How to Use your Balcony this Summer

With the weather getting warmer and sunshine lasting longer, now is the perfect time to make use of your outdoor space. For home-owners benefitting from a balcony, don’t be disheartened – there are plenty of things you can do with this stylish external feature. Below are a range of activities to suit every member of the family to ensure health and happiness.

1. Exercise – This is hugely important for both our physical and mental wellbeing. Whether it’s for a vigorous HIIT workout or an intense core focus session, the balcony is the perfect space to exercise from the comfort and safety of your own home.

2. Meditate – For a more tranquil pursuit, meditation is a superb way of promoting emotional health; enhancing self-awareness, improving your attention span, and reducing stress and anxiety. 

3. Grow flowers – Growing flowers has a number of benefits, not least its visual appeal. It offers the ‘gardener’ a focus and goal, as well as providing colour and beauty to an otherwise mundane living situation.  For families with children, as mentioned in one of our previous blogs, this is also a great way of teaching them how to care for and nurture something.

4. Live the European way – Eat ‘al fresco’. Take in the view and live like the Italians by eating your breakfast, lunch or dinner outdoors.

5. Get creative – Gather materials together and create a masterpiece from your balcony. This could be of the view ahead of you or anything else that springs to mind.

6. Outdoor Lighting Ideas – Think of exciting ways to light up your life. Fairy lights and mini lanterns are a great way of bringing a warm glow to your home and providing the perfect space for some ‘chill time’ or meditation.

7. Create a balcony herb garden – You don’t need a garden to grow herbs; all you need is some sun, plenty of water, a simple herb box stand, and you’re good to go. Fortunately, most herbs are well suited to ‘balcony growing’ conditions. Some options include basil, fennel, dill, cilantro, marjoram, parsley, chive, oregano, lavender, sage, thyme, mint and rosemary.

8. Mini Japanese garden – Biophilic design is a concept used within the building industry to incorporate nature into the living space. Why not create your very own Japanese garden on your balcony, which could double as a spot for meditating! Japanese gardens have a number of elements you can include: Stones (which symbolise stability and eternity), water (a symbol of life) and plants/Perennials: Asters, Chrysanthemum, Dahlia, Daylilies, Peonies, Iris, Astilbe and Anemone.

9. Start a balcony vlog – For tech savvy home owners, starting a vlog could be a great way of passing the time. Each day/night, vlog what you achieved the previous day from your balcony for an awesome video backdrop.

10. Create a cosy hub and have some ‘Me Time’ – There’s nothing wrong with being solitary and reflecting, so use cushions, blankets, fairy-lights and take some time for yourself. Bring a laptop outside to watch a film, listen to some music, or read a book.  

A number of Inland’s developments feature fantastic balconies/terraces, including our Southampton sites, Chapel Riverside & Meridian Waterside, and Venue in Maidenhead.