Most balcony furniture fails by a few inches. A chair that looks slim in a showroom blocks the door once you set it on a five foot balcony. Measure first, then pick pieces that fold, stack or hang off the chair itself.
Measure the strip you have
Take the depth from the wall to the inside of the railing. Keep about three feet free to walk from the door to the far end. Measure the arc of the door too, including the handle, since a door that hits a chair stops people using the balcony at all.
Read your building rules while you measure. Many condo boards set a load limit per square foot and rules on what neighbors may see over the railing. Heavy stone tops and big planters add up fast. Aluminum keeps the weight down.
five checks for a balcony
- 01Depth measure wall to railing, keep 3 feet to walk
- 02Door swing the door and its handle need a clear arc
- 03Wind high floors need weight or pieces that stack away
- 04Rules read the building rules on load and on what shows
- 05Storage cushions and chairs need a spot for winter
Chairs that carry their own table
Kettal Atlantic by Jasper Morrison, from 2026, is all aluminum: a tubular frame with seat and back made of curved slats. There is no cushion to store and no woven textile to dry. The low lounge chair leans far back, the chair with armrests works at a table, and the product text describes a stackable version too. See the Atlantic collection.
The swivel side table solves the narrow balcony. It clips to the armrest and holds a glass or a book, so a lounge chair needs no table beside it. Two Atlantic lounge chairs in a row along the wall, each with its swivel table, fit on a balcony too shallow for any table at all.
A cafe set for two
Kettal Ringer by Michael Anastassiades, from 2021, has three pieces: an aluminum chair with armrests, a round table and a square table. The name comes from horseshoes, where a ringer lands around the stake, and the armrest sits over the legs the same way. See the Ringer collection.
The round table suits a tight balcony because round corners leave more room to pass. Each piece is light enough to carry inside before a storm, and aluminum handles rain and salt air on a coastal high rise.
Wind on high floors
Above the tenth floor, wind moves light furniture. Aluminum chairs that stack can go into a corner, or inside, when a storm is on the way. Tie down or bring in cushions, parasols and anything with a sail. A heavy planter in a corner gives shelter to the seats beside it.
what fits by balcony depth
-
01
Under 4 feet
- Layout
- One row along the wall
- Pieces
- Two chairs, a side table on an armrest
- Kettal pieces to look at
- Atlantic chairs with the swivel side table
-
02
Depth: 4 to 6 feet
- Layout
- A small table with two chairs
- Pieces
- Two chairs, one round table
- Kettal pieces to look at
- Ringer chairs and round table
-
03
Depth: 6 feet and more
- Layout
- A table and one lounge chair
- Pieces
- Two dining chairs, a lounge chair, a table
- Kettal pieces to look at
- Ringer table, Atlantic low lounge chair
Keep one thing flexible
A balcony serves breakfast in the morning and a glass of wine at dusk. Pieces that move with one hand let you turn the chairs to the sun or to the view. Lipari, the folding teak table from Kettal Eolias, is another option when you want wood on the balcony and a table that folds flat against the wall.
Send us the depth and length of your balcony and a photo of the door. We reply with the Kettal pieces that fit, the finishes, and a price for each.
