Our Summer Chicago Balcony

Earlier this week, I showed you guys how I re-screened our patio door all by myself. Can you tell I’m proud? Now that we have a working screen door there was no excuse for the sad state of our balcony.
Our sad balcony before the makeover. Note the boring rug and ugly striped cushions.
Since we moved here in October, we haven’t been able to fully appreciate this cozy outdoor space. That’s because it was one heck of a winter, and there was no way we were going to freeze our tooshies off out here.  We threw some old patio furniture and a rug out there and called it a day. The only real update the balcony ever received was our new grill.
Well when the temps finally (finally!) turned, it was time to add a little life and color to this dull and dreary balcony.
And here is is with a few throw pillows, a fun new blue and white rugs and a few potted plants! What do you think of our new summer balcony decor?
Since much of our home is pretty neutral (lots of tan, gray, and small hints of blue) I knew that I wanted to infuse some color into the space. Bring on the pinks, yellows, and bright blues!
Fresh flower pots really helped with my color mission.
I love these geraniums in this modern planters, and the bright blue watering can is so much fun!
I purchased these 2 gorgeous pots and I’m obsessed with the bright fuchsia color. It adds just the right pop of pink to the balcony. I’m hoping my brown thumb doesn’t get in the way of these, because they truly are gorgeous. I’m going to keep watering with my adorable watering can (from Target) and fingers crossed these flowers last all summer long!
The geraniums have beautiful hot pink blossoms!
i love our Kenmore grill - though the red color doesn't exactly go with the them I'm working on. But it's still fun to be able to cook outside!

Our grill is still chilling on the left side of our balcony. The red color doesn’t exactly match my color scheme, but I’m just happy to have a little color and life out here. Plus, this grill has truly been fantastic. We use it all the time and grill a bunch of chicken and veggies every week. I just know we’ll continue to fire this thing up throughout the summertime.

Grill supplies like a large pan and a sturdy pair of tongs make outdoor grilling so much easier!
What outdoor summer meal is complete without a delicious beverage? I love my Pellegrino and citrus!
I did purchase a few outdoor accessories from HomeGoods to really brighten up the space. The yellow citronella candle keeps the bugs at bay. Plus it’s nice and heavy, so I can leave it outside and not worry about it blowing over.
These cute yellow, white and gray throw pillows are from Home Goods and I think they really liven up the balcony! Home goods has great summer balcony decor.
The turquoise place mats are a personal fave because they’re sturdy and won’t blow away either! I have some other fabric place mats and they just wouldn’t stay still during windy dinners. These add some fun color, pattern, and texture when I set our bistro table.
The geometric rug brightens up the dull concrete ground, and so far it’s holding up fine in the weather. I wish I would have purchased a slightly larger rug for the space, but I’m just happy to have something out here.
Summertime calls for fun drinks, like this pick lemonade.
It’s safe to say I’m in love with our little outdoor oasis. It may be small, but there’s nothing like pouring a summer cocktail and sitting out here to people watch…
chicago skyline view - visible from our newly decorated balcony!
…and take in the gorgeous city skyline. Cheers to summer!

Casey

The Year of Casey

Hey there!

I’m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m married to Finn & mom to Rory and Ellis. Together we’re creating our dream home in Chicago, one DIY project at a time.