THE SNUG: Pinterest Style Pallet Furniture

The perfect insta-worthy way to spruce up your outdoor space.

My boyfriend and I recently moved to a new flat in the City Centre and we have been lucky enough to find one with a balcony. We're both sun-babies and love being outside (especially when it's with a G&T) so we wanted to find a way that we could best utilise the outdoor space we had. Our balcony is really long, but it's super narrow- so we struggled to find comfy furniture that would fit and wasn't the cost of a small country.

MUM TO THE RESCUE... My Mum is a Pinterest and Instagram TROJAN! She will spend HOURS AND HOURS trawling through different home and style pages, putting together mood boards for inspiration and she came up with the idea of creating a pallet furniture snug area. Once we had finished talking about it and actually got round to doing it, it was surprisingly easy to put together and we absolutely love it. It's the perfect comfy day bed for a solo sprawl in the sun, and it also serves as an ideal outdoor retreat to cosy up and watch Love Island (or any other programme of choice) together in the evening! Heres how we did it.

STEP ONE: THE BASE

Our furniture is made of 3 Euro Pallets, they are 80cm x 120cm and fit like an absolute dream in our limited space. The base is just two of the pallets on top of each other and then the back (which is optional) is one of the pallets cut down and slotted down the back. *I am aware that is a TERRIBLE description, but admittedly I let my Dad take care of the assembly.

We decided to spray ours white for a more shabby chic type feel but just paint it a colour that fits your aesthetic.

STEP TWO: SOFT FURNISHINGS

Soft furnishing were the key to bringing this to life. Playing with textures and patterns is a really nice way to make the area feel warm and comfortable. We wanted our snug to feel like an extension of the inside so we stuck with the same colours we have throughout the house.

I got all of the cushions from B&M- they aren't outdoor cushions- but I wanted something that felt soft and cosy, so if you don't mind the hassle of bringing them in on rainy days then it doesn't really matter. We also got a blanket to fold up at the bottom of the bench, which is handy if your feet turn into ice blocks at night!

One key part of this is the base cushion- NOBODY WANTS A SPLINTERED BUM! There are loads and loads on the internet in lots of different finishes and styles. We opted for this one from Amazon, mainly because it was one of the cheaper ones, but also because it really fits with the look we wanted to create.

STEP THREE: ACCESSORIES

By far the most fun step. This is what gives that real 'je ne sais quoi'. Fairy lights are a great way of making the place feel like your inside a pinterest board. I opted for solar powered fairy lights and lightbulbs (again from B&M) because it means I don't have to bother trying to remember where I hid the AA batteries, every couple of months.

Artificial plants are also a brilliant way of adding privacy to the area. Our neighbours can look over into our balcony, so we worried we would feel overlooked, so I bought these plants from Ikea to give a little bit more height between them and us- although I wouldn't blame them for wanting to have a nosey in our lovely area!

So that's it! Three simple steps to creating your snug!