Present-day struggles: Balcony vs. extra room
A passive-aggressive segment by an architect: Let balcony be balcony!
Why do apartments have open spaces like galleries and balconies?
In 2021 in cities like Pune, we no longer have the luxury of big rooms, verandas & personal gardens like rular royalties of our country. We either have to roam around the city too early in the morning for fresh air or just run far away from the city! That is why modern-day architects came up with galleries and balconies to provide us with the freedom to embrace social isolation without feeling trapped & to enjoy fresh air without worrying about catching the virus!
So don’t throw away the luxury of experiencing open-to-sky space on a day-to-day basis, which also on the plus side gives you the vantage point to judge people from afar.
What happens if we close the balcony?
There are a few options for how to close an open space without changing the elevation of the building. So the most common we see is a temporary corrugated roof and glass sliding shutters. This makes that open space a hot box with almost no ventilation- A nightmare for summers, still uncomfortable in winters, and noisy AF in Monsoons! Therefore in the hassle of making an extra study room, you have built yourself a slow cooker. Other options to close such a privileged space are either vandalizing the existing architecture and/ or not serving the purpose. Now either we can accept our small ass rooms and appreciate the piece of richness that is our balcony or we can suffer in silence in global warming & this pandemic.
Why is it better left alone?
The balcony equips us with an outdoor-indoor recreational space. If you have pets in apartments then it’s best to have open-to-sky balconies for them to play & for other creatures who live with them aka humans, it is a place to chill and do barbeque parties. Unlike in these recurring lockdowns, there were and will be a time for parties on terraces or balconies. In a lockdown, they become the most happening places in the city - children playing, artists painting, drinking tea, speaking on the phone loudly, screaming greetings at other humans in balconies, etc.
It is the most fun to have balconies and you can’t deny it!
What can we do to utilize it to its fullest?
We want to turn our beautiful balconies into rooms maybe because we don’t know what to do with them so that they don’t look like just empty rooms without furniture.
So here are some ideas for you:
Minimum efforts: Patio furniture and some low maintainnace plants to acompany you while you drink tea in the balcony on the rainy days
Some colors: A self-standing swing + some rattan furniture + Artificial grass carpet + some LED lights and you are done!
Level up: Instead of artificial grass carpet, wooden flooring/ wooden planks + patio chairs + few planters + LED lights can change the entire mood of the balcony from boring to
Finally: Some fairy lights to anything will elevate the mood at in the evenings.
I sincerely hope that you dont close off yout little slice of haven after reading this. If you are looking for some more ideas please write to me, I’ll gladly help. As always if you any more suggetions do send me a message :)
