Making a small sofa for the balcony with your own hands: drawing, photo

Which sofa to choose for the balcony depends on the lifestyle of the apartment owner, how often guests come to the house, whether there is glazing or whether the open balcony needs to be improved. In the article we will also tell you how to make a sofa on the balcony with your own hands.

Few people are lucky enough to have spacious loggias and balconies, so laconic models without pompous armrests are especially popular. If you provide drawers in the sofa, you will also be able to organize additional storage spaces.

Outdoor furniture is selected for open balconies; you can find it in the garden furniture department. As a rule, this can be a plastic, metal or wicker sofa. Textile pillows as seats and backrest will add comfort.

How to make a soft sofa with your own hands

If you know how to use a screwdriver and a sewing machine, then making a sofa for the balcony will not be too difficult a task. At the same time, you can delegate some part of the work to your partner.

To start constructing a sofa with your own hands, you should arm yourself with a pencil, ruler and paper. Decide on the size of the sofa and draw out each detail on paper indicating the dimensions. Then it will be possible to accurately cut parts from the material.
The base of the future sofa is being prepared. Plywood is cut out in accordance with the size of the sofa, and a base of wooden beams is attached to the lower part - 4 slats around the perimeter and several with a pitch of 40-50 cm inside, connecting the long sides of the frame. This will ensure the seat is rigid.
Place felt and a spring block on top of the base. Secure the structure with a furniture stapler so that the block does not move during operation.
The upper part is covered with felt. You need to cut the felt to size and attach it to the base with a stapler.
Now the base is wrapped in foam rubber and secured again with a stapler.
A pattern is cut out of furniture fabric and a cover is sewn for the back and base. For greater reliability, it is better to duplicate the stitches (that is, stitch them twice). The cover is pulled onto the base, first one side is attached, then the opposite side is stretched so that there are no wrinkles.
The back can be made soft in a similar way, or separate large pillows can be provided. The back wall of the backrest is covered with fiberboard and additionally covered with fabric.
A box is cut out of the boards; the bottom can be made of chipboard or fiberboard. The sides of the box are also upholstered with fabric.
To the base you need to add a front plank with legs, as well as wheels that will ride along the planks in the box. Then the sofa can be unfolded.
You need to put cross members on the sides of the box so that when unfolding the base does not move forward.
The backrest is screwed onto the canopies. The canopies are located in the center of the backrest. In fact, the bottom of the back is the front part of the back of the sofa when folded. Therefore, it is important to do the back upholstery on both sides.

Scheme for unfolding the sofa: the base is moved forward along the guides and stands on the legs => the back reclines and rests on the base.

Materials

For production you will need materials:

padding polyester or foam rubber
felt
wooden beams
plywood
Fiberboard
spring block
furniture fittings (hinges, wheels, legs)
self-tapping screws

Tools

Depending on which version of the sofa you decide to design, you will need the following tools:

furniture stapler;
screws or furniture nails;
large and small levels;
parquet saw (or circular saw);
drill with Forstner drill;
screwdriver;
jigsaw;
clamps;
grinder (if you need perfectly processed ends);
sandpaper;
roulette;
ruler;
square;
pencil;

Assembly

The assembly stage follows separately after cutting all the parts or is performed separately.

Assembly sequence:

The frame bars are connected to each other. It is also possible to glue them with PVA glue, this will make the fixation reliable and make screwing easier. Metal corners will strengthen the structure.
A “pie” is assembled from a soft felt base, a spring block (foam rubber can be used instead of springs), and an additional layer of felt (or padding polyester).
Fittings are installed - wheels and legs.
The base and the box are connected.
The back is screwed on.

Depending on which sofa for the balcony was chosen, individual assembly details may vary.

Search for materials and tools

The tape measure and pencil have already taken an active part in the preparatory process, so all that remains is to prepare the rest:

hammer;
a hacksaw for wood (a jigsaw is better);
pliers;
construction stapler;
grinding machine (if you have one);
screwdriver (replacement - curved screwdriver);
level.

