No. 3 Balconies & Rooftops · Mid-Century Modern
Rustic Balcony with Overhead Pergola
Illuminated by hanging string lights, this small balcony features weathered wood decking, a wooden pergola, a dark metal bistro set, red brick half-walls, and terracotta planters filled with green herbs overlooking a city skyline.
Design notes
Mid-century modern design lines everything up with the house. Look for flat roofs and post-and-beam overhangs, walls of glass, breeze-block screens, terrazzo or large concrete pads with gravel joints, and a rectangular pool set square to the architecture. Planting is sculptural and sparse — agave, yucca, olive, citrus, a Mediterranean fan palm — and colour comes from a single accent: an orange door, turquoise water, a yellow umbrella.
What to look for
- Weight — lightweight planters and mix, no wet soil in stone pots
- Wind and privacy handled with screens and planters, not walls
- One purpose per balcony: dine, lounge or grow


