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Even having a solid area in a house or apartment, you can’t ignore the balcony and loggia: it’s too good to relax on this small area. In winter, you can enjoy the rays of the sun, and in summer – the breeze and coolness. Therefore, finishing the balcony inside, design development is an important task. The place should be cozy and comfortable, but also functional. It is not easy to combine such different requirements in a very small area. There are several key points that will help you cope with these tasks on your own. About them and will be discussed further.
Balconies and loggias, of course, differ constructively. This is reflected in the features of the insulation and when installing the glazing, but the design and finish are identical, as is the possible use of the available space. Therefore, the article will focus on the construction of both types.
Glazing types
The development of the design of a balcony or loggia is preceded by repairs. And the main repair on these structures is glazing and, if so decided, insulation. Glazing of balconies and loggias is conditionally divided into two groups: cold and warm. Cold protects against the penetration of dust and precipitation, can significantly delay the wind, but cannot greatly affect the temperature. Warm glazing, on the other hand, adds sound insulation and temperature increase to the entire specified set of properties.
The cost of warm glazing is much higher, but the functions that, after such modernization, the room can perform are much wider. How can use the cold balcony? To store some things, and even in the summer – to sit, relax, in the winter you can – just jump out for a couple of minutes. On the insulated balcony or loggia, both offices and bedrooms are arranged, someone transfers the dining area from the small kitchen there. The decision, of course, is yours, but to make it easier to navigate the topic, we briefly list the main methods of glazing, their advantages and disadvantages.
cold glazing
Any of the methods in this category will cost significantly less than warm, but the level of comfort and functionality of the room remains quite low. The methods are:
- Single wooden swing frames. The cheapest way, but also the most short-lived, requiring constant care method. Wood is in difficult conditions: the sun roasts it, water wets it, frost destroys it. Because of this, the paint or varnish is constantly peeling off. You have to update the coverage over and over again.
Single hinged wooden frames – the most inexpensive type of glazing - Metal glazing. The people are also called “tram windows” because of the characteristic appearance. A frame is welded from steel, into which glass is inserted with the help of sealing rubber bands. This option is more durable, but has a very high thermal conductivity. In summer it is hot on such a balcony or loggia, in winter it is cold.
A more modern version of the metal glazing of the baclone - Single aluminum profile. It has the longest service life, but also the highest price of those described above. Unlike other types, sliding windows are more often made than swing windows: they are cheaper, and they also help save space. The disadvantage of aluminum sliding frames is leakage, but with cold glazing this is not critical.
Aluminum profile coated with a polymer of any color
The most aesthetic are well-crafted wooden frames and aluminum glazing. They are still used today, but metal ones can be seen less and less. Tram windows are present only in houses of old buildings: the service life is still decent, but there are very few “freshly installed” ones: the view is too specific, and the temperatures, to put it mildly, are uncomfortable.
Warm glazing
Until recently, there were two options: PVC profile frames or double wooden frames. Double wooden ones have the same drawback as single ones: they need good and regular care: painting. PVC profiles in this sense are much more practical: they only need to be periodically cleaned of dust and dirt. The second concern is adjusting the fittings of plastic windows, which allows you to transfer them to the summer and winter position, takes only a few minutes and serves mainly to increase comfort and extend the maintenance-free service life.
The disadvantage of glazing with plastic profiles is their significant weight. Therefore, they are installed on a base with a high bearing capacity: brick, concrete, welded from profiled pipes. In some cases, the disadvantages include the width of the profile: it limits the amount of light entering the premises. But high tightness and excellent heat-insulating properties, with good floor and ceiling insulation on the balcony and loggia, allow you to maintain a stable temperature inside. And this makes it possible to use the area more fully: balconies and loggias are combined with rooms or arranged in them as an office, a summer garden.
The third type of warm glazing for balconies and loggias is panoramic. These are double-glazed windows created using a special technology, for the fastening of which a minimum of material is used. There is a variant of generally frameless glazing: double-glazed windows are attached to one another. An interesting option, but expensive, and not the easiest to design.
How to decorate a balcony or loggia
For finishing glazed and insulated balconies, you can use the same materials as for finishing the premises, but the most popular way is to finish the balcony with clapboard. It can be wooden or plastic. Finishing the balcony inside with a wooden clapboard creates a more comfortable environment, and plastic is easier to care for and does not need to be painted regularly. Having decided which of the properties is more important to you, you can choose the appropriate option.
How to paint the lining on the balcony, read here.
The second most popular material is decorative stone or brick-like clinker tiles. Finishing balconies inside with these materials is possible with both cold and warm glazing, as well as without it at all. The material is durable, easy to care for, frost-resistant, does not collapse under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. So that’s a good choice.
With warm glazing, the decoration of loggias inside with drywall is popular. It is especially relevant when combined with the premises, but it just looks great on the loggia. Just one point: just in case, use moisture-resistant GKL: in case of condensation.
Remarkable properties have decorative plasters. They look great, are easy to care for, many can be washed with brushes using detergents, have a long service life, there are pigments that are not harmed by sunlight. The disadvantage of this type of material is the high price. But it’s beautiful and functional.