After “collecting” the tools, they move on to purchasing materials. This list is standard for making any sofa, it includes:

wood antiseptics;
timber (50x50 mm);
fastening elements - self-tapping screws, furniture nails;
wood glue (PVA, carpentry);
polyurethane glue;
sheet plywood, chipboard or OSB (minimum thickness - 12 mm);
furniture hinges;
metal corners;
stain or yacht varnish (paint);
sandpaper;
foam rubber or other filler (thickness 50-100 mm);
upholstery fabric, non-staining and rough (for example, artificial leather).

What furniture is suitable for balconies

Considering that the windows are often open here, it is better to choose a sofa whose upholstery is made of thick furniture fabric. They are usually easy to clean with a vacuum cleaner and a sponge soaked in water. If you use natural fabrics (linen, cotton), then removable covers will be appropriate.

If the balcony faces the sunny side, and the sofa is planned with drawers, then for better safety of things, the inside, that is, the box itself, can be lined with foil polyethylene foam. It will work like a thermos, and warm air from outside will not enter the box itself.

Soft sofa - bed

If the square meters of the balcony allow you to place a sleeping place here, then you need to take advantage of it. You can install a ready-made sofa bed.

Or you can assemble a full-fledged sleeping place by building a podium. This option is suitable if you do not need to free up space, since this entire structure will always be on the balcony. But this also has its advantage - a spacious place to store all sorts of things.

For work you will need furniture panels, 18 mm plywood, gas lifts, and corners.

The frame frame is assembled from furniture board. You can make a vertical partition in the center. The ratio of sections may be different. If the frame cannot be attached to the floor, then you can use corners and use them to fasten the panels together. Covers are cut out of plywood according to the size of the sections and attached to furniture hinges. To fix the covers, you also need to install gas lifts. On the opening side of the lid, you need to make a recess for your fingers to make it convenient to open.

A regular or air mattress is used as a soft base.

Corner sofa on the balcony

The variety of corner sofas is dictated by the variety of balcony configurations. If space allows, you can choose a corner sofa in the shape of the letter “L”. The model is convenient, has a lot of seats, but also takes up a fair amount of space. But for small balconies with a non-standard layout, when the external architecture of the building creates corners inside the room, you can order or make your own sofa strictly according to the shape of the room. The size of such a model can be both large and tiny.

Topchan

If you decide to make a trestle bed on the balcony, you will get a small but spacious closet on top of which you can relax. You can put a soft base on the trestle bed and decorate the pillow.

The layout of the trestle bed is simple. First, a frame is made from wooden beams. Inside, you can leave the space without division, or you can make shelves or vertical partitions. If you haven’t yet decided what will be stored in this closet, then you don’t have to separate it, so there will be a place to put large items.

The doors are attached from the front. It is better to choose door handles that are flush with the surface of the doors (as on sliding wardrobes) or install a lock that opens when you press the door.

The doors of the trestle bed can be made of wood, but then it is worth impregnating them with matte varnish, this will make the wood moisture-resistant, and if you decide to dry your laundry, the wood will not absorb anything.

For the soft base of the trestle bed you will need foam rubber, meter padding polyester, chipboard and furniture fabric.

The foam rubber needs to be glued to the chipboard, then wrapped in padding polyester and secured with a stapler. The synthetic winterizer will soften the connection between the foam rubber and the chipboard, and if the foam rubber was glued together in several layers, it will also hide the seams. Now you can upholster the resulting base with fabric.

It is better to take thick foam rubber, then the trestle bed will turn out soft. Now the soft base can be attached to the frame with a screwdriver. From the remaining fabric you can sew long pillows and stuff them with padding polyester or holofiber. They will act as armrests.

Chair-bed

Sometimes the size of the balcony does not allow it to accommodate a sofa, but you want to create a cozy environment for relaxation (this situation is especially typical for Khrushchev-era apartment buildings). Then a chair-bed will come to the rescue. When folded, it will take up minimal space, and to lie down it will be enough to unfold it. The chair in both its positions remains a functional piece of furniture for a small balcony.

