In our fast-paced life, all we need is a space in our homes where we can relax and unwind. Tiny or huge, our balconies can serve that purpose very well. Balcony does more than just add to the aesthetics of your home. It gives you the opportunity to maximize your living space, it can be a romantic nook, another dining spot, a place to relax, read or chill with friends.
I have a guest on my blog today who not only utilized her balcony space wisely but also turned it into a small retreat. Preeti Deshmukh from Nashik is with us today and she'll be telling us how she transformed her balcony into a beautiful relaxing spot and that too on a low budget.
"It was my dream to have a big balcony in my home so when we were planning to buy an apartment, well-ventilated rooms and a space for relaxation was our first priority. We were fortunate that we found a spacious flat with a huge balcony attached to the living room and a separate utility area attached to the kitchen where I can hang clothes to dry."
The first thing that Preeti decided was the theme of her balcony and it was "traditional Indian". Next up was a seating arrangement and Preeti had an astounding idea of putting up a swing. She adds,
"Since the theme was traditional, swing or Chaupala was a perfect addition to my balcony. So I got it custom made and added beautiful cushions to create a pleasing and comfortable sit out on the balcony."
Next step was to perk up the dull looking walls and keeping the traditional Indian theme in mind, Preeti decided to do Warli painting on the walls. But executing this idea wasn't that easy for her. This is what she shared,
"The idea of painting Warli art was quite fascinating but I wasn't confident enough to do it myself so I asked my sister-in-law who not only paints well but is a skilled calligrapher too. She liked the idea and was ready to help me."
"We knew nothing about Warli art so we did a lot of research, read about the art form on the internet, visited some places where Warli was done and took photographs for reference. But then we didn't know anything about what kind of paint we should be using. Then my cousin Shweta Deshmukh who is an architect and lives in Pune came to our rescue. She gave us all the technical knowledge which was necessary to start our Warli project and we were good to go now."
As you must have read my previous blogs on Warli or might have watched my video tutorial on Warli painting, I have mentioned that Warli painting depicts the social life of Warli tribe. So keeping this fact in mind Preeti and her sister-in-law painted day-to-day activities of village people.
"We painted Sun, Vasudev, Tulsi puja to illustrate morning scene in a typical village on one wall and painted moon, men returning to home from fields, a lady cooking food etc.to portray the dusk hours on another wall."
"As Warli painting also depicts celebrations so we decided to paint a scene of a wedding ceremony on another wall where we showed a groom mounted on a horse and a coy bride sitting in a palanquin and everyone else is dancing and enjoying. Painting Warli on the entire parapet wall and a part of balcony wall was really a tough job but then my family and relatives helped me a lot through out the painting project."
"I bought accessories like masks, lamp, parrot and giraffe planter for my balcony from an exhibition. Hanging bells I bought from Pune."
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You can buy the Giraffe planter & Masks here
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Preeti is a plant lover and has a big green thumb. She has planted a variety of plants in her balcony. She even created a fairy garden.
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Create your own miniature garden:
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She is so creative when it comes to reusing, recycling or up-cycling a stuff. Using her son's broken study desk and some pebbles, she created a beautiful piece of art that you see in below picture. Now you know you just need to look around with your keen eyes to unearth the hidden treasure that you already have in your home.
With a proper plan and careful execution of it, Preeti was successful in creating the most relaxing and dreamy balcony space for herself that she had dreamed of once upon a time.
Transformation of a dull and stark balcony space into an irresistible outdoor retreat was not an easy task for Preeti. She tells it took nearly a year to turn her balcony into a lush looking sanctuary. Now she feels proud of herself every time she gets compliments from guests.
Preeti believes that the process of transforming a house into a home takes a long time and you should try to enjoy every step along the way.
This was all about decorating a balcony space in a traditional Indian way. I hope Preeti's balcony inspired you to create your own calming retreat. Thanks Preeti for sharing the lovely images and the balcony transformation story with us. Wish you and your family love, luck & sunshine.
Dear readers, if you are looking for some more Balcony Decorating Ideas then click here.
I'm shooting one more video this week so stay tuned! Till then connect with me here:
