When the nice days return, we want to bring a touch of brightness to our long small balcony. This extension of the facade combines aesthetics and practicality. Not only does it enhance the building, but it also provides you with an outdoor space to enjoy sunny days.
Due to its narrow and limited surface area, it must be admitted that long balcony layout is not an easy task at all. However, many of us dream of changing decor without breaking the bank.
If you are one of them, this article can serve as a guide. Check out the tips for successfully arranging a long balcony.
📋 The key takeaway: Personally, I believe that arranging a narrow space relies on a golden rule: exploiting verticality. For me, this is the ultimate solution to free up floor space while creating a cozy atmosphere. By favoring suspended furniture and climbing plants, you transform a simple passage area into a true outdoor living room.
How to arrange furniture to maximize space on a narrow balcony?
🌟 Pros:
– Creation of an intimate cocoon
– Easy maintenance
– Controlled decoration budget
🔍 Cons:
– Limited circulation
– Restricted furniture choices
– Sensitive to clutter
By following a few tips, it remains easy to arrange a 9m2 room or a small studio. The same applies when you plan to decorate a long small balcony. You can succeed by considering these practical and effective tips:
First, it is important to accompany your running balcony with the right furniture. Its selection should not be made randomly or on a whim. Since the balcony’s width is limited, you cannot use a huge classic garden lounge set.
Instead, opt for a folding table and chairs. Functional, they offer you a relaxation and dining space allowing you to comfortably have breakfast in the morning.
When you have finished using them, you just have to fold them and store them in a small corner to save space. In stores, they come in many different shapes and sizes. There is something for every taste and budget.
A small-sized bench also proves to be practical for arranging a running balcony. You can install it along the wall.
It provides you with a relaxation corner while taking up little space. A versatile piece of furniture, it can also be useful during aperitifs. Many use it for breakfast outdoors. Others enjoy it for their reading.
Ideally, try to accompany it with cushions to enjoy a comfortable seat. If you do not like a bench, you can replace it with an armchair or a sofa. They generally play the same role.
🗣️ My experience: In 2024, I tried to install a standard bistro table on my 1.10 m wide balcony. Result: you could no longer move around without bumping into it. The lesson learned is clear: for long spaces, nothing beats a balcony shelf attached to the railing. I gained 40 cm of immediate passage for an investment of only 35 euros.
There are currently many models designed especially for a small long balcony or running balcony. They can be hung on the railing. Others come with storage that maximizes space usage.
Apart from folding furniture and benches, you can invest in corner furniture. This is a wise choice to furnish and decorate a narrow balcony. Moreover, it is a better alternative to bulky furniture.
Many manufacturers can build a garden lounge with pallets at a low cost. This corner model will be enhanced with cushions or mattresses and you’re all set.
| Type of furniture | Space-saving advantage | Average width | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanging table | Zero floor footprint | 30 – 40 cm | Medium |
| Storage bench | Integrated storage | 45 cm | High |
| Folding chairs | Easy storage | 10 cm (folded) | Standard |
| Ladder shelf | Maximum verticality | 25 cm | Decorative |
What tricks can create the illusion of a larger space on a long balcony?
When selecting furniture from Maisons monde armchair or Maisons monde table, it remains essential to consider the size of the balcony that will host it.
If you don’t know how to furnish a long balcony, make sure not to overload it. You should even minimize decoration since the space seems larger when it is airy and especially uncluttered.
Favor furniture that is slim, narrow, and light so as not to clutter it. Wood and aluminum models are hugely popular in the market. Avoid bulky garden lounges, but prefer a small folding garden table, a sofa on legs, and folding chairs.
To better furnish and decorate a running balcony, most add vegetation. Beyond its aesthetic role, it also tricks the dimensions. Whether you use tropical plants, potted trees, flowers, or bamboo, they help to make you forget the limits of your small long balcony.
It is also possible to hide the side walls using climbing roses on trellises. Others prefer to flood the railing with planters using trailing plants. Some even create a green wall by placing flower pots on a ladder for a successful long balcony layout.
⚠️ Common mistake: Hanging all the flower boxes towards the inside of the balcony. In a narrow space, this drastically reduces the movement area. If your condominium rules allow it, fix them facing outward to free up every square centimeter.
That said, using a mirror on the side wall visually enlarges the long balcony. Besides being an elegant balcony decoration element, it acts as a trompe-l’œil and gives the illusion of a wider balcony.
Similarly, don’t hesitate to install an invisible railing. Whether transparent, made of plexiglass or glass, it allows you to admire the urban landscape. This long balcony decoration focuses your gaze solely on the view from this relaxation space.
For those wondering how to arrange a long balcony and how to visually widen it, they can also use wooden slats. Stripes are known to enhance the depth effect. Effective, they lengthen and widen the small long balcony at the same time.
Which plants are best suited for a narrow balcony without overcrowding the space?
Inside or outside the house, the presence of plants brings brightness, life, and cheerfulness to the place they occupy. To add charm to your long balcony relaxation corner, consider accompanying it with diverse vegetation.
Since we are talking about a small long balcony, it is not advisable to choose bulky plants that can obstruct passage. Instead, favor those that do not require much space. Small flower pots do the trick. They are not only pleasant to look at but also not at all demanding in space.
Likewise, aromatic herbs are welcome. Offering both a decorative touch to your small balcony, they are less bulky. The same goes for calibrachoas, petunias, surfinias, and many other seasonal flowers in flower boxes.
To save space in the long balcony layout, it is clever to hang the vegetation. This creates a green wall while freeing the balcony floor and using all available space.
Many individuals prefer ferns or irises. Using hooks or trellises, they attach flower pots as well as other stylish balcony decoration elements like lanterns and more.
