Marble Works Table WIth Bench

As part of our ‘Works‘ range we have a marble table top option.  The design savy are regular users of marble and we’d love to see more of our customers considering it as an option.  One of our summer showroom displays features a 1.5m marble table with a stainless steel bench.  We put this together with the glamorous apartment in mind and imagine it combining well with interiors featuring black, white, grey, chrome or stainless steel and maybe the odd marble element.  The key to using marble in a modern setting is restraint.  Limit it to a table top or kitchen bench and keep your accessories modern and contemporary.

A solid piece of marble is simply stunning however I know many people are concerned with staining, stress fractures and weight.  The marble veneer option provides all the features of marble without any of these issues.  It’s available in black or white, round or rectangular and 23mm, 35mm or 50mm thick.  The design options are endless!!

In Store - our "apartment room"

Our ‘apartment room’ is awash with colour this summer.

We’ve dedicated this space to the French bistro range of folding outdoor furniture and have included as many of the colour options as we can squeeze in.  We’ve then added some colourful accessories and a few fun farmyard animals from our Ee ii ee ii o collection.

It’s certainly a colour riot and probably not something you would want to recreate in your own space – but if you are looking for colour options then you have ample to choose from.

We’ve also been playing with Fermob’s new colour chart.  You click on each colour and it gives you a profile of the colour and different suggestions of colours to match it with.  It’s a brilliant idea and offers plenty of inspiration if you want to experiment with colour but are not sure what might work for you.

Hardy plants can take full on sun

Balconies are often extremes, if you have a sunny balcony then often it is baking hot in the summer and many plants struggle to survive, even those with ‘full sun’ on the label.

Here are a few of our top suggestions for creating a successful balcony garden in full-on sun:

• Use large feature pots, small pots dry out too quickly.
• Choose the hardiest of hardy plants such as succulents, yuccas and cordylines.
• If you don’t like succulents and prefer more of a traditional planting scheme then Murraya, Buxus, Magnolia and Gardenia are good options but they will need a lot of water on a regular basis so consider installing a watering system.
• Use a top quality potting mix, one with added fertilizers, wetting agents and water storing crystals.

If all else fails and you just can’t get plants to survive then look out for our suggestions for plant free balcony design. I’ll be putting these together soon.

Cove Table (In White)

Luxembourg Chair in Verbena

We’re always inspired by the imagination of our customers & clients.

One customer has just paired the Cove table in beach with Luxembourg chairs in Verbena.

Original thinking and it looks awesome!

Butterfly Chair with Mokum Cushions

I’m addicted to magazines, any magazine really but at least with home magazines I can pass them off as work related.  And I do get a lot of ideas and inspiration trawling through magazines.

Take a look at page 39 of this months Real Living magazine for a unique take on the butterfly chair.  A Melbourne couple have creatively used Mokum outdoor fabric to custom make covers.  They look amazing.

They have used the Mimosa in Ebony for a modern, monochrome look.  For a softer, beach inspired look consider the Acacia Stripe in Seafoam with a galvanised frame.  Add a couple of scatter cushions and you’ve got a soft layered style that will virtually drag you out onto your balcony for some R&R.

I’m definitely going to steal this idea for an upcoming display.  If you don’t want to wait until we have this option available in the store then give us a call and we can price up the covers for you.

We have a selection of Mokum Outdoor Fabrics on the website and all swatches in the store.

Repeat colours to borrow space outside

“Connecting” your interior and exterior spaces will do two things for you. It creates flow from one space to the next – thereby encouraging you to move from the inside out, and it creates an illusion of increased space. Each space effectively borrows space from the other.

Achieving this is relatively simple. The key is to repeat colours, materials and finishes and overall maintain the same style on your balcony as you have inside your apartment.

This can be relatively obvious and easy in some cases i.e. you have a glass dining table and glass coffee tables inside then you would add an outdoor glass dining table to the balcony. However it is often more difficult than this and you may  need to recreate the essence of the interior.

Here are a few things to think about:

• Do you have a lot of straight lines, angular furniture and square shapes inside? If so stick with square pots, square or rectangular furniture and angular plants.
• Is your colour scheme warm or cool.  Where possible repeat colours from inside on your balcony.  This is so much easier now with the many designer outdoor fabrics available however if you don’t want to use outdoor fabrics
• Do you have a lot of high gloss reflective surfaces inside creating a high end luxurious feel? Consider glass and stainless steel furniture and gloss white or black ceramic pots.

A few large pots are more effective

Less is always more when it comes to good design and a balcony is no different. Even if you have the luxury of a 100sqm balcony or roof terrace the key to creating a successful space is keeping it simple and showing restraint. Here are a few ‘rules’ we suggest you use when designing your balcony layout:

• A few larger pots are always more effective than many small ones.
• Limit the plant varieties you use to two or three.
• Limit the different materials you use.  Timber, stainless steel, glass, marble, terrazzo, ceasarstone etc are all wonderful materials but there is no need to use all of them in the one space. Also consider the existing materials of the built environment.  What is your balustrade made from and can you use that material on the balcony.  If you have a glass and stainless steel balustrade then a glass and stainless steel dining table would work beautifully.
• A space can multi task but give it a main purpose.  Squeezing in a dining space and a chill out space on a small balcony often means neither is effective.  Identify your main needs and ensure you cater to those first.
• One or two ‘features’ is more than enough. By including a large feature plant, a statue, a water feature and a furniture grouping you create visual clutter. Your eye won’t settle on one thing and the space becomes confusing.
• Stick to one range of pots. An eclectic combination of styles and finishes of pot can be successful but it takes a skilled designer to make this work.  The key for the amateur is to stick with one range and colour of pot.

CaesarStone Dining Table & Bowman Chairs

Typically we design balconies based on our clients interiors – however this time we thought about furnishing a dining room that would compliment a typical Urban Balcony balcony!

The results are stunning and reflect the fresh modern approach we take to design.

Many of our outdoor dining tables are equally suitable for use inside.  However we typically display them in the store as an outdoor setting which can make it difficult to visualise how they would work inside.  To help we have put together an interior display featuring a Caesarstone dining table and console table.  Paired with the beautiful Bowman dining chair upholstered in stunning Warwick fabric this display has the trade mark fresh modern feel of The Urban Balcony.

Creating privacy through planting

Creating privacy on a balcony can be challenging as often there are views that need to be maintained with only small areas to be screened. However it isn’t usually as easy as placing a large pot and plant in front of the unsightly view. Some strategies we use when asked to resolve this problem for a client include:

Distraction – if completely obscuring the view is not possible then consider creating a focal point elsewhere to distract you from the unsightly view. You’ll be surprised what a difference a little distraction makes.

Feeling – for example if you have a large balcony or roofterrace that us very overlooked consider creating a central seating area surrounded by larger trees or bamboo. When sitting in this area there will be a reeling of privacy from the surrounding buildings even hough you haven’t completely screened them off.

Balance – always balance the screening with other planting. For example if placing three lage pots at one end Of your balcony provides the necessary screening then place something similar towards the other end of the balcony. It doesn’t need to be the same size, opt for the same pot in a smaller size and use a low plant if you have attractive views in that area.

Check out Fern’s step by step instructions.

If you would like to make your own pallet garden we have plenty of spare pallets at our warehouse.  Give us a call and we’ll let you know where to find them!