Storage on the balcony and loggia

Perhaps the most common place for storing various utensils, be it any objects, things or even food, is the balcony. But in order for these very things on the balcony or loggia not to form a mess, it is necessary to implement a storage system that would satisfy all your needs. In this article, we will get acquainted with what types of storage systems are and which one to use, depending on the design, shape or location of the balcony.

In order for the balcony to be a convenient storage place, there is no need to radically alter it into a storage room with endless shelves, which are littered with various things in a chaotic manner. Simple design tricks and choosing the right storage system for your belongings will turn your balcony into a neatly appointed storage room.

With the help of a balcony, you can free rooms from unnecessary things, just stacking one on top of the other is not worth it. To begin with, you can use simple hooks and boxes, the hooks can be used both for their intended purpose, and with the help of small pieces of fabric to divide the space, if necessary, and from the boxes you can at the initial stage make a modular system for packing things according to some characteristic.

Most often, there are two main types of storage systems.

• Hidden. It is the use of built-in and recessed niches for drawers and shelves, and all this is often hidden by thick curtains in the color of the interior. The second common variant of this type is simple wardrobes.

• Open. Mostly this is the arrangement of items on open shelves or shelves. For insulation, things can be folded into containers, boxes or boxes that can be matched to the style of the interior, and design elements, various decorative ornaments, lamps and other little things are left in plain sight.

The simplest in terms of design and the easiest to implement storage system element can rightfully be called a rack. It is presented in the form of vertical rails made of wood or metal, on which the shelves are horizontally located at full length. Due to the simplicity of its design, it can be made by yourself or ordered. One of the advantages of shelving is that they are through due to the absence of walls and doors. This is very convenient for a narrow balcony and allows you to view the entire space while looking for things. If there is a need to store things on the shelves that are afraid of dust or other external factors, they can be placed in boxes and signed for convenience.

Cabinets are a closed storage system, most often you have to make such furniture to order, since the sizes and shapes are individual. But with a little experience in this matter and ingenuity, you can independently design and manufacture cabinets for the balcony according to your needs.

In order to preserve the state of the items stored in the cabinets, it is necessary to choose the right material of manufacture. If it is rather humid on the balcony or loggia, the raw materials must be moisture resistant. In the case of an insulated balcony, you can use familiar materials that are used for furniture throughout the house.

One of the most functional solutions, based on your needs and preferences, is, as a constructor, to assemble furniture with drawers. Drawers in a simple dresser, for example, will serve as a place to store clothes. Upholstered furniture with retractable hollow containers can perform a double function: it is both a seating area formed on the balcony and a place where you can store various things. We will return to this method of organizing a storage system on a balcony or loggia. The frames for such furniture are mainly made of wood, most often of plywood, so it is necessary to monitor the humidity and properly care for the furniture.

An excellent and functional solution, as well as budgetary and easy to implement. For the shelves, you can use unnecessary boards or sawn pieces of old furniture; there is also a chic assortment of various shelves in the stores. To place heavy or massive objects, it is worth using metal, and for aesthetic pleasure, you can use shelves made of glass and other noble materials. If necessary, without much difficulty, you can design any shape, corner shelves, for example, will allow you to make the most of the space. Due to its lightness of construction and ease of installation, it allows you to take up space above your head, thereby freeing the bottom of the balcony for other solutions.

In order for the entire balcony space to be used rationally, sofas or other upholstered furniture with drawers inside are most often installed there. Consider the types of such furniture and how they differ.

• A narrow sofa or ottoman along the wall. Such solutions can often be seen on narrow balconies in order to make the most of the space and turn the balcony into a dining area or sitting area by adding a small table.

• One of the common solutions is a chest of drawers. This is a very practical type of furniture, as it can be adjusted to any room and interior. By adding a soft element on top in the form of a pillow or mattress, you can use a chest of drawers in the form of a chest or sofa, a sofa or even a bed.

• Poufs. Soul mates of dressers can be said, but more modular. The simplicity of the design allows you to make them with your own hands, equipped with storage space, and the price for this type of furniture is more than budgetary. The beauty is that you can place several poufs on the balcony and combine them depending on the situation. You can use them as chairs around a table, you can pair them and make several benches, or you can move everything together and get a cozy place to lie down.

In order for the time spent on the balcony to be enjoyable, even if it is intended only for storage, it is necessary to properly organize the space. If the balcony combines seating and storage areas, it is recommended to divide them or place them on opposite walls. In almost any case, the glazing of the balcony is a mandatory step, since it allows you to use the room all year round and feel comfortable and cozy there.

