# The Balcony Edit: How to Turn an Ignored Space Into Your Favourite Corner **By Darshana Chundawat** · 2026-05-14 # ![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0589/5657/8969/files/ChatGPT_Image_May_14_2026_05_48_12_PM.png?v=1778761115)Your Balcony is the Most Underused Space in Your Home. Here's How to Change That Ask most people what their balcony is for and the answer is some version of the same thing. Drying clothes. Storing things that don't fit inside. Occasionally standing in for a few minutes before going back in. The balcony in most Indian apartments is the room nobody designed — it came with the flat and has been quietly accumulating things ever since. Which makes it the most underrated opportunity in the home. It already has the one thing every good corner needs and is hardest to manufacture indoors: natural light, open air, and a view of something that isn't a wall. The ingredients are there. All that's missing is the intention. ## Start With One Good Seat Every balcony that gets used has one thing in common — a seat worth sitting in. Not a folding chair that gets brought out when someone visits, but a permanent, considered seat that makes the balcony feel like a destination rather than an overflow zone. A cane or rattan [accent chair](https://ikiru.in/collections/accent-chair) is the ideal choice for an Indian balcony — and not just aesthetically. Cane breathes in humidity and heat in a way that upholstered furniture doesn't. It doesn't retain moisture in the monsoon or trap heat in summer. It's lightweight enough to move without effort and durable enough to handle the conditions a covered balcony produces. One cane chair in a balcony corner changes the status of the space immediately — it goes from a place you stand in to a place you sit in, which is an entirely different relationship. If the balcony is wide enough for two chairs with a small table between them, that's the setup that turns a personal corner into a social one. Sunday mornings with coffee. Evening conversations. The kind of unhurried time that most homes don't have a dedicated space for. ## Bring the Plants Forward Plants and balconies are an obvious combination — but most people either overdo it or underdo it. A single pot with a struggling plant in the corner. Or so many pots that there's no room for anything else and the balcony becomes a garden centre rather than a corner worth inhabiting. The approach that works: three to five plants at different heights, in [planters](https://ikiru.in/collections/planters) worth looking at. A tall plant in a large terracotta planter as the vertical anchor — an Areca Palm, a Bamboo plant, a tall Monstera. A medium plant at mid-height on a small side table or plant stand — a trailing Pothos, a compact Fern. A smaller succulent or herb at low height on the floor or a ledge. The planters matter as much as the plants. Handmade terracotta and ceramic planters in warm earthy tones tie the balcony into the same material language as the interior — so the outside corner feels like a considered extension of the home, not a separate space with different rules. ## Light It for the Evening A balcony without evening lighting is a balcony that only gets used in daylight — which in Indian summers means the hours most people aren't home. Light the balcony correctly and it becomes usable after sundown, which is when the temperature drops, the air moves, and the balcony earns its keep most. String lights are the most common solution and often the laziest. They work — but a [wall light](https://ikiru.in/collections/outdoor-lights) mounted beside the balcony door or along the side wall does something far more considered. It brings the balcony into the same lighting logic as the rooms inside — layered, warm, and intentional rather than festive. A wall sconce at shoulder height beside the seating creates a pool of directed warmth that makes the balcony feel like a room rather than an outdoor space that's been decorated. If there's a ceiling, beam, or covered overhead structure, a small outdoor pendant hung above the seating area completes the transformation entirely. The light drops low over the chair and side table, the warm glow catches the plants and the objects on the surface, and the balcony stops being an afterthought and starts being the best seat in the home. All warm white, 2700K. The balcony in the evening should feel like the most inviting corner you own. ## One Surface, Used Well The final piece: a surface. A [small side](https://ikiru.in/collections/side-table) table beside the chair at arm height — somewhere to put a cup, a book, a glass. The absence of a surface is what makes a space feel like somewhere to pass through rather than somewhere to stay. A solid wood or cane side table, small enough not to crowd the balcony but present enough to be useful. A tray on top with one or two objects — a candle, a small ceramic piece, something that makes the surface feel considered rather than functional. The same rules that apply to a coffee table inside apply to the side table out here. One tray, three objects, vary the heights, leave space. The balcony that has a seat, a surface, plants worth looking at, and warm light in the evening is the balcony you'll use every day. That's a corner worth designing for. ### Frequently Asked Questions What furniture works best on an Indian balcony? Cane, rattan, and solid wood are the best material choices for an Indian balcony. Cane and rattan are breathable and moisture-resistant, making them suitable for the humidity and temperature swings of Indian weather. Avoid fully upholstered furniture or materials that trap moisture — they deteriorate quickly in monsoon conditions and become uncomfortable in summer heat. How do I make a small balcony feel bigger? Keep the furniture minimal — one or two pieces maximum — and choose pieces with legs rather than solid bases so the floor reads as continuous. Use vertical space with tall plants rather than spreading many smaller ones across the floor. Avoid cluttering the railing with too many hanging pots. The balcony that has fewer, better-chosen pieces always feels more spacious than one that has been filled. What plants are best for an Indian apartment balcony? Areca Palm, Bamboo, Monstera, Pothos, and Snake Plants all handle the conditions of a covered Indian balcony well — indirect light, humidity, and occasional direct sun. Herbs like mint, tulsi, and curry leaf work on balconies with more direct light. Choose planters in terracotta or unglazed ceramic for the best moisture regulation and the most considered aesthetic. Shop the balcony edit at IKIRU Cane [accent chairs](https://ikiru.in/collections/accent-chair), terracotta [planters](https://ikiru.in/collections/planters), solid wood [side tables](https://ikiru.in/collections/side-table) and considered [decor](https://ikiru.in/collections/decor) — everything the balcony has been waiting for. --- > Source: [IKIRU](https://ikiru.in/blogs/tips-and-tricks/the-balcony-edit-how-to-turn-an-ignored-space-into-your-favourite-corner)