Creating A Frosty Atmosphere: Using Your Balcony In Winter
There are a lot of ways to spend time on your balcony. Sadly a lot of the best-known ones, like barbecues, reading a book or chatting with friends and family, often depend on sunlight and warmth. But that needn’t be the case! Even in the midst of our chilliest weather of the year, you can still get a lot of use out of your balcony.
The Practical Side of a Balcony
One of the foremost and most common usage for a balcony in the wintertime is as storage, especially for summertime gear. Deckchairs, picnic tables and umbrellas often find a home out here in the frostier months, as well as assorted weatherproof debris from your house. While it’s not the most exciting use for your balcony, it’s definitely amongst the more useful – it also provides a handy place to temporarily store things during those all-too-common January clearouts, while you decide whether they’re worthy of keeping around or not.
Broadening Your Horizons with a Balcony
The arrival of winter doesn’t mean that the world always stops looking pretty – it just means that you sometimes have to be a bit more patient to see it. If anything, certain sights are even easier to witness. If you want to catch a sunrise in the summer, it means getting up literally at the crack of dawn, usually about six o’clock. Given how much later the sun rises in the winter (often about half past eight or so), you can be up at a much more reasonable hour while still having plenty of time to take in the view from behind beautiful glass balustrades.
On the other hand, if you get a chance to see some of that all-elusive snow, you can witness a winter wonderland without ever having to leave the comfort of your own home. Speaking of which, it’s also a boon to the laziest of those amongst us – the very moment we get bored, we can just pop back inside, rather than having to trudge the half-mile between us and home. There are opportunities for sights here, too, that you wouldn’t ever see in summer: a framed glass balustrade decorated with a frost-tinged spiderweb is its own little self-contained winter delight. It’s not just snow that looks impressive, either – whether you’re in a city or a country setting, even apparently dull weather like fog can take on a far more mystical quality when viewed from above.
But The Surprises Don’t Stop There
What’s more, although the festivities are over for this winter, it’s worth bearing them in mind for the next: you can set up a deckchair or lean over your balcony balustrade to witness the fireworks of Guy Fawkes’ night without having to park up, queue, pay entry fees or stand around waiting. What’s more, balconies grant a view from above that can be especially awe-inspiring when it comes to national celebrations like Fireworks Night.
Meanwhile, balcony gardening is a year-round pastime that takes on a particular significance in winter, as the reduced amount of human traffic on your balcony means you can afford to fill it up with some truly beautiful plants. Juniper and roses are just two examples of plants that can flourish in the winter, while wooden birdhouses can be a brilliant way of inviting a few little feathered friends to join you.
Whatever you decide, don’t just write off your balcony because it’s winter. Be patient, brave the cold and wait out the rain – you might be surprised at what your balcony can do for you! Take a look at some of our bespoke glass balustrade systems to start designing yours, or contact us at sales@elitebalustrade.com to find out how we can help.
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Published: 23rd January 2017