It happens that the balcony itself already has niches and mezzanines. If you come across just one, then use these storage places. And the remaining space can be used for other purposes.If the balcony is being repaired or reconstructed, then there is the possibility of expanding it towards the street by lengthening the slab using guides. You can build a wardrobe into the resulting meters.

Also, the balcony can be easily converted into a dressing room to store both seasonal items and for everyday use. If the balcony is not properly insulated, then it is used to store food and pickles. And if the balcony does not take up a special place in your apartment, then one large wardrobe can be placed on it, leaving only space for it to be convenient to go through and get the necessary thing.

Based on the organizational aspects and combinations of structures and furniture used in the arrangement of the balcony, they are divided into types.

• Balcony with open structure. This type of balcony is very well suited for placing all kinds of plants on it, you can even organize a small greenhouse. This type is not suitable for placing storage systems.

• Uninsulated, but glazed or covered. Since there is no proper insulation, at low temperatures it is used as food storage. In summer, some kind of winter utensils are most often stored on such a balcony: children's sleds, ski and snowboard equipment. To build racks or other storage systems on such balconies, it is recommended to use plastic or metal so that there is no deformation during temperature changes.

• Insulated and glazed. This is perhaps the best combination of balcony properties as it allows you to choose how the balcony will be used. Any materials are suitable for storage systems, and the relaxation area will be comfortable thanks to insulation and insulation.

As we already know, the organized storage of things on the balcony is very dependent on the shape, area, type of balcony and its other design features. It is important here to choose an individual solution that suits you, but there are some already established examples and storage ideas that are considered more advantageous.

• It is recommended to make a niche under the balcony window for storing homework, shoes and other things that are not used often. All this is organized in the form of a false wall, which is invisible at first glance. And another advantage of this solution is the increase in the window sill, which can also be used, for example, for plants. Also, this place can be used for storing wheels or tires without rims, especially in winter.

• The standard and less labor-intensive solution would be to install a conventional cabinet., this does not require changes in the construction of the balcony. The wardrobe can be divided into sections: one can be made with a bar and shelves for storing clothes, and the other part can be used for household items such as a vacuum cleaner, a mop, buckets for washing floors, a broom and other utensils for cleaning the house.

• An improved version of the previous solution will be a built-in wardrobe, which is designed specifically for your balcony and which uses all possible space to the maximum. There can be as many divisions and sections as you need, but it is better to calculate all this at the planning stage. You can store both preserves, food and cereals, onions, and boxes with any things and clothes.

• Shelving or cabinets with open shelves. They will be an excellent solution on the insulated and glazed balcony. You can make sections closed with facades and put things there, and in open spaces you can keep essentials or interesting interior items, figurines, lamps, and more.

• Upholstered furniture with niches inside is most often used for storing things., bed linen, but it will also be convenient to use it for storing tools, small garden utensils, empty cans from preservation.

• It is rare to see the storage system on the balcony, which is most often used in workshops, garages and carpentry shops.It is a sheet of plywood or other durable material with mesh-like holes. And under these holes they make shelves, hanging boxes, rods, in order to modularly assemble this or that option.

• You can also combine solutions. For example, you can equip most of the balcony for plants and a recreation area and make a couple of boxes with soft pillows on top, on which it will be comfortable to sit, and store a small amount of things in a niche.

A very common use of a balcony or loggia is the storage of canned goods and other products that are not particularly picky about temperatures: potatoes, carrots, onions and other vegetables. But most often it looks like this: all this is simply carried to the balcony and stands on the floor, thereby corny interfering with the passage.

To prevent food and preservation from spoiling, it is necessary to take into account some points. Different products have different storage temperatures, high humidity can affect vegetables and curls in different ways, and direct exposure to sunlight will be an important factor when designing a balcony for storing crops. In order to understand whether your loggia or balcony is suitable for such a storage system, we will consider several points that must be observed.

• Temperature conditions. The temperature must be kept above freezing to prevent the vegetables from freezing and the contents of the jars from freezing, as they can burst from liquid expansion. If necessary, insulate the balcony or part of it where you are going to store preserves and vegetables.
• If you have a sunny side, then it is necessary to isolate products from the sun's rays, and preservation tends to deteriorate under direct exposure to the sun.
• Open balcony view are often used to dry laundry and things, but if food is stored on it, we recommend ventilating it to avoid an increase in humidity, which can lead to the appearance of fungus.

Everyone has different needs, living conditions and possibilities for organizing a storage system on the balcony. This article is designed to make your balcony or loggia spacious and functional, to meet all your requirements and solve all your problems.