How to Use Your Outdoor Porch for Your Apartment

By Kaitlin Hurtado on May 20, 2019

This article is brought to you by CORT Furniture Rental. We take the hassle out of furnishing your new place so you can do more important things like read this article. Learn more about why furniture rental is the best way to get a great looking apartment.

People often think of cramped, yet sparsely decorated spaces when it comes to what a typical college students’ room looks like. However, college students love taking advantage of the personal space they do get – and why not use up all the space you can? A space that is commonly forgotten about is the outdoor porch that often comes with apartments – it’s not a space you walk into daily, nor is it a space that you often think of when you think of the living space that you do have. With spring and summer quickly approaching, it is the perfect time to take advantage of the outdoor porch for your apartment and make it a space just as functional as your living room.

Here are a few ways that you can get the most use out of your outdoor porch:

outdoor balcony

Image via unsplash.com

Make your outdoor porch a place for destressing 

Think of your outdoor porch like another living room, meaning, choose some furniture and decor to make it look like a space that you can host a hangout with your friends or get some work done on a day with good weather. Pick seating that works for your needs for the space – maybe a little table and chair set so that you are able to have multiple people hanging out on the porch, or so that you can get some work done outside on a stable surface.

If you are going for a more chill atmosphere – setting up a swing set or a hammock would be the perfect idea for transforming your outdoor porch into a space that you will want to turn to daily. Just imagine yourself settling into your hammock after a long day of class and work, enjoying the most of your outdoor porch. If you don’t feel like shelling out more money for furniture solely for your outdoor porch, there are always more affordable ways to make your outdoor porch ready for guests to come to relax. Create the perfect outdoor picnic space by setting down a blanket and floor pillows that are easy to take out and put away when you feel like spending time in your outdoor space.

Maximize comfort by adding decor that suits your tastes – blankets, pillows, cushions for chairs. When buying decor, make sure it is suitable for outdoor use and make sure it is properly stored in between uses. Add string lights to brighten up the atmosphere and make your outdoor porch more accessible later on into the night.

Create a garden in your outdoor porch 

While adding a few potted plants to your indoor living space can be seen as a trendy decorating move, why not transform your outdoor porch with the same tactics? The number of plants that can grow successfully inside may seem limited, but just imagine all you can grow within your outside porch. Succulents would thrive in the well-lit space of your outdoor porch, but you can also set up a nice garden to grow your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs this spring and summer.

Not only does filling your outdoor porch bring some life to your outdoor living space, but it will also increase its functionality as whatever you produce, you can use and ultimately spend less on when it comes to buying groceries from the store. Gardening can also be the thing that helps you destress in the middle of a hectic life as you pause and spend time tending to your garden.

Bring the gym to your outdoor porch 

Tired of shelling out money for a gym membership you don’t actually use because you can’t find it in you to actually get up to go to the gym? Make use of your outdoor porch by transforming it into an at-home gym that you can use whenever you feel the urge to workout. Gym equipment like workout machines may be out of your price range and make you rethink the idea, but consider making an outdoor gym with more affordable options.

Get some type of mat that you can lay down on the porch floor when you feel like setting up for a workout. Spend money on workout equipment that is versatile and easy to store – weights you can lift, resistance bands/loops, and so on. There are plenty of videos available to give you different workouts that you can complete with limited exercise equipment. These various pieces can be moved in and out of your outdoor porch as you find time to workout and makes it easier to avoid any damage to your equipment from being outside in the weather at all times.

Your apartment’s outdoor porch doesn’t have to be wasted space this upcoming spring and summer. By taking one or more of these ideas to transform your outdoor porch, it can become the perfect addition to your living space.

Looking for an easy way to furnish your off-campus apartment? Renting furniture from CORT saves you time and money. See how easy it is to get great looking furniture without breaking the bank.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format