Designing a small balcony without a roof – the 6 best ideas!

A small balcony without a roof is a compact sunny paradise where you can soak up some wonderfully fresh air and, above all, plenty of light and warmth.

To make spending time in your outdoor living room as enjoyable as possible, you need a few good design ideas that are perfectly suited to a roofless balcony. We’ve compiled the best tips for you.

1. Install suitable sun protection

If you have a roofless balcony, installing reliable sun protection is the most important step. After all, you don’t want to risk your health or encourage wrinkles while relaxing in your outdoor living space.

There are various ways to protect your small, roofless balcony and yourself from excessive sunlight. Here’s an overview of the best options:

• parasol
• Sun sail
• Sunroof
• awning
• folding screen
• Plant

parasol

A parasol usually only covers part of the balcony—unless the outdoor living area is so small that it can be completely shaded with the parasol. Keep in mind, however, that the parasol’s base takes up space.

Sun sail, sunroof or awning

With a sun sail, a sun canopy, or an awning, you can shade part of the balcony or even the entire balcony, depending on the design. Various mounting options are available: The spectrum ranges from simple clamping to extra-sturdy, but also complex, drilling.

folding screen

If it’s tall enough, a screen provides good lateral balcony shade. The advantages of this option are the variety of designs and the fact that you only have to assemble the “Spanish screen” and set it up.

Plant

With climbing plants like clematis, grapevines, or ivy, you can naturally shade your roofless balcony while also creating an attractive decorative element . Provide them with suitable support, such as a planter with a trellis.

Tip : Shading with plants has the advantage that you don’t have to drill into the house wall, which is usually not permitted in rented apartments.

2. Use reliable rain protection

Some sun protection options can also be considered as rain protection for roofless balconies. These include, in particular, a sunroof and a roof-like awning that can be retracted and extended.

Very important: The rain protection you choose should be high-quality and sturdy enough to reliably keep precipitation away from your balcony and stay in place even in light to moderate winds. However, in strong winds, it’s generally recommended to remove the rain protection to avoid any risks. The same applies, of course, to the sun protection.

Protective covers for non-weatherproof balcony furniture

If you “only” decide on a parasol or a side shade, you should make sure that you have protective equipment for non-weatherproof balcony furniture so that you can easily cover it when it rains and don’t have to bring it into the apartment.

Simple rain covers made of water-repellent material are perfectly sufficient for this purpose.

3. Create stylish privacy screens

Those curious glances from your neighbors can be really annoying. To avoid seeing any of those more or less unpleasant faces on your balcony, it’s best to install a privacy screen .

Very stylish solutions for small balconies include a screen or climbing plants on sufficiently high trellises. Both options also function as lateral sun protection.

4. Choose balcony furniture made of weatherproof materials

Furnish your small roofless balcony with weatherproof outdoor furniture. To ensure the necessary weather resistance, the table, chair, and lounger, as well as any balcony storage furniture, must be made of UV-resistant and water-repellent materials.

This is especially important on a roofless balcony, as the furniture is exposed to many external influences, even with sun and rain protection in place. And you probably don’t want to constantly cover the furniture or even transport it indoors when the weather outside is crazy.

Here is an overview of the three best materials for balcony furniture:

• Polyrattan
• stainless steel
• teak

Properties of polyrattan

Polyrattan is a lightweight synthetic weave that looks deceptively similar to real rattan. It simply beads up rain, retains its appearance even under strong UV radiation, and easily withstands winter’s challenges.

Properties of stainless steel

Unlike other metals and steels, stainless steel doesn’t heat up. Therefore, balcony furniture made of this material stays pleasantly warm, no matter how hot the sun is. The reason for this is stainless steel’s low thermal conductivity.

Properties of teak

Outdoor furniture made of teak is naturally weather-resistant. Unlike most other types of wood, teak is also easy to maintain, although it’s also quite expensive. If your budget allows, it’s definitely worth taking a look at balcony chairs and tables made of this tropical wood.

A notice :

Furniture made of conventional plastics is of little use on a balcony without a roof. They get very hot in the sun and become porous over time, making them unstable.

5. Equip balcony furniture with light upholstery

To make the seating and lounging options on your roofless balcony as comfortable as possible, it is best to equip the furniture with cushions.

Choose upholstery in light colors. These absorb almost no sunlight, but rather reflect it back. Dark colors, on the other hand, absorb sunlight and heat up considerably. In technical terms:

• Bright colors reflect sunlight.
• Dark colors absorb sunlight.

Tip : If you’re planning to furnish your small, roofless balcony with aluminum or plastic furniture for cost reasons, light-colored cushions are a great option. They prevent the furniture from overheating, allowing you to use it safely.

6. Use the strengths of a roofless balcony

Our previous tips for designing a small roofless balcony were primarily aimed at concealing the shortcomings of a roofless outdoor living room as best as possible. But it also has advantages that you can and should take advantage of, such as:

• Cultivate light and heat-hungry plants
• Install solar lamps
• Attach telescope

Conclusion: Design a small balcony without a roof cleverly and creatively

When it comes to a small balcony without a roof, two things are particularly important: If you plan to spend a lot of time in your outdoor living space during the day, special sun protection is essential. At the same time, you should also take advantage of the lack of a roof and decorate your balcony creatively, for example, with a tall palm tree or a telescope.

We hope our ideas inspire you and wish you lots of fun designing your small roofless balcony!