Since the last century, the habit of using this room as a pantry, refrigerator, mezzanine - an auxiliary area that should not be given much attention - has come into the daily life of urban people. Then this trend was replaced by the desire to expand the living space, and the balcony in the Khrushchev-era building was turned into a corner of the nursery, an office, a guest bedroom, often through illegal redevelopment and insertion of heating. The situation is now in balance.
The abundance of new buildings, even with a fixed apartment area, allows you to choose the layout of housing and auxiliary structures (open balcony or loggia), based on your own wishes. When renovating an apartment, you can also easily repurpose the structure from a warehouse into a spectacular relaxation area. In a private house, especially when building from scratch, you can do everything according to your own wishes. We will analyze the basic rules for arrangement, supplement them with design ideas and advice from interior designers.
Proper design of the balcony
When deciding how to properly arrange the space of an open balcony without glazing, you need to take care not only of the visual and functional components, but also of operational safety. Key tips:
- do not overload balconies, especially open ones, with bulky interior items and decor. A reasonable solution would be to draw up a repair project in advance and calculate the load;
- all hanging elements - from the balcony canopy to flower boxes and a television antenna - must be securely fastened, especially if they are mounted outside the balcony. Falls from heights can cause significant harm to people and property;
- When growing plants, be sure to use water trays. It is extremely important to pay attention to this for reasons of hygiene and electrical safety.
Note that for different structural types (regular windproof, corner, with special protection, offset, loggias, hinged, attached, attached, cantilever and others) there are different maximum permissible loads and rules. Therefore, it is better to create a design based on the results of studying the construction project, since in some cases additional frames, fences or reinforcement of the base may be required for your safety.
Warm floor
If it is decided that the balcony will be heated, then when renovating it with your own hands, you can think about installing a heated floor on the balcony; this method of retaining heat guarantees comfort if family members are going to enter this space during the cold season.
There are the following main types of heated floors:
- Water floor. It will require less electricity to heat it. When arranging it, you can save usable space. However, this type of floor requires labor-intensive installation and during its operation it is relatively difficult to adjust the desired heating temperature.
- Electric floor. This method means easy adjustment of the balcony heating temperature, the heat will also be distributed as evenly as possible throughout the entire space, and it is inexpensive. But when choosing an electric floor, you will have to pay more for electricity than when installing a water floor; also, with this method, an electromagnetic field appears on the loggia.
Installation of electric-type heated floors is carried out as follows:
- A heat-insulating layer is placed on top of the screed on the floor; it can be polystyrene foam, penofol or mineral wool;
- A reinforced metal mesh is placed on top;
- A heating cable is laid on this reinforced mesh;
- Install a temperature control device;
- Everything is concreted on top with cement;
- Linoleum flooring or tiles will be placed on top of the cement.
Another method is a film heater, which heats the space using infrared rays. Then there is no need to fill the screed. Laminate or linoleum is placed on top of such an infrared heated floor.
- Scaffolding company Podem
LG TV repair in Astana
Entrance groups from the Horizon company
Open balconies in private properties
In individual housing, a balcony structure is erected using a concrete base - a slab clamped into the wall. Basic principles of such designs:
- the reach (depth) in the standard version is one meter. When brick houses are built, the slab becomes pinched in the supporting structure as the wall is raised. Anchors, metal profiles or plates are used as mortgages;
- if the overhang is unusually large or the structure is excessively massive, additional supports are installed and buried in the ground;
- the upper part of the balcony slab is installed below the threshold by at least 0.1 meters;
- the fence must be at least one meter and is made mainly of a metal profile, which is welded to the mortgages.
All surfaces of the open structure are treated with coatings that protect against moisture, wind, temperature changes, mold and mildew.
Glazing
According to technical characteristics, three types of glazing are distinguished.
Cold glazing will protect the balcony from snow, water, debris, and will slightly muffle the noise from the street and the incoming heat (cold). In winter, the temperature on such a balcony will be slightly higher than outside, but much lower than room temperature, so you won’t be able to enjoy the room.
Warm glazing will become a more functional option for arranging a balcony. It will provide greater thermal insulation and reliably protect the interior space from wind, precipitation, dust, and noise.
But it will become a more expensive and difficult way to create a protected area, and not every slab will be able to withstand such a load. In this case, semi-warm glazing is used. It is not as heavy as warm, but the balcony will also be less comfortable in terms of temperature.
According to decorative characteristics, glazing can be panoramic (glasses occupy the entire area from the top to the bottom slab), frameless (strong tempered glass is used without frames), remote (window profiles are placed outside the perimeter of the base of the balcony).
