For this small rental apartment balcony makeover project, the mission was to transform it into a cozy inviting outdoor space to relax, unwind and entertain friends, all on a tiny budget. This is what the balcony looked like when I started:

BEFORE

The first thing I tackled was transforming an odd opening into a beautiful custom feature. I did that by building a frame for the opening and then hanging a beautiful round carved wood panel. The whole thing cost less than $65 in materials to make. Since the feature is visible from the neighbor's balcony, we got his approval for the project and because it's a rental apartment, the entire installation was done without making any holes in the walls!

The next DIY project was to build a DIY custom bench that I designed - it only cost $35 in materials and became a comfy place to lounge thanks to some inexpensive outdoor cushions from IKEA and colorful outdoor pillows. You can see detailed dimensions and instructions on how to build it here. I also had to come up with a clever way to install a trellis without making any holes in the walls, again since this is a rental apartment.

I also designed and built a small custom fold down table that hangs over the balcony wall - it's a great space saver for tiny balconies. I made the top of the table with a beautiful hand painted paper which was the color inspiration for the entire space.

I added lots of plants, including a gorgeous staghorn fern, and last but not least, I installed smart outdoor LED lights to add some ambiance in the evening. They are controlled by a smart phone and they are perfect to highlight architectural features like the wood carving and they really help set the mood for entertaining or just enjoying a beautiful warm summer night.

This video showing the entire makeover process, including how I built everything and what I used - hope you enjoy this project and that it will give you some ideas for your outdoor space!