Almost all apartments have a space that is usually not used, but at the same time it can be turned into a full-fledged part of the house. We are now talking about loggias and balconies, which for a long time were considered as storage rooms, nothing more.
Now the balcony is 4 square meters. m. most often turns into a useful room or a full-fledged addition to the living room.
Today we will talk about what can be done with a small balcony, ways to insulate it, finish it and much more.
Design features
By arranging a cozy corner on the balcony, you can enjoy freedom or retire from the outside world. In this case, you should take into account all the advantages that the layout of a 4 sq.m. balcony provides you with. m.
Open room
If you prefer an open space, glazing may not be necessary. On the area being developed, you can create a wonderful summer recreation area. To do this, a table and several chairs made of moisture-resistant materials that are resistant to fading are installed here.
It is advisable to organize a mini-garden by installing flower pots on the floor or on hanging structures. To achieve this, you will have to work hard:
- remove excess trash from the loggia;
- determine how much the room is exposed to natural factors, for example, whether an additional canopy is needed to protect from rain;
- assess how high the level of illumination is, what design can be chosen and whether protective structures will be required;
- select materials with excellent moisture-resistant parameters, evaluate the suitability of their texture and calculate costs.
Loggia design: where to start
Despite the persistent tendency to convert loggias into offices, recreation areas, or combine them with living space, many continue to use them as a storage room, drying room, and storage of necessary and unnecessary rubbish. This is everyone’s personal choice, but before starting renovations, you should finally decide what kind of loggia should be: warm, cold or permanent?
- Cold - in this case, the functionality of the loggia will be very limited; the room remains a place for storing things that are not afraid of seasonal temperature changes. Repair involves minimal insulation. Any windows with single glass, metal or aluminum profiles are suitable for glazing. The main condition for a cold loggia is complete sealing, the choice of frost-resistant materials with good resistance to high humidity.
- Warm is the result of high-quality insulation, hydro- and vapor barriers, as well as the installation of windows with suitable energy-saving properties. Heating is provided by underfloor heating, a radiator or the installation of a portable heater. There are no very high requirements for the choice of finishing materials.
- A capital loggia can be called a loggia if it is combined with a living space. In this case, heat, steam, and waterproofing must be of very high quality. Any materials intended for residential premises can be used for the arrangement.
Glazed interior
The open plan limits residents in the directions they can use the loggia. Lack of protection from natural factors will not allow you to create a cozy balcony with multifunctional purposes. Although limited space reduces your capabilities.
In any case, it is recommended to glaze by installing sliding window systems or regular wooden frames. At the same time, there are several rules that will allow you to more economically manage the additional space in your home:
- it is advisable to use corner areas by installing a small cabinet or wall-mounted modules;
- focus on materials that visually expand the space - lining made of wood or plastic, mosaics as wall and floor coverings, wallpaper and mirrors;
- Initially, think about insulation and the need to install a heating system, which will allow you to combine the space with a room or kitchen in the future;
- choose curtains in neutral colors; blinds and Roman blinds are also suitable, as can be seen in the photo of a 4 sq.m. balcony. m.
Read here! Insulating a balcony with your own hands - instructions on how to do it quickly and cheaply! Photos of the insulation process, expert advice + video
Choosing a style
When decorating a loggia, you can give real scope to your imagination: style options are limited only by the taste of the owner. Let's look at the most common styles.
Provence
When choosing this style, you should adhere to the principle of naturalness: use only natural materials, in particular, wooden boards. An excellent option would also be tiles - imitation of natural stone, decorative plaster. The ceiling and walls should be painted in light colors: it does not have to be white, you can dilute it with soft pink, blue, and beige.
The photo shows a bright design of an open balcony.
The color scheme of the style is characterized by a wide variety:
- White
- Baked milk
- Terracotta
- Beige
- Light orange
- Mint
Combining these tones will create a unique flavor of the French province. To make the effect more noticeable, the colors should not be bright, it is better to use pastel colors. For furniture, a small sofa with floral upholstery or a wicker chair are perfect. An antique table will complement the interior. This style is also convenient because you can successfully use old furniture: paint it white, giving it a Provencal flavor - and it will be a real decoration of your loggia. The metal table and chairs, which are obligatory white, look very nice. The final touch will be added by accessories: a forged chandelier or shelves, sofa cushions, flower pots. The abundance of fresh flowers is also welcome here.
