The shelves on the balcony will help to rationalize the space. If you close the hinged shelves with doors, you can get a closet practically built into the niche of the loggia. Hinged or folding models, wooden, glass or original, shelves differ from each other in the principle of openness: some of them can be open, others closed. Depending on the design of the balcony, its dimensions, it is worth choosing one or another model.
For an open balcony, folding or hinged structures are suitable, forming a whole rack. A closed balcony gives more room for imagination, since weather conditions are unlikely to affect the products. By the way, if the balcony is closed, but not heated, that is, in the cold season, the temperature in the room is much lower than at home, you should stock up on moisture-resistant materials for the shelves - high-quality wood with processing or stainless metal.
Let's talk about these horizontal elements: materials, fastening methods, what you need to create shelves with your own hands and how to think over a functional and durable structure for a loggia.
Materials (edit)
Chipboard famous for its cheapness and practicality. Chipboard shelves are very simple, easy-to-process material allows you to create from the simplest designs to interesting collages with storage space. It is easy to create a real wardrobe on the loggia thanks to the shelves: you can buy a ready-made structure or make it yourself. Particleboard is often used to create storage furniture and especially in a loggia. It is important that the material has a special coating against moisture and swelling, provided that the humidity on the balcony is increased or there is a sharp change in temperature
Wall-mounted pieces of furniture on the balcony made of chipboard are suitable for arranging any balcony in any style. If you do not appreciate this space in the interior design, then install simple structures in light wood color, and it will become not only a practical piece of furniture, but also a modern and concise feature of your loggia.
Metal also serves to create hanging shelves on the balcony. The main thing is to choose a solid and lightweight base for creating shelves on the loggia or purchase a ready-made structure. For open balconies, choose stainless steel or aluminum; these materials are difficult to weather and do not deform from moisture, unlike wood or chipboard. However, metal products can change shape due to too heavy items that are stored on the shelves; this determines the selection of a certain thickness of the structure and the material used to create it
Wood is used to make furniture and balcony shelves are no exception. Natural wood is capricious, so you should not install any elements of furniture from it on open balconies or those that are not insulated
Glass as a base for hinged shelves is used no less often than the materials listed above. Glass shelves serve as a decorative element rather than a functional storage system
Plastic is an inexpensive and practical material that surpasses chipboard in its qualities. Plastic shelves as part of the rack perfectly withstand dampness, moisture, temperature changes, so it is useful for arranging an open loggia. However, plastic does not withstand too heavy a load and does not always look stylish
How to do it yourself
Balconies are different in their parameters, which requires an individual approach to creating furniture for it. If simple hinged shelves can be purchased in a store, it is not difficult to choose their size, then designs of several shelves, like a cabinet, force you to look for an alternative. An excellent solution would be to create hinged wooden shelves on the balcony with your own hands.
To begin with, it is worth determining the location of the shelves: mark the location of the future piece of furniture directly on the walls, to facilitate the work and improve its quality, use the level: it will make the drawing as accurate as possible. After applying the markings, it is worth stocking up on the necessary materials: bars, sheets (MDF, chipboard, wood, lining). By the way, this and the following paragraphs of the article are devoted to the production of a small storage space on an open or closed loggia.
Nail 4 bars to the walls of the balcony, 2 bars on each side underneath each other, which form a niche, they will serve as the basis for fastening. If you wish, you can install the back and side walls for the shelves, on the same walls you can attach bars and hang elements from chipboard or wood. Next, we fasten the sheets to the frame thanks to self-tapping screws, having previously attached them to the attachment point in order to make sure that the structure is correct and functional. It is important to determine the required height of the shelves and make the correct measurements so that things simply do not roll off the shelf.
After fixing the sheets, you should think about their design: leave them open or shield them with additional doors. To make doors, you will need hinges, the doors themselves, handles and magnets. Here you can show your imagination: it is not necessary to make the wardrobe completely closed; combine open and closed shelves and you get an original and functional shelving unit.
It is also possible to make interior elements for storage from lining, more precisely, a balcony sheathed with this material with similar shelves will look good. By the way, lining is more practical in comparison with chipboard, it is better to take pine or spruce as a basis - they are heat and moisture resistant, durable and practical. If you cut out the elements yourself, then each of them should be processed with sandpaper or a grinder, additionally they can be treated with varnish or other coating of a predominantly transparent color, otherwise the natural shade of the wood will disappear.
Corner
It is easy to create a corner rack in a loggia, while you can use wood or metal, depending on your preferences and climatic conditions in the space. The corner structure is incredibly functional and will be especially useful on a closed balcony and even an open loggia, if you correctly approach the solution of the issue. With an open loggia open, leave those sections of the rack that are not exposed to direct sunlight and where the wind is unlikely to blow out, the same recommendation will come in handy when making a structure in a closed area.
Corner structures on the balcony do not necessarily form a rack, it is enough to place ready-made elements one above the other and fix them with an original carved or strict design bracket.
Hanging shelves
Hanging shelves on the balcony, which do not form a rack, will be appropriate on the balcony in small quantities. It is convenient to put flowers, books, any other decor and useful things on such shelves. Their arrangement does not oblige you to be placed on top of each other in a classic way, be creative and place the pieces of furniture like a staircase - at different levels.
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Interesting ideas
Thanks to the shelves on the balcony, you can get an original and practical interior of the room, for example, as in the photo below. Rectangular structures are arranged on top of each other in a scatter in accordance with the proportions. Fig 1
Closed shelves look neat on a small balcony; they are intended for storing household utensils or kitchen utensils most likely. Doors to match the walls make the shelving seem invisible to prying eyes, which allows you to create another seating area in the same balcony.
Horizontal pieces of furniture made of wood or glass on the balcony will help in arranging the office, if you combine them with glass and closed-type hinged cabinets. Open structures add variety to the interior and provide space for decor: beautiful books, candles, bowls and other items. Fig 3
An interesting solution would be the manufacture of a bar cabinet due to the presence of several shelves of different width and height, most of which are closed by doors. Fig 4
The most functional, budgetary and simplest design is considered to be a set of elements that form an open rack for storing jars of jams and pickles. A similar element of your balcony will become not only a useful space, but also a style guide, see how laconic and cozy the blanks look on open shelves of natural wood color. Fig 5