Some people even create a mini vegetable garden on their long balcony. Thanks to this small garden, they enjoy harvesting fruits or vegetables for their summer meals.
For example, one can plant tomatoes, herbs, cherries, strawberries, radishes, and much more. In any case, they should not take up much space. Otherwise, they risk unnecessarily cluttering the small long balcony.
Estimez votre potentiel d’aménagement selon vos dimensions :
Basé sur une surface de m²
How to integrate effective storage solutions into a long balcony?
If you have trouble arranging and decorating a long balcony, there are many ideas for setting up a small relaxation corner. For example, it is not recommended to equip it with bulky furniture. For a successful layout of the long balcony, opt for a folding table and chairs.
Similarly, try to optimize space with storage. They not only organize but also save space. Remember that every centimeter counts in a small long balcony.
Besides that, wall shelves are among the most favored solutions when it comes to balcony length layout. They are used to hold many balcony style decor items or plants.
You can also use hanging baskets. Pretty, they add an aesthetic touch to your relaxation space. Moreover, you can store cushions or gardening accessories in them to free up the floor and be able to move around freely.
Many also use storage chests in order to better arrange a small balcony lengthwise. Builders like Maisons monde table or Maisons monde armchair can suggest several interesting models.
To gain a few square meters, 2-in-1 furniture proves practical. For a long balcony, opt for a bench-chest. Not only does it offer you comfortable seating, but it also allows you to store your belongings, avoiding cluttering the space.
Similarly, consider integrating a coffee table with drawers on your balcony. This multifunctional furniture also combines utility and storage.
Besides that, it is still possible to use the railing or the wall to free up floor space. Elevated storage is thus a better solution for balcony length layout.
Using wooden boards or a ladder, create a hanging garden. If you add hooks or brackets, you can store your folding garden table there.
Other ideas to arrange a small balcony lengthwise, using a magnetic bar seems like an ingenious idea. On it, your balcony decor accessories can be attached. You also have the option to install wooden crates. They offer additional storage.
💡 Tip: Opt for transparent furniture (polycarbonate) or fine metal wire structures. Visually, these objects do not “cut” the view, which prevents the space from feeling cramped and preserves perspective.
What are the most suitable seating options for a small narrow balcony?
Given the narrowness of the long balcony, opt for furniture adapted to small spaces. Most favor the folding table and chairs. When not in use, they can simply be stored in a safe and rather discreet place.
They are also generally small in size. You can move them easily and quickly. Popular brands like Maisons monde table can offer you a wide range of models.
You can also find a wide choice of seats mainly designed for the small balcony lengthwise. Despite the variety of their configurations, they resemble each other by their small size. This allows you to make the most of and optimize the space.
A small resin wicker garden lounge is very popular. It provides a cozy and comfortable relaxation corner. Also, metal furniture with a wire structure remains timeless. It represents lightness and similarly lets natural light pass through.
During the balcony length layout, the hanging chair is also very popular with more and more individuals. It is a unique balcony style decor accessory bringing a touch of airy comfort.
When choosing, favor a model equipped with soft cushions. The set serves to offer you a better relaxation experience.
Added to this, some people install poufs or floor cushions in their small long balcony. It is a seating option for the running balcony allowing you to catch your breath after a hard day at work and chat with your guests.
The selection of their colors and shapes depends on the style of balcony decor to adopt. They often do not have a fixed place. They can be moved anywhere as you wish.
How to use lighting to emphasize the length of the balcony?
Just like flower pots, folding table and chairs, floor rugs, or synthetic grass, lighting is an excellent element of successful balcony decor style. But that’s not all, it helps visually lengthen the small long balcony. Its major role is to illuminate it effectively and beautifully.
So that it can properly fulfill its functions, choosing it requires special consideration. If your ceiling has a power source, ceiling lights are a good option for basic lighting.
🌍 Did you know? Using outdoor mirrors on one of the short sides of a balcony can double the visual perception of length and reflect natural light into your apartment.
On the walls, you can install wall sconces providing sufficient brightness to your outdoor space. These devices are perfect for arranging and decorating a running balcony.
As for ambient lighting, many people prefer string lights. You can hang them from the ceiling or wrap them all around the railing. They give a romantic balcony decor style.
When purchasing them, favor models that operate with a battery or batteries. Convenient, they require no power source.
For those who want to create a warm atmosphere on their running balcony, a portable light in the form of a lantern or lamp is a better choice. It can be moved from one place to another to illuminate and arrange a long balcony.
LEDs are also useful to structure the space. They are available as bollards, wall sconces, or spotlights. It is especially the LED strips that are very popular. It is a light strip that can be stuck along the small long balcony to highlight, for example, the contours.
What decoration styles are best suited for a long balcony?
There are several ideas to arrange a small long balcony. If you want to bring a soft and serene atmosphere, the Scandinavian theme will delight you. Functional, clean, and warm, it stands out by the selection of more specific colors and materials.
In wood, wicker, or rattan, natural furniture corresponds to the codes of Scandinavian decoration. It favors white, beige, or gray in the choice of cushions, poufs, throws, rugs, and other objects of Scandinavian balcony decor style.
It is observed that most also favor modern decoration in the layout of a long balcony. It can be recognized by means of furniture with angular and contemporary shapes. Your small long balcony will be filled with spotlights illuminating evening dinners. The fabric is almost geometric patterned.
Finally, the ethnic style is gaining ground in the layout of a long balcony. It is distinguished by the presence of a multicolored tapestry, an Indian mirror placed in a corner, wrought iron or dark wood furniture, and colorful cushions.
Whatever your choice, it is important not to overload the long balcony. Given its limited space, it cannot accommodate many objects and pieces of furniture. Otherwise, they will prevent you from moving around. Moreover, the small balcony does not look beautiful at all.
