throughout the year. And even why not a greenhouse to prepare your seedlings, which adds cachet near the house. The only essential concern is of course the exhibition . For beautiful vegetables, you need sun, otherwise pass your turn.
An aromatic garden
Thyme, mint, chives or rosemary … With your aromatic space on the balcony or on the terrace, the cuisine will gain flavor. Easy to place in small pots or planters, your aromatic corner can also be more elaborate and help decorate your balcony.
A few earthen bins delimited by small wooden planks, and here is the balcony which has become an aromatic garden in which we like to stroll. If you have more room in the garden, bet on a real garden which combines visual charm with generosity in aromatic and medicinal plants. And what fragrances on hot days!
A swing or hammock for a little magic
The swing always sends us back to our childhood dreams. Whether compact on a balcony or larger on a terrace or at the bottom of a garden, it acts as a point of attraction in your space. And once you’re there, it’s a cocoon that isolates you from the rest of the world. Remember to protect it from bad weather in winter but take advantage of it during the summer.
It is also better to install it on a stable support , whether it is a hard terrace or an earth floor whose flatness you have checked.
A playground for children
No need to go to the park, it’s the park that settles at your place! Sandbox, childrens’ garden games and toys galore, and your children can play outside quietly while staying at home. And with privacy screens surrounding the field, you preserve your privacy and that of your loved ones. With the corner cabin, it is quick and easy to find or store all your outdoor gear for all day fun.
Of course, depending on the age of the children, you can also install a trampoline, a swing, a slide or even gymnastic equipment. No more asking them to let go of the console to go play outside, they will go on their own.
A cabin hideaway
The cabin in the garden is always a success. With a little space, installing a log cabin transforms your exterior and your activities. Multifunctional, you can have coffee and sunshine on sunny days. The storage space also allows you to store all your gardening or DIY tools, but also bikes or outdoor games.
Children will find a fun playground outside the house and a few plants or decorations and garlands will end up making your outdoor playhouse look festive. And on your balcony or on your terrace, a more modest version to store cushions and small hand tools will also add its touch of charm.
