Utilizing your balcony more often can be a great way to enjoy the outdoors, especially if you live in a city. Here’s how you can get the most out of your balcony. 

Many people in Japan use their balconies to hang laundry. It is also common to see balconies being used as a place to store bicycles. As convenient as balconies are, they can do much more than serve a utilitarian purpose. You can use your balcony as a place to eat, socialize, grow plants, and relax! It’s nice to get some fresh air while enjoying a meal or doing hobbies. Here are some ways you can start doing more activities on your balcony. 

Grow Plants

Your balcony is a great place to grow plants, especially varieties that require a lot of sunlight and wouldn’t thrive inside your apartment. Growing plants is great for the environment and can be a fun hobby. In addition to decorative plants, you can grow your own food by starting a small garden. Herbs, tomatoes, eggplants, and lettuce typically do well on balconies. Given how expensive produce in Japan is, having a small garden can help you save money on groceries. If you want to learn more about growing plants on your balcony, check out our article “The Best Balcony Plants”. 

Eat Outside 

Eating outside is one of the best ways to enjoy your balcony when the weather is nice. Have your morning coffee while watching the sunrise or invite some friends over for a nice brunch in the sun. If you want to start dining on your balcony, start by getting a table and some chairs. Cute bistro furniture can make dining on your balcony especially stylish. You’ll get to feel like you’re dining out at a nice restaurant when in reality, you just stepped out onto your balcony.  

Create an Outdoor Living Room 

Even if dining outside isn’t your thing, you can still enjoy relaxing on your balcony. Consider adding a cozy chair or two, a small table, and some lights to make your balcony into a nice outdoor living room. It will be a great place to read, spend time with friends and family, or do hobbies like knitting. In addition, your laptop (and maybe a pair of headphones) can make your outdoor living room a great place to stream Netflix. Just try not to fall asleep outside! 

Add Some Temporary Outdoor Flooring

Many balconies come with flooring that looks plain, boring, or even ugly. If you want to change the look of your balcony’s flooring, you can add some temporary outdoor flooring on top of it. You can find outdoor flooring in designs that look like hardwood, tile, or other types of traditional flooring. This kind of flooring can help make your outdoor living room cozier and more relaxing. As it is fairly inexpensive and easy to install, even DIY novices shouldn’t have a problem adding outdoor flooring to their balconies. 

Make Sure You Still Have Room for Everyday Tasks 

Like we mentioned earlier, many people use their balconies for laundry or storage. If you use your balcony for everyday tasks and chores, make sure you leave enough room for doing them when redecorating your balcony. Don’t get so much furniture or grow so many plants that you have nowhere to hang your wet clothes. It’s best to only buy furniture that is lightweight enough to be moved easily. It’ll be much easier to move out of the way when you clean your balcony or temporarily bring inside when the weather is bad. Moreover, it’ll be easier to get onto your balcony in the first place. 

Want Some Privacy? Put Up a Screen 

Some people may be hesitant to start doing more activities on their balconies because they do not want to be seen by other people. If that’s the case, you might want to consider putting up a privacy screen on your balcony. That way, you can enjoy dining or read in your outdoor living room without being watched. If you buy a sturdy enough privacy screen, you may be able to hang some small planter boxes on it, adding some more space to grow plants.