Covered balcony with a macramé hanging chair and city views

A macramé net chair with a top hoop and fringing, hung from a single point. Before buying, check two figures on the listing: the maximum load, usually between 100 and 150 kg, and whether ceiling hardware is included, because the supplied hook rarely suits a timber beam. For a beam you want a long eye bolt threaded into solid timber, not a plug in the cladding.

A cordless lamp with a ceramic base and fabric shade, charged over USB and running eight to twenty hours depending on the model. It's how you get living-room light on a terrace without taking power out there. Choose one with three brightness levels — at full output a pale shade in a dark space glares more than you'd expect.

A lantern with a timber frame and glass on all four faces, which shields the flame from wind — constant on a balcony at height. Better to buy two or three sizes of one model than to mix styles: grouped at floor level they read as a single piece. With battery LED candles they can be left lit unattended.

A woven basket used as a cachepot, with the plant kept inside its nursery pot rather than planted directly. That's what lets you water without ruining the fibre: lift the pot out, water it at the sink and put it back drained. Look for a plastic liner, or add a saucer, because fibre wet from the inside rots at the base.

A rug woven in PET or polypropylene that looks like natural fibre, in an undyed tone with a diamond relief. Unlike jute it can get wet and dries without holding smells, which is what makes it viable on a balcony even a covered one. Lift it a couple of times a year — decking under a large rug doesn't breathe and stains.