Features and Benefits

Balcony is usually a very small room. Therefore, it can be very difficult to arrange it beautifully, compactly and functionally. That’s when small, elegant sofas come to the rescue, solving several problems at once. This is both a comfortable seat if you want to sit by an open window with a cup of tea and a good conversationalist, and an excellent sleeping place for those who prefer to relax in the fresh air.

At the same time, a sofa can also be an excellent place to store bed linen, towels, clothes and other things. In addition, a sofa on the balcony instantly creates a very cozy, warm and homely environment, which cannot be said about folding chairs, stools and even armchairs.

Sofas that are used to furnish balconies are most often very compact in size. A narrow model can even be placed across the balcony at one of its walls - this will save even more space.

If the balcony area allows, then you can add an armchair or a couple of ottomans to such a sofa. So here you can organize a dining area for the whole family.

Sofas for balconies can be very different in size.

Most often, these are compact models or quite narrow. The sofa can be a ready-made sleeping place (couch) or a transformable model (chair-bed). The sofa can fold out to the side or roll forward.

The sofa can have a very laconic design (without armrests and backrest), or it can be equipped with these elements. It all depends on the size of the balcony, the sofa itself and the taste of the owners.

photos

Interesting solutions in interior design

For the interior of a balcony or loggia, sofas with a functional feature are of interest. Since the main task is to place the sofa on the balcony organically, saving useful space, and even better, using it in one way or another.

This design option for the back of a sofa on a loggia can be called original.

It's easy to repeat. It is enough to attach the furniture pipe to the holders to the wall and sew the pillows. Even a branch painted or varnished will work as a holder. In this case, the pillows are attached to the branch with ribbons.

If there is no room for a table on the balcony, then a mini-table can be arranged on the side of the sofa. Then it will be very comfortable to sit with a laptop. The interior space of a sofa (or couch) drawer can be organized in any way you like. There will be order if you think through several sections. For example, place two drawers at the bottom, and under the opening base place small sections for every little thing.

Balcony sofas made from pallets (wooden pallets for transporting goods) will also be interesting and simple to make. It is enough to find new pallets, varnish the surface and sew soft seat cushions.

The balcony ceases to be a space for collecting rubbish that is a pity to throw away. Now there are many opportunities to make this room cozy and useful, where you can sit with a cup of coffee or tea, read or just work on a laptop. And with a sofa on the balcony, useful storage space will not only not be lost, but, on the contrary, will be organized.

A sun lounger on the balcony is an additional sleeping place in the form of a couch, folding bed, bed chair, chaise lounge or roll-out sofa. A sun lounger can easily turn the balcony into an additional “living space”. It will allow residents to accommodate guests for the night, if there is no room in the house, to relax themselves in a fresh place.

A loggia or balcony is more often used as storage rooms. Here residents store old things and household items. Many people use such rooms for recreation, insulating them and equipping them. But it’s best when a balcony with a loggia combines two or more functions. For example, installed furniture with built-in drawers: a sofa, a bench, an armchair, can become a piece of decor, create coziness and at the same time serve for storing various items.

Sofas made from pallets

You should choose pallets as the main material for creating furniture. These elements are finished products, which are assembled in the form of shields.

When choosing pallets, you should pay attention to certain factors:

Boards without cracks are selected.
The dimensions must fit the planned space.
Pallets must be durable.
The material is chosen in light shades.
Corners, fasteners, handles and legs are used as additional materials.

Before work, the surface is thoroughly cleaned and sanded. Three pallets are enough for the design.

Sofa made of pallets - an original and convenient solution

A simple sofa is made as follows:

The base is made from two pallets. One element is placed on top of the other and secured with screws.
The third element is mounted to the rear wall of the base.
The structure is treated with a special primer solution.
Coating with suitable varnish is carried out.
Legs are mounted at the bottom of the structure.
Upon completion of the work, pillows and a mattress are placed on the base. It is recommended to make a sofa with armrests or a corner structure from 4-4 pallets.

