A faux balcony can sometimes feel like a pointless and bland feature with few decorating options available, especially if you’re renting and are bound to strict renter restrictions.
But – with some creativity and planning, there’s actually a lot you can do to make it a functional and valuable part of your space.
In this article, we’ll discuss the general decorating challenges for apartments with faux balconies, and we’ll offer some tips for getting around them. We’ll also provide some faux balcony decorating ideas.
What is a Faux Balcony?
A faux balcony is also known as a false or fake balcony and exactly as the name suggests, it isn’t really a balcony at all… it’s more like a pretend balcony.
Faux balconies are a subset of Juliet balconies and while they’re sometimes confused with true Juliet balconies and they closely resemble each other, there is one key difference between them – true Juliet balconies have some type of flooring (albeit small), while faux balconies do not. All faux balconies are Juliet balconies, but not all Juliet balconies are faux balconies.
Think about it this way – if you open your French or sliding doors onto your balcony space, can you place a small item down? Or is that item going to plummet straight to the ground? If you’re in the latter camp, and the only thing between you and the balcony railing is air, you have a faux balcony.
Faux balconies are more decorative than functional and are commonly found these days in newer or updated buildings, particularly in city apartments and larger complexes.
Like a true Juliet balcony, a faux balcony is a terrific way to bring the outdoors in, especially in a house off an area like a master bedroom.
Faux Balcony Decorating Challenges
Here are some of the most common decorating challenges for faux balconies.
No Flooring
As mentioned above, a faux balcony only features a railing and has no flooring. There’s a small gap between the balcony railing and the building. Obviously, this means that you can’t walk out onto the balcony or place anything on the balcony. The only decorating options, therefore, revolve around the balcony railing.
Limited Railing Access
Limited railing access isn’t a universal problem, but we’ve seen it more often than not in apartments.
While faux balconies may span the entire length of a window and/or door/s, this doesn’t mean that you’ll have easy access to the entire railing; you might be able to only access half of it, especially if you have a sliding door instead of French doors.
This means that you’ll have to eliminate décor options that require full access to the balcony railing for installation.
We encountered this issue in our own faux balcony makeover, which you can read about here.
Bad View
While a faux balcony can enhance the look of a building from the outside, it doesn’t mean that the view from the inside improves as well. In fact, a lot of faux balconies (especially in large complexes) stare right into neighboring apartments.
Not only does this make for an unappealing view, but it also limits privacy for everyone.
Faux Balcony Decor Ideas
So, what can you do with a faux balcony? Here are some ideas.
1. Railing planters
Perhaps one of the most obvious ideas is to add railing planters. Railing planters will add color and interest to the space, and certain plants may even add a small level of privacy.
2. String lights
String lights are always a great addition, especially since there are so many different ways to hang them. You won’t be able to hang them from the ceiling with a faux balcony, but you can wrap them around the railing or even hang them inside.
3. Railing cover
If your faux balcony severely lacks privacy, you might want to consider adding a privacy railing cover to it. Your options are going to be much more limited than on a traditional balcony, though. You’ll want to stick to options that don’t require floor space and that can easily be secured to your railing.
We did a faux balcony makeover and tried a couple of privacy screen options. Read about our experience here.
4. Bar or dining area
It’s time to get creative!
Since you’re working with a pretend balcony anyway, why not play along and set up a pretend dining area from time to time? Open up your doors and set up shop on the floor.
Alternatively, if you have the budget, you can also add a railing bar table that you can fold down when not in use and fold up when you want to take in the breeze and enjoy a beverage.
5. Do nothing
If you have it, flaunt it! If your faux balcony comes with an awesome view, sometimes it’s best to just do nothing and enjoy the view instead.
Final Thoughts
Having a faux balcony severely limits your décor options, but there are still a bunch of things you can do to transform your space. Hopefully we’ve given you some good ideas and starting points for decorating your faux balcony.