Having a patio for an urban apartment is great because you can turn this lovely area into a workroom, a reading space, or a spot for chilling during weekends. But if you, unfortunately, have overly curious neighborhoods, then how to make your apartment patio more private?
In this article, I am going to show you.
Plants
Not only add greenery to your apartment patio but adding plants is also a fantastic way to enhance privacy. There are two common choices when it comes to this: trellised vines or planters, depending on your preference and your patio decor.
Trellised vines
If you like to create a natural fragrant and beautiful screen, choose trellised vines.
But as you’re living in an apartment, you wouldn’t like them to be too damaging to the exterior siding, would you? So, I highly recommend choosing coral honeysuckle, clematis, and passion vines.
Honeysuckles attract hummingbirds while passion vines have edible fruits.
Otherwise, try Love-in-a-Puff or cypress vines as they’re very easy to grow from seed. Just take note that cypress vines climb very fast so you should tie some pieces of twine for them to cling to, secure them at the bottom and top so it will be more manageable.
Planters
Meanwhile, planters on the railing improve significantly the protection level for your apartment patio. The only thing for urban gardeners to keep in mind is to make sure to pick those potted plants able to survive the city air.
Here are some suggestions for beginners:
- Japanese Maple
- Begonias
- Arborvitae
- Euonymus
- Red Twig Dogwood
- Hicks Yew
- Boxwood
- Holly
- Privet
- Skip Laurel
- Bamboo
These plants generally are tall and have thick evergreen foliage, which is perfect to turn your apartment patio into a secluded retreat. In turn, they might limit the natural lighting in this area.
Screens
If your budget is loose a bit, installing screens to increase your apartment patio privacy is not a bad idea. From my experience, the average cost for this is around $4 to $4.5/square feet, including the installation cost and material cost.
While assembling screens helps block out your neighborhood efficiently, they are great at bug and pest control.
There are four ways to hold screens in an apartment patio:
Use flat metal strips and strong magnets
Suitable for screens made of light, thin materials, and metal beams and boards. It’s also perfect for those apartment owners who wish to remove/replace the screening over time.
Remember that this method doesn’t work with wood or aluminum patios.
Rubber splines
This is one of the simplest ways to hold screens on an apartment patio as it doesn’t require a bunch of staples. Besides, it is suitable for all types of materials for patio frames.
Stick-on screening
This is arguably a perfect replacement option for the traditional staple method because it uses loop tape and hooks to secure screens. That means the user is completely able to remove them for cleaning or replacement anytime.
Traditional staple method
This offers a quick screening-in project. But keep in mind that you can’t remove screens once they’re installed using this method.
Shutters
Aside from improving privacy, shutters are a good solution to protect small plants and furniture on your apartment patio from fickle weather.
Compared to blinds and curtains, these are heavier so make sure that the patio frame is strong enough to accommodate extra heft. If you’re an apartment renter, be sure that you’re allowed to make changes to this area.
Here are some ideas for installing shutters on an apartment patio:
A combination shutter – a perfect selection for those people who prefer to add a unique, customized look reflecting their personality and style. You can mix two or more shutter styles together, such as cut-out combo or raised panel and louvered shutters.
Cut-Out Shutters – customize your own cut-out shutter design using your creativity. Geometric, stars, and ships are some popular options for this shutter style and they will give a nice 1920s vintage look to your patio.
Plantation shutters – This is a great choice for a beautiful laid-back Southern look. They commonly feature wide louvers that can be opened for welcoming warm breezes or closed against winter gusts.
Board and Batten shutters – perfect for jointed, spaced, square, or arch-top styles. The name has said it all, these shutters are created from battens or short cross pieces joined together with separate boards.
Blinds
This is one of the most popular methods to create privacy for an apartment patio because it’s easily raised up and down for specific needs plus the cost is budget-friendly.
You can find them at most general retailers, hardware stores, and home centers.
Blinds are also portable and great to create a shaded area for sun protection without blocking fully winds. For summer use, this is an excellent option to try. Depending on the blind types that you buy, they might be attached at the patio corners with hooks and brackets or with a rod.
Here are some suggestions for you:
- Faux Wood Blinds – suitable for people in a tight budget
- Vertical Window Blinds – for classic window treatment types
- Roller Shades – perfect for sliding glass doors
Conclusion
Above is my detailed answer for “How can I make my apartment patio more private?”. I hope that you’re satisfied with my work as these suggestions are not only from my experience but also from other experts in home decors as well as other home-decorating enthusiasts.
Thanks for reading!
