How to fill my shelves without resorting to poncery?

[wendylovesbob]

Our new house has a smallish balcony off the sitting room, about 7x2 meters - not really big enough to be useful but we have a couple of chairs and a table, the old swing chair, the rat cage, a trunk for beach stuff etc. I have been trying to make it look niceish, not just a dumping ground.

I bought a set of black, metal, Ikea shelves. I thought they might be useful - and they look sort of balconyish. Anyway. I have nothing to put on them. They are empty and silly.

Anything I put on them looks poncey.

I tried just plants but it looked like the potplant corner in Tescos.

I have a few terracota pots and stuff but it looks too try-hard. Like a "display shelf".

I am a dickhead. Help me.

Beach paraphernalia? Bit of tasteful driftwood that takes your fancy? I found a bit that looks like a foot! Sea shells, amazing bracks of seaweed... This balcony is outside but sheltered I am assuming. The less money you spend, the more satisfaction it will give you

Fill an attractive glass container (from a charity shop) with sea shells?

What about a herb planter on one of the shelves.

Some nice ideas here including outdoor lanterns which would look lovely and be practical for evenings sitting out there.

Oh good idea! We have gajillions of shells lying around (thanks to 4yo dd who is on a mission to collect every shell in the known universe). And I'm sure I have a glass put of some sory. Oh! I have an old fish bowl! Excellent.

I did buy some herb plants but my gardener got hold of them before I could put them in pots, and he planted them in my front garden .

Yes, lanterns too. Practical, so not poncy.

Good ideas!

The enjoyment and charm comes from what you have collected, what touches you, over time, and that DC will identify with, so much fun... it just evolves, enjoy!

Candles might look nice outside? Plus maybe rocks/shells that you've collected on trips and the odd plant interspersed wouldn't look so much like potplant corner :)

I've always wanted to get small spice or mason jars (I think those are the ones - with the flip tops?) and fill with different colours of buttons. It helps if you already have a lot of buttons, obv.

I can't quite make up my mind whether this is naff or not, but I'm trying to persuade myself that it isn't, because I do quite like it! I suspect a few of them could look rather effective as dusk begins to fall...

I have no idea. I am also A Dickhead, you see.
Just wanted to say that your op was funny and made me laugh!

Actually having thought about it, you can have DH to sit there like an annoying lump if you like?

Books and/or photos?

So this balcony, I take it it is open to the emements and outdoors, in which case books and photos would be silly?

I'd say buy a whole lot of galvanised steel containers with lids and store things in them. One can never have too much storage space.

I would probably scour chairty shops for things like old watering cans (the metal ones), jars to fill with thingas like screws, seeds, shells, pebbles, I would buy [[http://www.coxandcox.co.uk/products/seed-box/in/the-great-outdoors this seed box], and use the space as somewhere where DS can put the things he collects of our walks so they don't come inside.

try again

Twigs and pebbley shit ,

grabs , settles down in comfortable pants for more ideas...

[http://unhappyhipsters.com/ it could be lonely] if it's perfect

unhappyhipsters.com/ here you go

Have an auricula theatre

you could grow stuff in pots. herbs and salad are easy, then you can eat them.

Hello. My thread came back to life. Like a zombie.

Twigs and pebbly shit . Yessssss.

Right. As of this moment I have a cactus in a terracotta pot and a weird terracotta Arab money box thing belonging to dd on the top shelf.

A plate with a fish on it, and a fish bowl with shells in on the next shelf.

A lonely plant pot waiting for some herbs on the next shelf.

A hippo in a plastic boat, some arm bands, three magazines, a toy car and a flip flop on the bottom shelf .

Terps, if that lamp hingy is naff then I don't want to be, um, not naff. It's lovely. I am going to look for something similar.

Lol at mason jars filled with buttons . That is such a MN suggestion. I love it.

at auricula theatre..

too funny

I love these and are cheap enough to have a couple around the place. www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40150993
I have them in ds bedroom just now - but plan to use them outdoors in the summer.

7x2 metres is really big. You sure you didn't mean feet?

Aside from being jealous of your lovely sounding balcony (although frankly if we have another summer like last year, you won't be using it much) and coveting your gardener, I absolutely love that Unhappy Hipsters website. Genius.

Sorry, no helpful suggestions

I too, am completely baffled for suggestions but also wanted to say your OP made me literally laugh out loud, startling DS who's flumped on my not inconsiderate tum. Has got me thinking about my pathetic excuse for a titchy balcony, which I can't actually get out to unless I climb out of the window that it's on. [sigh] Is it o'clock yet?

Books? Always look 'natural' and not poncey, I find.