A calm space: Inspiration for styling a smaller outdoor space in the middle of the hectic city

With a balcony of just a few square meters, it was important for Andrea Glad to really consider what she wanted to do with her balcony. And with a location in the center of the city, the balcony should serve as a calm retreat for her and her boyfriend in the middle of a busy day. Read on as the 27-year-old business developer and influencer shares her tips for decorating her balcony, where multi-functional furniture and creating privacy with a custom made balcony sunshade and parasol have been important.

What does your balcony mean to you?
– I live in an apartment in the middle of the city, so a balcony is a huge gamechanger when the sun is shining and the apartment is baking hot. I love spending time outside, but it's also nice to get away from the noisy, crowded city streets and enjoy the peace and quiet of the balcony. I love reading a good book, having morning coffee with my boyfriend or inviting friends and family over for dinner.

What have you thought about when decorating your balcony?
– My balcony is not that big, so with only a few square meters, it's important to consider carefully what you want to use the space for. For me, it's important to have space to relax, but also room to enjoy a nice dinner. I've decorated the balcony with the Beate lounge sofa and the Ida metal hanging table from Balcony Living Cph, which creates the perfect cozy nook to sit down on both sunny days and warm evenings. The hanging table is great for a small balcony as it can be used for dining, but can also be easily folded down if you want to use the space to lie down and relax instead. The cushions and blanket on the sofa and the flowers in the balcony boxes from Balcony Living Cph add a lot of coziness and personality to the balcony.

It's also important to me that the balcony is a bit private so that the neighbors can't see everything we do. That's why one of the first things I bought was a balcony sunshade. This helps to create a more private balcony space. Here, the Stine parasol is also really good because it also helps to provide some privacy from the neighbors. At the same time, it's really nice to have a parasol that you can open when you've had enough of the baking hot sun.

Describe a dream day on your balcony?
– We are lucky enough to have sun on our balcony from about 10 in the morning until about 6 in the evening, so a dream day on the balcony starts from the morning. This is where I have my morning coffee and a some bread and cheese with my boyfriend. I love the quiet morning life where we are not in a hurry, but can just enjoy each other's company and the silence in the courtyard. Afterwards, I can easily spend a couple of hours reading a good book or just relaxing and listening to a podcast. Later in the afternoon, we have some friends over for a glass of wine and some snacks on the balcony while enjoying the last bit of sun on the balcony.

Why you chose Stine in the light nature colour? 
– For a long time, I've been looking for a parasol for my balcony that would be cozy but also practical. That's why the Stine parasol is perfect. I chose the parasol in natural white as it will match the facades in the courtyard really well. At the same time, it is a very calm color, which leaves room to find some patterned and colored cushions and rugs for the lounge sofa without it being too cluttered to look at.