Room Tour: A Resort-Like Feel For a Spacious Balcony
A well-curated mix of colours and textures ensures a seamless indoor-outdoor flow in this home
Having a balcony is quite a luxury in this city, let alone one that is about the size of a typical flat’s bedroom. The owners of this spacious condo apartment are among the lucky ones. “One important reason why the clients bought the home was because the balcony was large, so they wanted us to maximise the space by creating both a lounge area and a dining area,” says Caroline Chin-Geyler, head stylist of Arete Culture. Because the family has two young kids, as well as grandparents who visit for extended periods of time, the owners also needed the balcony to be easy to maintain. While the team had free rein in the design, they had to work around the owners’ existing art panels bought from Indonesia, to make sure that the indoor and outdoor spaces come together cohesively.
The unit came with these metal slatted screens that provide shade to the balcony. To soften the hard lines, Chin-Geyler decorated the lounge area with furniture in pale wood tones and cushions in soft colours. Low-slung seats and armchairs with circular backs set an informal, laid-back atmosphere. “We intentionally chose unfussy, smaller-sized furniture so that the pieces wouldn’t overwhelm or clutter the balcony, as we still wanted to maintain that airy, open feel,” she says.
The team also repurposed the clients’ dining table from their old apartment. “The table was too small for their current dining area, so we decided to move it outdoors. However, it was an indoor piece made with a teak top and steel legs, so we had to powder-coat the piece to weatherproof it,” says Chin-Geyler. New outdoor chairs were added to complete the cosy al fresco vibe.
Outdoor dining chairs: Teak & Mahogany
Outdoor dining chairs: Teak & Mahogany
An assortment of existing plants add height, softness and greenery to the otherwise boxy balcony. The team’s original vision of turning this space into a leafy oasis wasn’t feasible given the clients’ requirement for a child-friendly space. “A happy compromise was struck: we worked with their existing plants in the balcony, and brought in a pot of orchids known as Dancing Ladies,” says Chin-Geyler.
The stylist also brought in assorted hurricane lanterns. “The outdoor space doesn’t have power supply, so we had to incorporate a lot of lighting sources,” she says.
The stylist also brought in assorted hurricane lanterns. “The outdoor space doesn’t have power supply, so we had to incorporate a lot of lighting sources,” she says.
With carefully selected pieces that are functional yet easy to maintain, this balcony certainly feels like a resort in the middle of the city.
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TELL US
What do you like best about this space? Share in the Comments below.
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Who lives here: A young family
Location: Leedon Residences
Size of house: 2,508 square feet (233 square) metres
Size of balcony: 237 square feet (22 square metres)
The balcony is designed have an easy but sophisticated air of relaxation. “The trick was to layer tonally and texturally, thereby creating a calm yet interesting space. Layering this way also allowed us to bring the outdoors in and vice versa. For instance, the yellow of the orchid echoes the gold in the art panel found in the dining area. The textures indoors are also a little more rich and luxurious (velvet, soft nubby cotton, wool-silk), while the textures outdoors are warm but practical (outdoor synthetics with a slight lustre to echo that indoor luxe) but they share a similar colour palette,” says Chin-Geyler.
This subtle difference in colour saturation establishes the indoor-outdoor flow. “We wanted to create a cohesive open-concept apartment but give clients the ability to close off each space as needed and have them stand alone as well-designed areas of the home.”