Welcome back. This is the first Flat Chat of 2009 and I’d like to buck the doom and gloom and say that this year is going to be GREAT.
There are genuine bargains to be had in Strataland, people still need to be housed so rents can’t fall too much and even if there is slump in building, it means the chances of your expensive view being obliterated by some DA dodging multi-storey monstrosity are seriously curtailed. So smile!
Talking of views, in an odd conjunction of basic design and Australian building standards, when you sit on your expensive executive committee-approved outdoor chairs to gaze out over your aforementioned top-dollar vista, what do you see?
Balustrade, that’s what you see. It’s a fact. The eyeline of the average person seated on a normal chair matches up exactly with the official safe height of your balcony rail.
Regular chairs and tables are too low for balconies and bar stools and tables are a bit too high; you feel a decent puff of wind would have you taking the short route to the ground floor.
Now some clever designers have come up with solutions to this: a table that’s narrower than normal, to save space, while it and the seats to go with it are a few cm higher. I have seen them, they work and they often look great too.
The question is, where do you buy them? Freedom Furniture had some for a while (and may still have) and various outdoor furniture suppliers have bits and pieces. But, with apartment blocks still springing up wherever you look, there’s an opportunity here for someone to start making and selling balcony-specific furniture.
Let’s be clear, it has to be a bit higher than normal (but not bar stool height) and with a table that’s longer than it’s wide so you have room to waddle past on your way to and from the fridge. So please, if you know of anything that fits the bill, let us know and we’ll pass on the info.
UPDATE:
We’ve had one email from an enterprising company that custom builds fold-away tables. Not what I had in mind but could be right for you (or for some other purpose in our restricted spaces). Check them out by clicking here.
Also I note that one retailer is planning a new “balcony” range that has a seat height of 45cm. WRONG – Seats and tables have to be at least 5cm higher do you can see the view – JT