Small Apartment Balcony Inspiration

I know, shame on me – summer’s coming to an end, and I’ve yet to finish furnishing my my cherished outdoor space. But I have my reasons – and lots of small apartment balcony inspiration, too.

Back when I moved in February, I was sold on the fact that my new apartment had a tiny balcony attached to it. By tiny, I haven’t measured, but I’m guessing it’s 4′ x 8′. As a studio dweller, I know it’s basically unheard of to find one with a balcony or patio, so of course, I was grateful, and felt like I won the jackpot. Fast forward to the first warm day in April… and naturally, I couldn’t get the door open. Yep, the screen door was jammed and I thought au revoir to my tiny outdoor space. Since then, I’ve unjammed it 5 more times and have been anxiously awaiting a replacement which appears to be never happening. With that hit-or-miss  situation and saving for my Europe trip, I sidelined decorating this space.

Of course, I thought I’d be able to snatch up a great deal on furniture at some end-of-year sale, but literally, every store, and most places online, have very little stock left. Given it’s the end of the season and I have nowhere to store the furniture, I gave up on investing in anything new. However, after feeling guilty for not having any outdoor seats for a dinner guest last week, I realized I’d better find something small and cheap that to start with. (Preferably something that I could fold up and store under my bed during the winter.) So, I decided to start searching for something used. If you haven’t heard of this yet, I swear by the Offer Up app – it’s basically a buy/sell app that’s way better than Craigslist. I’ve sold and bought on here, and it’s a great a place to to make a few bucks on home pieces you no longer want.

I made an offer and scored a deal on last year’s version of this set for $50. Although I think I the curved seat backs in this set would’ve been more comfortable, the table and chairs look so chic and are the perfect size for my tiny balcony. The smaller the table and chairs the more room for other fun stuff, right? I got the inspiration for starting with a small set from where else – Pinterest. And while I’ve admitted before, I’m no designer. Yet, I’m always impressed by, and get so much inspiration from, how others transform their small spaces. I’ve been pinning away at my balcony Pinterest board, and thought I’d share what I hope it’ll one day look like. And by one day, I mean probably next summer. In the meantime, I’ll just be sitting out here at my tiny table writing, in hopes that the balcony door doesn’t get stuck while I’m on the other side.

Do you have an outdoor space? If so, I’d love some advice on where you’ve shopped for convenient pieces furniture and decor.

UPDATE: Last night, after I got inside, closed the door, and then tried to get back out to measure my balcony – the door jammed. Of course. At least I can dream of what it’ll feel like to be out there, right?!

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