Tag Archives: balcony

Hurray! we have a balcony!


It took some time, sweat and tears, but boy was it worth it!

We have a balcony!

our Tea for Two balcony

our Tea for Two balcony

Spring inspiration: balconies, patio’s and urban gardens for city dwellers


Wow, that was a trip. Winter just didn’t seem to know when to quit right? But voila, spring is here. Trees and plants are slowly beginning to bloom, birds dare to sing without fear of freezing their vocal cords, and the sun rears up it’s pretty golden head! Time to go outside, open those doors and let the air in!

I feel it, and can’t wait for Friday April 19th when FINALLY after 5 years of bureaucratic struggles, we’ll have a balcony too! I am already researching magazines and garden books for the best plants, the most comfortable cushions and outside candles. I can’t wait to add that bit of outside space to our home. Here are some of the best balconies, patio’s and urban gardens I stumbled upon.

Balcony


Hurrah! Today I spoke with the bureau of monuments and archeology about possibly allowing us a balcony. Turns out the guy in charge has actually advised the committee to grant us permission to create a small balcony in the middle part of the back exterior wall. It’s too early to cheer, the committee gets the final vote, but we might be able to sit outside this summer!

I can’t wait to go out and buy plants and pots and flowers!

 

My house is not yellow, but it will feel like this!

My house is not yellow, but it will feel like this!

 
He advised that we will likely be asked to swap the door opening with the current window. This means we have to turn the existing door into a window with a low windowsill again.  As you can see on the photograph below, depicting our back wall, that means we will end up with opening doors in the middle of the house instead of tucked away in the corner.

taken with crappy camera phone

taken with crappy camera phone

I actually prefer that as we can then maybe put another little sofa of reading chair in the corner in front of the window for winter days when the sun is out.

Also, we will put a so called barre-de-fou (crazy folks barrier) in front of the window so we can put plants there too! Like the picture below.

obviously not in white plastic plant boxes

obviously not in white plastic plant boxes

I know, I know, I should really wait for the final OK to come through, and even then we still have to file for permission etc etc.. but the fun of planning and dreaming up the perfect balcony is jut too great to waste!

Please share pictures of your balconies for inspiration!

Tea for Two


As mentioned elsewhere on this site we are currently exploring options to create a bit of outside space in our Amsterdam apartment. Dutch architect Pieter van Gendt developed a smart and novel idea called Tea for Two. It’s a balcony that can be attached to your house in a day. It iks not wowoing city councils as much as it should yet. They claim it does not fit with the flat, no nonsense and uninterupted facades in Amsterdam. Feel free to disagree.

Tea for Two balconies

Tea for Two balconies

Check www.balkons.nl for more details.
Flat and uninterupted?

Flat and uninterupted?