Advice! If the pallet structure has a woody tint, then soft elements made from burlap or wicker fabric are used. When decorating a soft set in black or white, the pallets are also painted in contrasting colors.

Small sofas for the loggia are functional. If necessary, they can be moved to any convenient place.

Many balconies and loggias have a small area. To make a limited space beautiful, convenient and comfortable, you should think about every detail of the interior. The sofa for the balcony plays an important role. Of course, it should be compact, ergonomic, functional and not clutter up the room. At the same time, you can make a sofa for the balcony simply and quickly with your own hands.

For the balcony you can choose a huge variety of types and models of sofas. This could be a chair-bed, a mini-sofa, or a corner. The choice of furniture depends on the space of the room and how much the owner of the apartment wants to make it useful from the glazing.

Types of benches for a balcony with a drawer

Before you make a bed on a balcony or loggia with a built-in drawer, you need to follow the parameters of the place where it will be installed. It is necessary to arrange convenient access to the bed, make sure that the drawer can be pulled out freely, so that nothing interferes with it.

The most common models of beds with a drawer:

Sofa Book. The model has a simple transformation mechanism. The seat converts into a bed. The lounger is suitable both for relaxing on the balcony and for storing small amounts of things in it.
An armchair bed is an alternative to a sofa when a balcony or loggia does not have a lot of free space. This type of lounger uses a mechanism similar to a “book”. You can place a small box under the chair to put laundry there, which will also serve as a support.
Corner sofa. The angular shape of a couch on a balcony is represented by upholstered furniture with a rounded shape or an angle of 45. Corners can be formed on both sides. In this model you can place more drawers, where more things can fit. The lounger is considered comfortable and practical in design. It is installed on wide balconies.

Defining the style

A balcony or loggia can be decorated in a certain style. This will give the space a special charm and mood. The popular Provence style involves the use of natural materials: wood, decorative plaster or natural stone. The French style is characterized by light colors - any pastel shades. As for furniture, a sofa with colored upholstery or a wicker chair is suitable for a small balcony. . It would be good if the curtains on the windows were thin and transparent. By the way, Provence is impossible without an abundance of textiles: napkins and tablecloths with lace and ruffles.

The English style in design involves a mixture of Victorian and Georgian styles. Victorian style is a strict architecture with clear and symmetrical lines. Color solutions are restrained and light. The Georgian style is characterized by bright colors. This style looks much richer due to the use of natural wood in the design. Pastel-colored textiles with a characteristic double check and a small sconce will complete the design of the English-style balcony.

An Italian-style balcony will be summery and airy. The main color of the decor is ivory, reminiscent of antiquity, with the addition of red, brown or lavender shades. Italian-style furniture is as simple as possible, preferably white. Ideal curtains are plain or in a medium-sized two-color checkered pattern.

The most daring can decorate a balcony in a high-tech style, which is characterized by the use of metal and glass accessories. The color scheme should be dominated by black and gray tones, and metal panels should be used as finishing. A loft-style balcony will look very modern, but ideally it requires a loggia of at least 6 square meters. m. This style requires dividing the room into zones and panoramic glazing. The design is usually done in blue or gray colors, and metal pipes or steel sheets are used as decorative elements.

An interesting option might be to design a chalet-style balcony, which involves using only natural materials. The walls, for example, can be upholstered with wood panels coated with stain or wax. It’s good if the furniture is aged, covered with acrylic paint, “with scratches and damage.” Or maybe it will really be old furniture. The color scheme in the chalet style is terracotta, brown, cream shades with the addition of small bright spots (the lampshade or the green color of indoor plants). The interior will be complemented by a simple cotton carpet on the floor.

How to make

Making a simple model of a sun lounger on your balcony with your own hands is easy even for a beginner. To assemble complex models, ideas and advice from professional carpenters and designers will be useful.

