We're back with another makeover, and this time it's an outdoor affair with a small balcony spruce-up in the heart of Cape Town's Vredehoek. It doesn't take much to update a small balcony, transforming a dead outdoor corner into a modern entertainment nook, making use of all your available space - especially in small city apartments where every bit of space is at a premium. With the right fabrics and carefully selected decor items, you can make the most of a small balcony on a budget. Here's how we did it:

BEFORE

The makeover apartment is a lovely 2 bed in the heart of Vredehoek. Although the apartment is in an older block, it's been recently renovated on the interior, and decorated in a neutral colour palette of grey and taupe. The newly tiled balcony is of a decent size (one of the perks of those older blocks!) with modern stacking doors that really make it feel like an extension of the apartment.

THE BRIEF

The owners, a young married couple, love to entertain friends and would love to spend the warm Cape Town evenings together, cooking outdoors and enjoying the view. Lacking inspiration, they've not made much effort on the balcony, which does not match the well-appointed interior of their home. They'd like to create a social space that reflects the same style as the rest of their apartment, without making any permanent changes to their Vredehoek rental.

The balcony before the makeover.

AFTER

Bearing in mind the apartment is rented, we had to work with the space using decorative items that didn't require any permanent changes to the balcony and that complemented the permanent fixtures like the wall colour and tiling.

The end result - a social and cohesive space with a casual seating arrangement for outdoor entertaining.

HOW WE DID IT

A simple bench created the perfect starting point for this makeover. Set against the wall and custom made to fit the space, it provided loads of extra seating and storage beneath the seat. The bench was finished off with a stone coloured seat cushion made up in Collection Simplicity in colour "Lino Plaster". This linen-look fabric is durable and very well-priced indeed. The white piping on the cover adds an elegant finish to give the seating a more polished look. To provide some extra colour and comfort, the bench seat was topped off with a selection of scatters made up in the vibrant Hacienda Collection in "Pasha Sulphur" and "Sirocco Sulphur". The stone base was complimented with a pop of vibrant yellow to add a touch of fun to the seating area.

We found old barrel seats in the couple's storeroom and decided to up-cycle to add some extra freestanding seating that can be easily moved around the space. Formerly covered in a dated dark green plain, the seats were reupholstered in textured upholstery "City Mohair" from Collection Urban Weaves.

Fabric "City Mohair" from the Urban Weaves Collection is a beautiful textured complement in stone and cream tones.

Probably one of our favourite features of this makeover was the addition of a wall panel. This clever hanging solution made up in "Veranda Mineral" from Outdoor collection Pool & Patio adds some extra personality to the space, as well as providing loads of privacy from the neighbouring balcony. Attached on hooks with simple eyelets, this is an affordable fix for apartment balconies that lack privacy.