Didn't like the Provence style? These design options are also very interesting.
Photo of the design of the children's area on the loggia.
Modern style
A very interesting option would be to design the loggia space in a modern style. Frameless furniture, wicker chairs, and decorative panels with original patterns are perfect for this design. Don’t forget about accessories: original lamps, modern paintings on the walls, colored blinds or bright curtains will complete the design. Fresh flowers will add a touch of freshness. You can safely play with the color palette and use a variety of tones: both the most popular ones in the decoration of balconies are white and brown, and extravagant ones: red, deep blue, mint.
Japanese
Fans of oriental exoticism can choose to design a loggia in the Japanese style. Wall cladding with panels depicting hieroglyphs, red-black and dark brown lacquered furniture, screens and partitions, bamboo blinds and mats will help give the room the spirit of the Land of the Rising Sun. As decoration, you can hang a beautiful fan or a panel with a picture of a pretty Japanese woman on the wall, place several vases with decorative bansai bushes, multi-colored origami figures, and artificial cherry blossoms would be appropriate.
Mediterranean
To give the loggia the flavor of the Mediterranean Sea, you should use natural materials: cover the walls with wood or tiles with a suitable pattern, and install wicker chairs.
The most common colors in such an interior:
- Turquoise
- Mint
- Brown
- Olive
- White
A striped hammock or a pair of sun loungers will fit perfectly into the interior. To create harmony, you should not overload the design with an abundance of accessories. A palm tree in a pot will be an original addition.
The photo shows an interesting design option for windows on the loggia.
High tech
Fans of bold experiments will certainly appreciate high-tech loggias: they are characterized by minimalism, an abundance of glass and metal accessories, and a predominance of silver, gray and black colors. The most popular facing material is metal-look panels. To visually expand the space so inherent in this style, you should use a large number of LED lamps, placing them under the ceiling.
Country
The use of decorative stone, the presence of wooden elements, an abundance of fresh flowers, and bright colors will help in decorating a loggia in country style. You can hang curtains with large patterns on the windows, and lay multi-colored runners on the floor. For furniture, wooden benches, a simple table, and old chairs with bright chintz seats are preferred.
Loft
An excellent option for owners of large balconies: partitions and screens are used to divide the room into zones. Illumination should be maximum, which is why this style is especially suitable for loggias with panoramic glazing. Decorative elements are presented to a minimum; these are, as a rule, from the realities of plant life - metal pipes, concrete, steel sheets. The furniture is the simplest, without any frills. All items in the loft interior should be in the same color scheme, usually blue or gray.
Glazing of the room
When installing double-glazed windows, it is advisable to plan which part of the opening you will cover. The front part and sides can be glazed, but a popular scheme is when the openings on the sides are tightly closed with brickwork or a plastic panel.
First, a frame is created using metal profile frames, and double-glazed windows are installed on it. All gaps and voids are covered with polyurethane foam. Excess material is cut off, then the surface is finished with cement mortar and puttied.
Paint of the desired color is applied on top. A canopy is installed in the upper part, and a drain is installed at the bottom of the opening. As a result, a small balcony turns into additional living space.
Plastic panels
This material is universal and differs in: colors, relief surface structure, width and thickness.
Plastic has moisture-resistant characteristics, but is not recommended for use in the cold, as it becomes extremely brittle at low temperatures.
Features of high-quality finishing
To create a cozy atmosphere and arrange the interior in an original way, you need to decorate the loggia in accordance with the chosen style and functional purpose of the room.
Loggia lighting
Lighting of loggias or balconies, as a rule, is not provided for in the construction of apartment buildings, therefore, at the beginning of the renovation, electrical wiring should be carried out and the installation points of lighting fixtures, sockets, and switches should be determined.
- Direct light lamps are suitable for a loggia with a low ceiling. They help to focus the beam on a specific object or highlight a local area, making it more comfortable.
- Ambient light fixtures are usually located on the ceiling, so it is better to choose models with flat shades. The power and spectrum of the lamp can be any, depending on the volume of the room, wishes, shade of the color palette used in the design
- Reflective light lamps do not dazzle the eyes and have a spectrum that is comfortable for humans. A very interesting and original modern solution.
