Como transformar sua varanda em um santuário privado

#HilaryRowland

Como transformei minha varanda em um oásis urbano — passo a passo (fácil).

(Observação: Criei um link para os produtos que usamos Na amazon.com e, se você comprá-los,
a taxa de afiliação será destinada a ajudar mulheres carentes a se tornarem empreendedoras.)

A garota da cidade do século 21 trabalha muito e se diverte muito. Por isso, ela precisa de um local para descontrair, relaxar e organizar os pensamentos ao final da rotina diária. Que lugar melhor para fazer isso do que a varanda do seu apartamento urbano? Um pouco de decoração e algumas necessidades podem transformar qualquer varanda em um santuário digno de uma rainha.

What I did with my balcony. You can do it too - it's easy!
O Que fiz com minha varanda. Você também pode fazer isso – é fácil!

Aqui está um passo a passo (com fotos e links) de como, em um fim de semana, transformei a parte mais feia do nosso apartamento em Nova York em meu lugar favorito para sair:

Economize

Existem muitas razões estéticas e psicológicas para usar muito verde na sua área de relaxamento. Configurações com muito verde reduzem os sintomas de TDAH e ajudam as pessoas a se concentrarem melhor. Na verdade, estudos mostraram que vislumbres de verde aumentam a criatividade geral. O verde também promove o equilíbrio, pois é a cor que está no centro do espectro de cores.

Quanto mais natural for o verde em seu raio visual, mais seu cérebro o colocará em um estado de relaxamento e contentamento.

Rolling out the faux grass
Com a hera já levantada, estendemos a grama artificial – que diferença!

Aqui estão quatro ótimas maneiras de tornar seu pátio mais verde e transformá-lo em um paraíso tropical:

  1. Cubra o chão do seu pátio com grama falsa de aparência realista, o que fará sua mente pensar que você está em um parque.
  2. Cubra suas paredes e grades com issotelas de privacidade de hera falsa resistentes às intempériesPara lhe dar – sim – privacidade (imagine isso – na cidade!!) e deixar as paredes mais verdes.
  3. Tente adicionar mais cobertura, tornando-a mais exuberante e real, colocando-a em camadas com outras vinhas falsas e vinhas com flores falsas.
  4. Adicione alguns vasos de plantas de seda tropical, especialmente aquelas que contêm flores artificiais e algumas árvores Artificiais. preferimos o estilo tropical, como esta árvore falsa de 4,5 pésE esta falsa bananeira, mas você também pode optar pelo estilo de jardim inglês, como esta árvore espiral de alecrimEesta árvore de buxo,Mas certifique-se de colocá-los em uma panela bonita.
Faux ivy to layer over the ivy privacy screens
Mais hera falsa para cobrir as telas de privacidade de hera

Comfort Factor

The patio should be a spot for you to both lie down and sit up. Get a converting outdoor futon so you can sleep outside in the summer, or if you want to fill the space completely, like we did, this wicker-look sectional outdoor furniture will do the job. We donated the cushions to a nearby animal shelter, then separated the furniture pieces so they maximized the space, and connected them (to fill the gaps between the pieces) with flat metal. We then got custom cushions made to hide the fact that the furniture was separated a bit. The result? A giant outdoor seating/bed area.

Custom cushions from CushionPros
Custom cushions from CushionPros
Extra-thick and comfy cushions by CushionPros
Extra-thick and comfy cushions by CushionPros

Whatever outdoor furniture you get, make it extra glam by getting some custom-made cushions by CushionPros. This way you can customize the thickness, piping, softness and fabric (we used this cool, leafy Tommy Bahamas fabric).

Braxton studio chairs look modern but stick with the natural theme
Braxton studio chairs look modern but compliment the natural theme

Braxton Studio chairs are great for when you have a few girlfriends over after work. The cut-out tree design of the chairs compliment the natural theme and they come in green or white (or red – but yuk). And the best part? They’re stackable, so when your friends leave you can stack them in a corner to give yourself more space. We also love this swinging hammock chair, which lets you stretch out and lie down in it, but when not in use takes up almost no space.

