What you don't know about balcony evolution! After reading 7080, I must understand it!

In life, the balcony can be said to be a special existence.

All the space keeps people indoors, but leads people outdoors; It is not only a part of home space, but also an external image of "home", a "facade" of the city and an indispensable part of urban humanities.

Frequent travelers will find that when they look up in many European cities, they can see neat and elegant balconies carefully packed by local people. They are often decorated with flowers and various plants and become part of the local landscape.

In China, the balcony seems to be a pearl covered with dust, which has not yet given off its due light. But has it always been like this? This should start with the history of the balcony.

The Ancient Form of Balcony: Juliet and "Beauty Dependence"

The word "balcony" comes from the Italian word "cone", which means that the original balcony has no bottom support.

In the west, the earliest balcony is thought to have appeared in ancient Greek architecture more than 2,000 years ago, when it was mainly used to meet functional requirements, such as increasing air circulation or introducing natural light in hot climate.

Juliet balcony (named after Shakespeare's Juliet), which is very popular in Europe, is considered to be the representative of the transition from function to decoration.

But in fact, it is not a real balcony, because it is usually very narrow in depth, only with railings in front and no platform. In more sense, it is regarded as a "symbol of love". Subsequently, various balconies appeared one after another.

Juliet balcony is considered as the representative of the transition from function to decoration.

Although it is difficult to find the same counterpart with the West in the traditional architecture of China, especially in the traditional architecture of Han nationality areas, this does not mean that China lacks such a way of life.

In fact, China people also have a very special way to connect outdoor with indoor and life with nature.

For example, in buildings in Huizhou and other places, corridors and armchairs are often set up in halls above the second floor for rest. Because the women in the boudoir often lean against the railing and look out, this kind of armchair is also called "beauty leaning" figuratively. Perhaps, this can be called the "China version" of the modern balcony.

Meirenkao

Balcony: It's not easy to love you.

To some extent, the evolution of the balcony is a portrayal of the changes in the living environment of contemporary China people. From "60" and "70" to "80" and "90" today, balconies have different shapes in different people's memories.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the basic colors of people's clothes were blue, black or army green, and a really cool white shirt could be called "fashionable".

At that time, it was common for a family of three to live in a simple bungalow of 16 square meters, and a family of seven to live in a house of 50 square meters. The furniture is two wooden cases, a dining table, several stools, a chair and a bed for family to sleep in. This is simply unimaginable today. At this time, because the balcony space is small and not closed, it is mainly used for drying and stacking sundries.

The initial period of reform and opening up is the most vigorous period of population growth in China, and the contradiction between population and housing is increasing day by day, and most of the housing is allocated by units. Tube-shaped apartment building is the most representative residential style of that era. Many people get married and have children in their apartments. Because the kitchen is used by many families, the corridor is often filled with lampblack.

A multi-storey apartment building with rooms on both sides of the corridor

In the 1980s, the welfare housing distribution system allowed many people to live in bungalows. At this time, the kitchen, bathroom and room of the house are a whole, but the prototype of a western-style apartment has already taken shape. Most importantly, you don't need to use space with others.

In addition, single-family small-area houses that meet the requirements of family use have also begun to appear. At this time, the functional requirements of the balcony have developed to a certain extent: in addition to stacking sundries and coal and drying clothes, it is also used for planting flowers and plants, sightseeing and overlooking, and increasing the interest of life.

Different spaces in the home are clearly divided. Although there is no separate living room in some places, life balcony has become a place for family communication activities, such as relaxing after meals and enjoying the cool in summer.

In 2000, the state officially abolished the welfare housing distribution policy. With the acceleration of housing commercialization reform, many people began to join the "buying army".

At the same time, double balcony or multi-balcony in residential buildings began to appear, and the difference between "service balcony" and "life balcony" appeared.

The service balcony is generally connected with the north kitchen, and the life balcony is connected with the south master bedroom. In any case, in people's living space, the balcony area is generally increasing.

At the same time, there are also self-enclosed balconies in the north. People either close the service balcony to make a kitchen, or tear down the life balcony doors and windows connected with the living room to increase the living space, or use them as the second living space of the family.

Unit building with independent balcony

Nowadays, people have more choices for housing, such as high-rise residential buildings, duplex buildings, garden club and even single-family villas. Balcony has also become a part of people's lives, and it can even be said that it is a paradise opened between modern high-rise buildings.

For busy urbanites, with their own balcony garden, reinforced concrete can't stop the breath of spring on the balcony.

The slowly coming balcony lifestyle

According to the statistics of relevant American departments, Americans have 1/3 of leisure time, 1/3 of income and 1/3 of land area. The more developed the economy, the stronger the demand for leisure.

In today's China, more and more people are returning to their families to pursue a more relaxed, comfortable and natural life. Balcony is just an excellent way to meet people's needs.

In the "Family Balcony Lifestyle Survey Report" released tomorrow, we can see that people have very diverse needs for the application of balcony space-some people like to plant flowers and plants on the balcony, some people want to transform it into a teahouse space, some people want to be a fitness place, and some people want to be a children's entertainment and learning space.

In addition, there is a small but very active group among balcony lovers-balcony planting "professional households". They have established many communities to share the experience and feelings of balcony planting. Not only that, there are many kinds of books and papers planted on the balcony.

In Guangfo area, it is very common to raise flowers on the balcony because of the suitable climate. Almost every family will put their favorite flowers on the balcony.

When more and more people begin to pursue the quality of life, people's attention to the balcony is also changing with each passing day. In addition to the most basic balcony decoration, such as waterproofing, floor tiles and wall tiles, balcony decoration began to develop in a more personalized direction. The popularity of tatami on the balcony makes people pay more attention to this space.

Nowadays, especially in Guangfo area, more and more people begin to choose custom wooden balconies. Through the ingenious design of the designer, an ideal balcony space is created with natural solid wood, green plants and soft furniture.

Photo courtesy: lazy cat wooden balcony

Enjoy: What will the balcony look like in the future?

The appearance of the balcony first meets people's functional needs-lighting, ventilation, drying and so on. The need for decoration makes the balcony more changeable, full of humanistic atmosphere, and even becomes a local landscape.

Nowadays, the balcony has gradually become a place where people get close to nature and relax. So what will happen to the balcony in the future?

To be sure, with the arrival of an aging society, balcony space will become more important. On the one hand, the elderly often need more sunshine and fresh air. More importantly, the balcony can be an ideal place for the elderly to relax and reduce loneliness. Therefore, the balcony design for the needs of the elderly will be valued.

Not only that, the balcony in the future will be more intelligent. In addition to smart clothes racks, smart sunshade and smart security will also enter more and more families, allowing people to enjoy more convenience.

In short, the balcony, a seemingly "humble" place, will become an important place for people to live, and it will also bring about the rise of an industry and the outbreak of a market. In the next series of articles, we will gradually reveal it.

Click on "American Furniture Today" and buy the Chinese version of "Furniture Today" immediately!

Magazine subscription Tel: 13799788662 (same as WeChat)

This article first appeared in the June issue of Furniture Today.