Modern trends in interior design are a mixture of different finishing materials. When decorating loggias or balconies, you can also experiment. Most often they combine stone and tile. They are usually used in combination with other materials. Any “duets” look good, and even unexpected combinations refresh the interior.
There are many options for combined finishes, we will attach photos of the most interesting at the end of the article.
Gender: what is better to make
The choice of material for finishing the floor on the balcony and loggia depends on the glazing or its absence. If the balcony is not glazed, perhaps the best material is concrete or self-leveling floors. Another option is ceramic tiles, or better, natural stone or porcelain stoneware with frost-resistant glue.
With cold glazing, the choice is almost the same, because all these materials, subject to technology, can withstand temperature extremes. As a temporary option, you can also consider laying linoleum. But he will not last long: ultraviolet and frost are far from the conditions in which he will feel good.
On an insulated balcony or loggia, a wooden floor is most often made: it is convenient to lay insulation between the lags, and besides, the wood is pleasant underfoot, and it itself has good thermal insulation characteristics. That is, it helps to reduce heating costs.
Another option for the floor on the logs: lay plywood or OSB on them, and on this base there is already any floor covering, including laminate and even parquet board. If you want to use tiles, then it would be very nice to make a warm floor under it, otherwise it will feel cold even on top of a good layer of insulation.
Balcony and loggia design: ideas and photos
First, about the design of the balcony, which is used for its intended purpose: for a pleasant stay almost in the fresh air. Even an open balcony is suitable for this purpose. The interior decoration of the balcony shown in the photo is not some kind of super-complex or expensive, but the idea is great. The ceiling, floor and low long boxes around the entire perimeter are made of lining. Painted, most likely, with pigmented oil. A few pillows or soft mats will turn this place into a great place to relax.
Read here how to paint the lining.
With a glazed balcony or loggia, everything is simpler: install whatever you think is necessary. It is important to choose the right shape and size to make the most of the area. Most often, a small table and one or two chairs, small armchairs are installed. Such a set can easily fit even on a loggia or balcony with an area of 3 meters, and so that the table does not interfere, it can be made folding.
The design style can be made any, but it is desirable that it be in the same vein as the style of the whole house. The general idea should be traced in the design of all rooms. This is logical, and looks more organic.
If the apartment is small, and there is simply nowhere to put things, cabinets or shelves are installed on the balcony or loggia. They can be placed so that there is still room for a chair, or at least for a folding chair.
On a large loggia or insulated balcony, they even make dressing rooms. But few people can squeeze in something more than a wall cabinet, which stands at the end. The only advice: if you are going to use shelves for storage, and not for decoration, make them still closed: few people can maintain perfect order in storage systems.
Kitchen on the loggia: design and decoration ideas
It is the kitchen area on the loggia that they do not do: neither the maintenance services nor the firefighters will allow it. They take out the dining area to the warm balcony. It’s possible.
When combining these two areas, the window sill can be removed, but it is forbidden to touch the wall. Unless you order a project and strengthen the remaining parts: it will still not be possible to completely demolish it, otherwise the house may collapse. To make the existing opening look like a decoration, you can round it, make a semi-arch or choose a different type of design (read how to do it here).
With this approach, the decoration of the balcony inside should echo the design of the kitchen. The brick finish looks good in combination with smooth plasterboard walls.
Study
Privacy is often necessary for productive work, but it is not easy to find a secluded corner in the apartment. You can organize your workplace on a warm balcony or loggia. after all, all you need is a small table and a comfortable chair or armchair.
To create the most working atmosphere, the interior of the loggia should have soundproofing properties. This is wood, cork or non-woven vinyl wallpaper.
Bedroom on the balcony
In small apartments, sometimes not only there is no place to organize an office – even with a separate bed, problems can arise. If you have a balcony, even if it is 3 square meters in size, it can be turned into a small bedroom. And if the area is 6 squares or more, then on the other hand you can also arrange a working corner.
Even on a very small balcony, you can make a “lying” place.
An example of a “green” arrangement is a garden
If none of the above ways of decorating a balcony “warms” you, you might like the idea of turning it into a garden. Well, maybe not in the garden, but in the garden. This arrangement option can be implemented on an open balcony, but then it is necessary to plant annuals that quickly give greenery.
You can take out flowers in pots for the summer. There are even more options here. If there is not enough space, you can make special shelves or a niche on one of the walls.
By the way, a good idea in the photo above is to lay a wooden shield on the tiled floor and build a place to rest on it. Comfortable and easy.
The same ideas can be implemented on a glazed and insulated structure, but the choice of plants is wider – you will still maintain the temperature, so you can even try to grow tropical plants.
Balcony design and interior decoration options: photo ideas
Sometimes an idea is boring, some kind of picture that will help those thoughts that have not yet found concrete expression to take shape in the final decision. This chapter contains photos that seemed interesting. Maybe some of them will help you develop your design project and finish the balcony inside.