At the first stage, the future design is drawn on a sheet of paper, in the form and style that they want to see it. The design is shown in more detail in the drawing. Separately draw out the details and mark out the main dimensions.
Before putting the parameters on the drawing, measure the place where the sunbed will be installed. Find out the length and width of the area. The lounger should be smaller in size to fit comfortably in the intended location. The drawer must also be free to open. It is more convenient to install the structure in the direction along the balcony. Free space is maintained for movement around the site.
Based on the drawing, all necessary elements are manufactured: frame, back of the sofa, seat, side parts and drawer parts.
Elements of a deck chair for a balcony are made in the following sequence:

the frame is made of wooden boards. The width of the seat blank depends on the width of the balcony or loggia. In panel and block houses, it has 750 mm. Long and ordinary loggias have a width of 1200 mm;
for a balcony lounger, you can take two edged boards with a section of 250x40 mm. and one 100x40 mm. The length of the boards should be 1.7 m. By connecting them together using bars, a total area of 0.6 by 1.7 m is obtained;
The stiffening elements are made of wooden blocks with a cross-section of 40x40 mm. or 50x50 mm. The bars are placed across the shield in the middle, at the beginning and at the end. Fastening is done with self-tapping screws;
the frame for the shield is assembled from 40x40 mm bars and 100x40 mm boards sawn into four parts, 0.5 m long (according to the height of the sunbed). You need 4 bars 1.7 m long, 4 bars 0.5 m long. Assemble a wooden frame. The boards are placed in the corners. Bars are placed on top and bottom of them, forming rectangles. For connections, metal corners with holes for self-tapping screws are used;
put on a shield. It should completely cover the top of the frame;
The side parts of the lounger, backrest and seat in natural parameters are transferred from the drawing onto sheets of plywood or chipboard laid out on the floor.
draw out the elements of the box: bottom, front, back and side walls;
Blanks are cut along the marked lines. Their parameters must match the external dimensions of the frame. The lining must completely cover the sides, backrest and seat surfaces.;
To prevent mistakes, parts are tried on on the balcony.

The finished elements of the lounger are processed with a sanding machine or made smooth by sanding by hand. Wooden surfaces are treated with protective compounds against the penetration of insects and moisture. Use stain and varnish.

Materials

Materials for work will be:

boards 40 mm thick, cross-section 250 and 100 mm;
timber with a section of 40x40 mm;
plywood sheets 10 mm and 9 mm thick for the box;
wooden or plastic slats for the box;
soft filler (foam rubber);
furniture fabric for covering the seat, back, sides;
wood glue for gluing material;
screws, corners, self-tapping screws for rigid adhesion of parts;
brush for coating;
stain and varnish.

Tools

To make and assemble a deck chair for a balcony you will need to use the following tools:

electric jigsaw;
drill and screwdriver;
grinding machine;
plane;
hacksaw;
furniture stapler.

Assembly

Assembling a homemade sun lounger with a box on a balcony or loggia takes place in several stages:

the frame is covered with plywood (thickness 10 mm). Sides, seat, back, back. The front remains open;
for the box, along the lower sides of the niche formed inside the lounger, strips are attached from the inside that will hold it. Use similar metal corners and screws. Wooden planks are sanded.
they cover the back and seat with planks. Plywood sheets are used for cladding;
the headrests and lower sides are made in the same way;
cover the seat, back and armrests of the lounger with foam rubber;
carry out additional grinding of corners;
cover it with facing fabric. For fixation, use a furniture stapler;
assemble a box from parts cut from 9 mm thick plywood;
The made box is varnished. After drying, it is inserted into the groove. A handle is attached to the front wall.

Types and functions

Depending on the appearance, model, features, and material from which it is made, a sofa can perform a variety of functions on the balcony.

A narrow sofa will fit perfectly into even the tiniest space. This model is most often located opposite the window on the long wall of the room. The narrowed model allows you to turn the balcony into a relaxing place or dining area. It will be enough to place only a small coffee table nearby. If such a sofa is equipped with closed pull-out sections, then it will also perform another function - storage of useful little things or household items, for example.

