Behind The Design: Balcony Bistro + Outdoor Season Must Haves
“This post is in partnership with Bed Bath & Beyond and Polywood because I love em & know you’ll love em too!”
In case you missed it, you can watch the video reveal of the balcony bistro here & shop the entire reveal here.
After thinking about this for some time, the balcony bistro really is like a love letter to our adult selves... at the very least, to my adult self lol. I am somebody's wife... two somebody's mama... with a whole ass house... and can step outside from my bedroom to my balcony... which oversees our backyard... and sip coffee. Moments like this, I think about my dad so hard because I know he'd love this for me.
Ok...
Now lemme stop letting my postpartum hormones write this post & get to whatya really came here for... behind the design!
In case you missed it, last summer we completed the largest phase of our backyard renovation - building out a new deck with pergola. You can check out the reveal on the Emiliy Henderson blog here. While there's still some work we want to do to that area, what you may not know is that it's not our only outdoor space.
To the far left of this view, did you ever notice the white railing? That's our balcony that, more or less, remained unused for the past 3½ years. Shortly after moving in, we placed a secondhand table & chairs set out there, however, we never really went out there because it just didn't feel right... it didn't feel like us. Those chairs are actually now part of our deck dining area - they’re the rattan armchairs - and they feel perfectly at home on the deck.
This year, after growing our family, I wanted to work on spaces that felt like a gift... like my dad's wildest dreams! I wanted to work on another "must be nice" space like our media room, washroom, or flex lounge. How could I turn this into a space that felt good in this new season of life, without doing another renovation or overextending ourselves? Enter Polywood at Bed Bath & Beyond!
I was already familiar with Polywood furniture & the brand's reputation for comfort & durability long before buying our home. Being homeowners now, the first chance we got, we wanted to add Polywood to our outdoor space... especially living in the PNW.
Our backyard fire pit area features all Polywood seating, in addition to having some Polywood seating as part of our dining area on the deck. These pieces held up exactly as we expected through all four seasons, so after a year of living with - and loving! - our Polywood pieces, we knew that would be our starting point for the balcony as well.
I'd always envisioned creating a bistro inspired space for our balcony, just as I'd sorta done here off to the side of our deck.
What is a bistro?
What is a bistro inspired design?
While there is a "formal" definition for what a bistro actually is - as a restaurant type - what I wanted to capture with this space is the essence of a bistro... the vibes - intimate, relaxed, and cozy. I def wasn't trying to capture the popular Parisian bistro aesthetic... just the vibes. Essentially, after creating quite a few cozy corners inside of our home, I wanted to bring that to our exteriors as well. I didn't want (or need) another grand spectacle on our balcony, like the deck… just an outdoor respite for morning coffee, afternoon tea, or evening pumping. With the balcony being right off our bedroom, it could also serve as a romantic escape from the everyday hustle & bustle of work, parenthood, and just adulting responsibilities. ICYMI... I am only a few months postpartum from having our second child. You can catch up here.
To create this bistro inspired space, my must have elements were -
three piece seating area - 2 chairs & accent table - for an intimate conversation setup
footrests or ottomans for comfort are optional, but definitely nice to have
comfortable underfooting to also ground our seating area since we wouldn't be furnishing the entire balcony, which is roughly 15' x 13'
textural, yet outdoor rated, decor to bring the indoor out - i.e. rug, pillows, throw blankets
greenery to complete the hygge-but-make-it-bistro design ethos
I leaned into a lot of the same elements that went into our apartment balcony makeover nearly six years ago. That small space served as the blueprint for this makeover, despite this balcony being 3x its size.
For that balcony, we had an artificial grass rug, however, this time I went with interlocking deck tiles to zone off our 10' x 10' bistro. The acacia tiles added the perfect warmth & texture to what was a pretty sterile area... I mean it's a balcony off the back of the house, so not very exciting when bare. After selecting the tiles, I went with a very similar color palette as the backyard - black, white, wood. Nature adds all the other colors.
Knowing how durable our Polywood pieces are & that we didn't want to have to think worry about the balcony furniture, it was a no brainer that we would, once again, be furnishing with Polywood. We shopped Polywood at Bed Bath & Beyond, specifically their new Canyon Collection, exclusively available at Bed Bath & Beyond. The Canyon Collection is where rustic meets refined. The clean, contemporary lines are a perfect fit for the bistro balcony - a look that feels both fresh and familiar. We originally planned on getting the Deep Seating Loveseat in addition to the 3-Piece Rocking Chair Set, however, we decided to just go with the latter, remaining true to our desired ethos - intimate & relaxed. Think "Sunday afternoon on the porch with a glass of iced tea" except this would be behind the house, any time of day, and most likely with a cup of coffee. Adding the loveseat would just be more than we need & redundant with the backyard set up.
As a reminder, this post is sponsored by Polywood with Bed Bath & Beyond. They provided us with the 3-Piece Rocking Chair Set so that we could complete this outdoor transformation.
Flooring: check!
Seating: check!
To add more hygge inspired & textural elements, we brought in - out? - a pair of white outdoor ottomans, which are the same design as the ottomans we use in our living room & bedroom (similar style), in addition to smaller decor items like a rug, throw pillows, blanket, and greenery. The contrast of the white weather-resistant alurattan ottomans against the black Polywood pieces & the acacia tiles harkens back to the black, white, and wood design of the backyard resort.
rocking chair set | ottoman | rug | acacia tiles | pillows | throw blanket | round tray | french press
We opted for rockers versus the 3-Piece Deep Seating Set from the same collection because we prefer the relaxation of a rocker + I also read that using a rocking chair can increase blood circulation, and that lil tidbit now lives rent free in my head lol. The side table is the perfect size for whatever we'd need to comfortably sit outside while working on the laptop, listening to some music, or just enjoying a cup of bustelo.
We'll able to get the most use out of our new pieces through autumn without worrying about them holding up in the rainy PNW spring. That’s 4 to 5 months out of year where we can enjoy our newest “must be nice” space at the hygge ranch.
rocking chair set | ottoman | rug | acacia tiles | pillows | throw blanket | round tray | french press
My list of must haves for #thehyggeranchbalconybistro is a snapshot of our outdoor season must haves -
ample seating - consider who’ll be using the space & how (i.e. the whole family or a couple… conversation area or lounging)
comfortable underfooting - thing tiles & rugs for comfort; however they also work to create zones & ground the furnishings
layered lighting - if the space will be used in the evening hours, lighting will be both functional & ambient
outdoor rated decor - throws, blankets, and other decor pieces connect the exterior to the comforts of the interior
greenery - additional plants & flowers (real or faux) create a more robust & intentionally designed environment
Even when we didn't have a whole lotta outta space to play with, this was the formula because our outdoor spaces are just an extension of our interiors. The backyard followed the same plan, just on a larger scale.
I'm in my al fresco era so while we do have a cafe in the kitchen and a dining room to sit in, being able to bring our french press or tea kettle outside & enjoy a slow morning under the sun in the middle of a chaotic life season is a luxury. And as I mentioned at the top of this post, now as parents of two, we have very little time to ourselves; so even just sitting outside under the moon with a drink is a new level unlocked of peace... and I love that for us.
Wondering what’s on the other side of the french doors? Check out the reveal of the primary bedroom here.