Wall decoration
When decorating an open balcony, the walls come to the fore. Let's present the most popular materials:
- lining made of wood or plastic;
- drywall followed by primer, painting or plaster (wallpaper is also acceptable for a glazed balcony);
- cork panels;
- stone tiles or its imitation;
- siding;
- block house;
- artistically processed brickwork (for a brick house).
An important point is the color scheme for the balcony. The palette of modern finishing materials is varied, and the number of their combinations is limited only by the customer’s imagination. It’s worth remembering a few tricks from colorists and designers:
- shades of white and pastel colors visually expand the space;
- calm shades of yellow, green and brown contribute to good relaxation;
- the work environment will be created by gray, black and brown tones;
- warm shades are good for eating;
- bright and aggressive design will promote sports and entertainment;
- if the structure faces north, it is better to choose warm shades for decoration.
These subtleties in arranging outdoor balconies will help you create a design that will enhance the activities for which you are adapting the room.
Universal solution
Usually the target audience is in a hurry to create a greenhouse, a miniature vegetable garden, a study or a kind of semi-outdoor cafe inside the balcony. Each of these options deserves praise. But due to the organization of a specific zone, universality is lost.
On the other hand, the experience of past years suggests that cluttering the balcony with objects and hanging laundry in it does not have the best effect on the quality of use and relaxation as well. Therefore, the 2021 balcony design suggests combining several products and accessories together under the following conditions:
- The background is light to visually expand the space;
- The products stand out for their functionality and compactness;
- Accessories are bright and compact.
The result is a space with 70-80% free area for movement. Moreover, the corresponding movement will be accompanied by freshness and delight from the surrounding accessories.
Furniture on the open balcony
It is better to equip an open structure, which is essentially a veranda, with garden furniture. It is protected from moisture, easily cleaned from external contaminants, and most often folds, which will allow you to transform the room. The key materials are metal, plastic, protected wood, rattan (natural and artificial), protected glass. If the corner is intended for work, transformable furniture will do. For relaxation, trestle beds with many pillows are suitable. For storing things - modern compact but spacious racks, chests of drawers and other storage systems.
Lighting
The balcony will provide maximum natural light, but it will not be enough at night. Therefore, additional lighting will be the next point in creating a cozy room. Usually table lamps or floor lamps are installed here, and sconces are hung.
But you can also provide ceiling lighting using spotlights or track lamps. It all depends on the purpose of the future room.
Recommendations for plant selection
Decorating with greenery will add a special charm to the room. There are some tricks here depending on the size of the open balcony:
- for small ones, hanging oblong flower boxes are used, which can be placed along the railing outside and/or inside, concentrated in the central part or only in the corners. The second option is pots with pallets attached to the lower edge of the railing.
- It is better to decorate a spacious room with vertical flower arrangements on special cascading structures or in hanging flowerpots. Also good is the option with vines hanging from the railing, creating the effect of a hedge.
Interior finishing options: photo
Naturally, there are a huge variety of options for finishing the interior space of balconies and loggias, but among this variety there are options that deserve attention. Based on such ideas, it is not at all difficult to develop your own unique design option for a balcony or loggia. Of course, everyone wants their life to be different from that of others, but this will take a lot of work.
The fastest way to finish a balcony.
Decor and accessories on the open balcony
The design of an open balcony can be enhanced with details. In addition to plant compositions, paintings or photographs in metal frames, tiles or decorative stone on the walls look good. In summer, the atmosphere will be created by draperies made of light curtains, which will protect from the scorching sun and annoying insects.
In conclusion, we present five ready-made solutions for arranging an open balcony in an apartment or private house.
This review provides basic rules for designing open structures. The following are taken into account:
- construction features;
- safety standards and requirements;
- design solutions;
- design ideas.
The construction industry makes it possible to turn a balcony into a full-fledged room, and leave it as an auxiliary room. In both cases, you can combine the functionality and effectiveness of the room, making it suitable for storing things without clutter.
Conclusion: a modern balcony can be both comfortable and beautiful. It all depends on the owner’s imagination and desire to create an additional corner of comfort in the house.
Where to dry clothes?
A reasonable question for every housewife is where to dry clothes if the balcony is designed for relaxation. Windows hung with rows of fluttering linen look bad, but not all city residents have another option. There is a way out: dry your clothes on the balcony without displaying them. To do this, you need to pull the ropes not under the ceiling, but below the railing.
You won’t remove the ropes after each drying either. An excellent solution for storing laundry is a folding drying rack. As they say, the wolves are fed and the sheep are safe.