The corner model is one of the most practical, because it allows you to rationally use a small space without cluttering it. Such models are most often made as roll-out or sliding ones, so that, if necessary, they can also be used for sleeping. If we are talking about multifunctional models, then these are sofas that perform several tasks simultaneously.

The sofa pouf is a narrow bench with a soft seat without armrests or backrest. As a rule, it is equipped with several built-in drawers for storing things.

A sofa chest is a spacious and fairly large container designed for storing things, clothes, household supplies, tools, dishes, household utensils, books, newspapers and other items. It has the shape of a rectangular chest with a hinged lid, upholstered in soft material and filling. It is the lid that plays the role of a seat or even a sleeping place.

The sofa bench allows you to perfectly organize several seats for household members and their guests. Most often it has a hard seat. It can be angular, installed across the balcony or along the wall.

A balcony sofa-wardrobe is a type of ordinary furniture, only its lower part is used to create several rows of shelves or drawers for storing things.
A sofa bed most often has a semi-rigid or hard seat. The main part of the design is the lockable cabinet cabinets. Such a sofa is used to store useful things and can, at the same time, act as a seat for 1 – 2 people.

If you don’t plan to use the balcony furniture as a sleeping place or storage for things, but want to organize a cozy, comfortable corner for reading, talking or drinking tea, then in this case a small wicker sofa, a round coffee table and a couple of armchairs, if necessary, are perfect. Wicker furniture always looks very light, elegant and airy. It does not burden the already limited space, but decorates and harmoniously complements it.

Photo gallery of beds

You can find a suitable model to make a sun lounger on the balcony with your own hands or purchase ready-made furniture in a store by studying the photo gallery of sun loungers. It is easy to find on the Internet or in the catalog in the sales department. Couches, folding beds, chaise lounges, sofas and armchairs of various configurations are presented in a colorful design. If someone’s balcony interior is not yet decorated with such an item, after viewing it, an irresistible desire appears to correct this mistake.

Criteria for choosing a finished sofa for a balcony

Not all owners decide to make a sofa for the balcony with their own hands. Some people don’t own the instrument, while others simply don’t want to spend their personal time on it. Sometimes it’s really easier to come to the store and buy a product you like for your home.

By arranging your loggia with cozy furniture and cute accessories, you can easily turn it into the most frequently visited room in the house. Next, we will reveal in detail the main criteria for selecting such interior items.

Be sure to pay attention:

Sizes.
Configurations, functionality.
Design.
Upholstery.
Form.

The dimensions of the product are an important criterion, without which you are unlikely to be able to place this unit in your loggia. Pre-measure the place where you plan to install this furniture. Taking into account the measurements, select the optimal solution.

Configuration and functionality are also important. There are folding and monolithic models on sale. The purchased sofa may have built-in drawers and cabinets - all these little things make it practical and irreplaceable. Determine the requirements that you will put forward in relation to this furniture and start choosing.

Convenient drawers

Design is important, especially if your loggia already has a ready-made interior and you plan to stick to its mood. When choosing a sofa, it is permissible to take into account the overall style of your apartment. Most buyers today prefer models in the style of minimalism or neoclassicism. What to choose is, of course, up to you to decide.

The service life of the sofa, its appearance after some time after use, and, in general, the ease of use of this thing depend on the upholstery and filling Remember that on the balcony the air temperature is always lower than in other rooms. Frequent airing can lead to dust accumulation on all surfaces, including the sofa. Objects placed here are not protected from sunlight.

All this suggests that the upholstery of a balcony sofa should be as practical as possible, suitable for frequent cleaning (including wet cleaning). This material must be:

Moisture resistant.
Resistant to sunlight, temperature changes, and humidity.
Easy to use.

Choose flock or faux leather. Fabric upholstery will be good only in dry, well-insulated rooms. If you want to prefer textiles, choose velor or matting. Textile materials impregnated with special compounds are especially durable and practical. They allow the fabric to get dirty less and not absorb dirt, and have water-repellent properties.

the shape of the product, taking into account the free space that you can allocate. This can be an L-shaped solution (for spacious loggias), or standard rectangular modifications.

Round form