I realize it’s only February, but here’s the deal: in Texas, it’s already springtime. The weather is beginning to peak in it’s overall appeal, and we’ll be enjoying the “golden months” of the year up until about May, when it gets HOT hot.
One thing I’ve discovered about working remotely is that it’s great to switch up your surroundings. Sometimes I head to a park to get outside while doing some creative work. The chance to get outside, breathe fresh air, and maybe even stick my toes in the grass really does a world of good.
Anyway, back to my balcony. One thing I know about myself is that I will get a balcony inspiration about once a year. One rendition had palm trees, bean bags, and Astroturf. Another was a gardening phase, where I grew little squash and tomato plants in hopes of having a balcony homestead, or something like that. It’s been awhile since I had given my plants or my patio any TLC, so I decided this was the weekend.
It was looking sad.
How did I master-plan it? Well, thank you. Me and my masterful self took an embroidery measuring tape and got some pretty give-or take patio measurements. I had an idea in my mind’s eye that kept getting strengthened every time I passed a Euopean-looking house with lattices of ivy.
I asked Peter, “Hey, what do you think about me changing up the patio and making it a little cozier?”
No response. His earbuds were drowning out my voice. I took it as consent. He jumped into a zoom meeting and I texted him an “I’m up to no good” and was on my merry way.
As with (mostly) everything, I like to work on a small budget. Let me rephrase. I like a small budget that wooorrkkksss for me. I set out with a Visa giftcard from a Christmas present and got to work. Here’s what I ended up using:
-2 Sheets of white vinyl lattice
-Greenery squares from the 99 Cent store
-1 package of zip ties
-17mm steel wire
-Sheer curtains from Walmart (I truly dislike this establishment, but $5 curtains?! Yes please, I can feed these to the wind with a clean conscience.)
-On-hand: Jigsaw, wire cutters, black paint
And so I got to work!
Using the jigsaw, I trimmed down the lattices to fit my balcony. Using zip ties, I secured them to the railing.Then, I cut down the greenery squares into even, lattice-size strips. I used the wire to secure each piece to the lattice, making a full criss-cross pattern. This took the most time, but it was a beautiful Saturday morning and I set up my laptop with some background entertainment to keep me busy.
Then, I removed my old curtains and hung up the sheer ones. Things started looking more serene by the minute!
I finished out by painting all my garden pots solid black. I wanted them to all look like a set, and this is absolutely the cheapest and easiest way to achieve a cohesive look.
We reimagined the orientation of the setup just a bit, and I strung in a few twinkle lights in time for golden hour. And WOW. What a transformation. It’s my new favorite spot for early mornings, work sessions, and cozy evenings.
So, if you needed a sign to build your own patio haven, here it is!
I hope you enjoyed this weekend project as much as I did!
Sarah Joy
