How to Create Good Vibes for your Apartment Balcony on a Budget

How I Styled My Apartment Balcony on a Budget

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The thing about going from apartment to apartment, especially with dogs, is the serious lack of outdoor space. Growing up in a house in the woods, a little fresh air and greenery go a long way for my mental health and happiness. I’m so obsessed with having an outdoor area of my own to work, read a book, or recharge. In rentals, this comes to life in the form of an apartment balcony or patio.

Most of the time I’m torn on whether to invest in cute apartment balcony decor, or any apartment decor for that matter or to wait until I finally purchase a house. That’s the dilemma for literally every room.  But, we just renewed our lease on our current apartment so what better time to get the patio vibes going and decorate a comfortable and functional outdoor space. We will be here for two more summers, after all. I can already visualize me and my family drinking seltzers on summer nights with the twinkle lights glowing.

I do admit, the most expensive part of the project was already taken care of. We started with a set of woven brown patio chairs and a loveseat. Brandon had been using this set for the past few homes he’d lived in, so it had been well used. The thing about men (boys!!) owning furniture is that they rarely use accessories – which means they were sat on by VERY heavy guys with zero cushion support. Oops. The weave was starting to bust through the seat in several spots but screw it. They work for now!

To start, I put in a Walmart order. I found some VERY inexpensive cushions on clearance, a pack of 2 for $36, and I bought 2 packs. $72 for 4 butts! I’ll take it.  
Cushions

In that same Walmart order, I bought this basic outdoor rug. Only $38, 5×7 rug, also on sale.  I felt dumb after I had bought it because it’s the EXACT same color as the concrete on the apartment balcony.  But, now that I’ve had it for a couple of months I am happy to have it, as it separates the sitting space and makes it cozier. 
Rug

Of course, you can’t have balcony decor without hanging string lights.  It’s just the rules. I bought mine from Amazon, $20. The bulbs were real glass and FRAGILE, I broke 2 trying to hang them up. 
Lights

The plant stand table was a cutie Facebook Marketplace find that I had refurbished to sell, but simultaneously was looking for a plant stand and decided to keep it. Painted with a custom gray color in Sherwin Williams Duration Paint.

For the balcony decor, which consisted of a citronella candle for the bugs, a few planters, and a hanging macramé banner, I went to Target. I spent $90 for all, which is a win at Target.
Planters
Candle
Garland

Then the magic happened. I bought plants! Plants are the greatest balcony decor of all time. They can be as costly or inexpensive as you choose, depending on which plants you get and how many. I had zero plants and ended up splurging in this area since I had saved so much money with the decor. 

The total cost was $218 before plants! I spent $175 on plants and more planters. A less than $400 investment total, and a huge increase to quality of life & home. Not to mention, an additional WFH space on the balcony.

I threw in some old couch pillows that were getting taken off the couch every day anyways for some extra lounge-y comfort that you want in an apartment balcony. Sometimes we do get rain, but everything dries out pretty quickly in the Colorado sun.  

Ta-Da!