- LED strip is used as additional lighting, to create a special mood, or just for beauty. Most often they are laid under the window sill or along the perimeter of the ceiling
You should not use bulky lighting fixtures, chandeliers, floor lamps, etc. in a small area. If you want to give up spotlights, then it is better to replace them with flat ceiling or compact sconces.
A little imagination, work, financial investment and the loggia will turn from a storage room into a cozy and functional room. A place where it will be pleasant to spend time, work or relax. Of course, a lot depends on the size, but the competent design of balconies and loggias allows you to re-equip the room to suit your needs and desires almost always.
Floor
Before laying the floor covering, it is necessary to properly form the base. It is advisable to do this in the following sequence:
- Clean the concrete base and seal cracks with cement mortar.
- Cover the base with expanded clay with a layer of 2 cm, and apply a screed over 2 cm thick on top of the insulation. It is advisable to use polyurethane foam as insulation.
- The self-leveling floor mixture is often poured on top of the insulation and the surface is smoothed with a spatula.
- For heating, you can use an electric heating cord on a sheet laid on top of the insulation.
Decorating the interior of a 4 sq.m. balcony. m., you can use linoleum as a floor covering. Color, pattern and relief are selected in accordance with the chosen style.
The canvas is glued by applying an adhesive mass to the screed and gradually unwinding the roll. To compensate for the non-standard shape of the floor, a supply of linoleum of up to 1 m should be provided for cutting and fitting.
Carpets with small and high pile are laid in the same way. This type of flooring will help add elegance to the appearance of the room. But the laminate is laid on a special heat-insulating substrate. This coating has a sound-proofing effect, does not require fixing the base of the floor, but is susceptible to moisture.
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Installation is carried out according to the tongue-and-groove pattern with small gaps at the edges of up to 5 mm, which compensates for possible deformation due to temperature.
Ceramic coating is often used in combination with heated floors. You can choose tiles of different sizes and textures, and choose the most suitable pattern or design. The tiles are laid using a special adhesive mixture, followed by grouting the joints.
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What are the tones in the mail?
It is advisable to decorate a small space in light shades. The floor can be draped in a dark tone of linoleum. It is worth choosing a classic pattern for parquet or laminate boards, or tiles.
Designers also recommend using dark tones for wall decoration, but this should be done with additional lighting. This option looks very good when a garden is installed on the loggia. The green tones of plants perfectly set off the taupe, blue and deep beige tones of the walls, floors and blinds.
Ceiling
To cover the ceiling plane, plasterboard or plastic is used, mounted on a frame. For insulation, insulating material is laid underneath it. Electrical wiring is done in the box, and then spotlights are built in. Drywall is painted in accordance with the general style.
But remember that suspended ceilings reduce space. So consider simply painting or whitewashing.
Insulation
We won’t need to design a 4-meter loggia if we don’t insulate it first. To do this, we will need to sheathe all the walls, not only the external ones, but also the ceiling and floor with insulating material.
We thought about the ceiling because your upstairs neighbor may not share your enthusiasm, which is why there will be a cold loggia above you, which should not spoil your microclimate.
At the same time, we will be finishing the 4-meter loggia, which must be carried out especially carefully, as well as insulation.
As you may have noticed, our room turns out to be quite small, and if you take away a few centimeters from all sides, the total will be smaller.
Therefore, it is necessary to select the optimal thickness of insulation. Regarding the outside, you can use a small life hack - insulate it from the outside, now this is often practiced, and with all apartments.
Room arrangement ideas
To make full use of a small loggia, it is necessary not only to insulate and install a heating system, but also to combine it with the room. After all, a small enclosed space can put pressure on people’s psyches.
A combined balcony is created by removing a wall or removing door and window openings. The first option is quite complicated. Therefore, most often the balcony block is dismantled, leaving the window sill slab.
It is subsequently used as an original tabletop. Well, people seeking privacy can leave the doors and create a cozy corner.
How to combine business with pleasure
The idea of refurbishing a loggia does not mean that you need to completely give up the opportunity to store a certain number of things here. But you will need to competently approach the issue of planning and choosing furniture. Perhaps you can attach a wardrobe with mirrored walls or a pattern to one of the walls, and transformable furniture with niches inside will be an excellent addition.
Photo of a 4 sq.m. balcony m.
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