Looking for a way to let more light into your building and improve access to the outdoors without major structural renovations? An ideal solution for saving space while getting all the benefits of a traditional balcony is a glass Juliet balcony.
Named for the famous balcony scene in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, these small balconies were traditionally made using stone or brick. Metal balcony railings made from materials like wrought iron later became popular in European countries like France and Italy.
Nowadays, glass is the perfect modern material to truly open up a Juliet balcony. This design normally doesn’t feature an exterior structure with walk-on floor space, instead mounting a barrier in front of a full-height window or French doors that open inwards.
What better material to make this area feel more like an airy balcony than a glass balustrade?
This blog explains how your home or office could benefit from a Juliet balcony, and why glass is the best choice for modern Juliet balconies.
What are the benefits of Juliet balconies?
While it’s true that you won’t benefit from an outdoor seating area as you would with a traditional balcony that projects from the building façade, there are many benefits to Juliet balconies that make them a winning alternative.
They’re fast becoming a home design trend for good reason – here are just six of the benefits of Juliet balconies that can transform your building:
1) Low maintenance
Building a projecting balcony is a lot of work, requiring not just a higher budget but also planning permissions. It’s also impractical for many buildings, depending on the layout and surroundings.
A Juliet balcony, on the other hand, usually doesn’t require much work or planning permission. All you need is a window or French-door-style opening that you can install a barrier across, et voilà – you have a mini balcony to look out of, where the floor space remains inside rather than outside.
2) Access to fresh air
Connecting with the outdoors and breathing fresh air is proven to be better for our health. From reducing fatigue and anxiety to improving digestion and strengthening your immune system, allowing more fresh air to circulate through your interior space has many health benefits.
Whether it’s a kitchen, living room, bedroom, or workspace, a Juliet balcony can help to improve ventilation. You can get fresh air without even having to step outdoors, bringing the outside in.
3) More natural light
Just as air circulation is good for your health, so is natural light. Exposure to daylight affects sleep cycles and cognitive performance, so lack of natural light can have negative consequences for your physical and mental health – but it can be difficult to get out in the sun with our busy modern lives.
With a Juliet balcony in front of a full-height window or door, you can let more light flow through the space, and even feel sunlight on your skin by simply stepping up to the barrier.
4) Increased safety
Having a strong barrier across the opening allows you to leave large windows open without worrying about falling – which is an even bigger concern if you have children or pets to watch out for. Juliet balconies allow you to enjoy the view and the breeze without having to go too close to the edge.
This is especially helpful for anyone who might have a fear of heights, but who still wants to enjoy sitting or standing in the open air and daylight without having to stand on an overhanging platform.
5) Attractive aesthetic
With its clean lines and unobtrusive design, a Juliet balcony is a cost-effective way to enhance the appearance of a building, both inside and outside – it’s beautiful whichever side you view it from.
You can create a chic interior seating area beside the door or window, with the balustrade as a security barrier, while it elevates the façade with a high-end look from the outside. If you choose a frameless glass balustrade to create your Juliet balcony, you can achieve a truly seamless style.
6) Affordable option
As mentioned, building an actual balcony takes a lot more work than creating a Juliet balcony – more materials, more time, more effort, and much more stress overall.
Even if you have to install French doors or a sliding glass door to make it possible to add a Juliet balcony in front, this is still easier and more affordable than extending your actual building.
Juliet balconies are easy to install and automatically look elegant. Best of all, they require very little upkeep to stay in good condition once they’re in place.
Why use a glass balustrade for a Juliet balcony?
There are many ways to achieve a Juliet balcony in different materials, but we believe that glass is the best choice. Wooden balconies are great for a traditional style, and shaped metal rails can lend a continental look, but glass is the most versatile option to fit in with all kinds of building designs.
Don’t think you’ll be limited to just one style of glass Juliet balcony, either – there are many different mounting systems that can modify your simple glass balustrade. Set within the window profile or fixed across the outside, framed or frameless, anodised aluminium frames or a matt powder-coated finish… there are so many combinations to choose from to get your ideal look.
Whichever style you settle on, it’s sure to look amazing from both inside and out. If you need some visual inspiration to help you decide, view our glass balustrade gallery to see what you can achieve with the high-quality products from Express Toughening.
If you have any questions about our glass balustrades, give our team a call on 020 8500 1188 today and we’ll gladly discuss our services. If you would rather contact us online, please fill out our contact form or send an email directly to info@expresstoughening.com and we’ll be in touch soon.
