Balcony Makeover Reveal!

There were only a few nonnegotiable on my wishlist when we first started looking for a new home and an outdoor space was right at the top of it!

Luckily we managed to find an apartment that ticked the outdoor box and with summer now well underway (although it’s particularly miserable with way too much rain here in Berlin at the moment!) we’ve finally given our balcony a much-needed makeover!

We shared the mood board for our balcony and our newly treated decking and painted brickwork a couple of weeks ago and, for once, have actually almost completely stuck to our initial design plans.

Although I’m calling this project done for this summer it’s by no means a completely finished. All of our plants are still fairly small and while I’m hoping they’ll all survive (and I’ll do my absolute best to make sure they do!) some of them are seasonal so there’ll be a bit of change every year.

Our planning also allows for (and counts on) a lot of growth. Everything is still a bit small. Our banana plants, in particular, are still tiny and our bamboo is also still on the small side.

Sadly, one of our banana plants arrived a bit battered (I ordered them online) so it’s still looking particularly sorry for itself. Hopefully, it’ll recover!

We also don’t have any outdoor electricity – yet. This essentially means no outdoor lighting but we did treat ourselves to a few candles and have a couple of lanterns dotted around.

We have quite a few electrical updates planned around the apartment so we’ll hopefully be able to add a socket or two when we have the other electrical work carried out.

Given that we live pretty central in the largest city in Germany, it’s of course not a super quiet spot but it still feels surprisingly calm and relaxing out here. Yes, I can still hear big city noise and yes, it’s never going to be quite like being on a tropical holiday (remind me to get one of those booked!) but to me, it still feels perfect.

I particularly love our Acapulco style chairs which add such a fun splash of colour and, more importantly, are surprisingly comfortable. It’s the perfect spot to curl up with a good book and a delicious drink (or two!) especially in our fun new cactus margarita glasses.

Although the weather has been a bit hit and miss so far, summers in Berlin get really warm so we’re really excited about having somewhere to be able to relax and enjoy them.

My favourite part of the balcony transformation is the brick wall that we painted almost black (it has a hint of green in real life). The colour is such an amazing backdrop for the plants and everything looks so luscious and vibrant in front of it. I know that dark colours aren’t for everyone but if you’re ever going to test crossing over to the dark side I can so recommend trying it outside.

Now all we need is some sunshine!

What does your ideal outdoor space look like? Do you love a tropical vibe (like we do)? Or something more minimalist? Do you have any plant recommendations for us? Have you ever tried crossing over to the dark side?

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