Bunny Doorstop and Hammock Chair
Bunny Doorstop (read on for more about this) and Hammock Chair

Final Touches

At night, lighting makes the mood. So skip the super-bright lamps and string up these lights throughout (they have pearl white bulbs, attach easily with little green hooks, and the wire is green so it blends in). Next, put them on a remote control so you can easily turn them on and off, even from 50 feet away.

Me, reading and enjoying the summer weather on my balcony, with my cats
Me, reading and enjoying the summer weather on my balcony, with my cats
My hubby, Mike, reading in our one-person hammock
My hubby, Mike, reading in our one-person hammock
We put up the ceiling tiles in about an hour. Easy peasy!
We put up the ceiling tiles in about an hour. Easy peasy!

Add these styrofoam ceiling tiles (which are safe if they fall off) to the ceiling of your balcony to make it look extra glam. They look like Parisian-style metal ceiling tiles, but weigh next to nothing and stick on with this outdoor sealant. Grab a pair of bluetooth outdoor rock speakers which, yup – you guessed it – look like a rock. The canyon sandstone goes perfectly with a balcony already decked out with a lot of plants.

Bunny and squirrel sculptures / doorstops
Bunny and squirrel sculptures / doorstops

And if you need a doorstop, to keep your patio door open (or just want to glam up your space), we love this bunny sculpture and this squirrel one. We also use these pretty trays to put our cups on.

Birdfeeder and green leafy railing stand / hooks
Birdfeeder and green leafy railing stand / hooks

We also had this bird feeder for a while (but soon discovered that cats + birds don’t mix well). We used a green, leafy metal stand to attach it to the railing and let it hang over the balcony (so the seeds didn’t end up on our grass). We had another feeder with water, that hung on the inside hook. Took us a while to find the right food to attract the little songbirds, but when we did it was absolute heaven hearing the birds chirping, and watching them interact.

Screen to keep the bugs out
Screen to keep the bugs out

We also glued (with a tube of outdoor adhesive) plastic bird spikes along the top of the railing partly so that we could make sure the cats don’t go over (although, after a couple of very close calls, we decided not to let them outside unmonitored anymore), and partly to string faux vine through it. And finallllllyyyy, my last tip is this: Get this curtain-style screen door, because nobody wants flies and mosquitos in their apartment. It’s $35 and attaches with velcro. It’s magnetic in the middle, so you can just push through while double-fisting (with a tall glass of… water… in the other hand, of course!)

The only thing limiting the possibilities for a patio sanctuary is your imagination. The time and money you spend on the project will pay off in peace, quiet, and contentment.

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Hilary Rowland

Escritora, artista e designer desde que era jovem o suficiente para colocar o lápis no papel, Hilary aprendeu código sozinha e created Urbanette when she was a teenager. Currently, she lives in Monte Carlo, but spent the past decade living in NYC, still considers herself a New Yorker, and visits regularly. She's always traveling, looking for hot new topics, destinations, and life hacks to bring to Urbanette readers.

Reader Discussion: 146 Comments

  1. It can be hard to find some privacy if you live in the city. I really like your tip about using lots of green on your balcony like faux ivy screens. It can be really nice to have a space to unwind after work. I’ll have to remember your tips if I ever move to the city and have a balcony. Thanks.

    Reply
  2. Love the new balcony decor…it’s super creative to take an urban space and transform it into your own mini outdoor oasis. When I get my first apartment, I’ll definitely keep this in mind. (And share with my NYC friends!)

    Reply
  3. wow, that’s so cool! i never pictured a balcony in NYC with so much greenery. Low maintenance too. I may have to find someone on taskrabbit to hook that up. Summer party, here we come!

    Reply
  4. OMG you are so talented! I love the before and after – such a difference! I’m going to share this with my friends who have balconies and order some new cushions for my patio furniture ASAP. (Love the fabric you chose and those cushions look super high-end).

    Reply
  5. Fantastic transformation, Hilary! Thank you very much for sharing your ideas!

    There are also some areas in my house that I would like to change or improve but most of the time, I’m having a hard time, I don’t know where and how to start.

    Reply
  6. This is amazing, Hilary! You make it sound so easy as well. I’m certain we won’t have a difficult time doing this DIY project. I have some areas around the house I want to improve as well. Thanks for the ideas 😀

    Reply

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