Balconies can become crucial outdoor spaces when you?re living in an apartment building, especially in a big city. Unfortunately, a lot of older buildings weren?t designed to accommodate them. Many people have created their own solutions to this problem, like skylight windows that turn into balconies. Most recently, Amin Taha Architects have designed a six-story apartment complex that seems to feature oversized wicker baskets for balconies!

Of course, these “baskets” are actually made of steel and only wrapped in wicker. The balconies protrude from every other window to give each resident a private outdoor space they wouldn?t find in most other London apartments, much less the ones built on such narrow lots. Each balcony boasts bamboo flooring and is long enough for an adult to lay down in. Below, a wicker fence separates the building?s front patio from the sidewalk and complements these eye-catching additions to the brick facade.
The architects felt that the baskets provided a nice relief to the building’s otherwise harsh brick exterior, explaining: ?Wicker woven steel balconies are hung from every other aperture softening the material palette. These are large enough for dining and are alternated to allow neighbors the opportunity to develop the limited social space above and below them when communal gardens are not available. For similar reasons the front door is an extruded version of the bronzed window reveals, becoming a porte-cochere with a bench m...