Balcony Development Project in Berlin

The final masterpiece of Pini’s sacred ecosystem, balcony project.

A Development Strategy 80/10/10 Case Study in Neukölln, Berlin 🪴🌵🌻 🌺

I visited my dear friend Pini’s 4th-floor flat in Berlin, where I undertook a gardening development project of her balcony.

Using my development strategy of 80/10/10 (see my last post for reference), here’s how it went down . . .

From Pini’s perspective, her flat was unfinished, not reflective of her developed personhood, and maybe “half-baked”. It was maybe 50% there.

❤️‍🩹 She saw the following - 50%:
- mishmash ceramics made by her mother on the balcony
- her art on the walls as she tried to find her medium as an artist
- an inexpensive hairdryer in her bathroom instead of the €350 Dyson one she gifted her sister
- a balcony forgotten, in a residential complex of avid gardeners, generating a local ecosystem
- a towel hook, far too many mistook as intentional when really it was from her student days at uni

❤️ I saw the following - 80%:
- a balcony that could hold her during her morning coffee and scroll
- an artist who follows her curiosity and surrounds herself with her creative pursuits and identity exploration
- an opportunity to create something that feels like she’s gifted herself a €350 Dyson hairdryer
- a potential living balcony to be talked about, and a feeling of belonging in her building
- reframing her living space as a 3D scrapbook of her lived experience

💞 We co-created the following - 10%:
- cleaning up the balcony to remove stagnant energy and utilizing forgotten belongings
- constructing the garden design to feature her mother’s ceramics so they became celebrated and purposeful
- re-potting existing sunflowers and geraniums into more functional pots to thrive
- diversifying and building out her balcony garden to repel pigeons and bring beauty
- choosing a plant that looked like tennis balls, Pini’s favourite thing in all of life
- creating a space that gives sanctuary vibes
- buying a watering can instead of searching for the NutriBullet jug so watering became a ritual rather than a chore

❤️‍🔥 The momentum that followed - 10%:
- Pini's neighbours showing their children what she is growing
- Pini asking the neighbours to water her plants when she’s away (creating dependency and deepening community)
- keeping count of the "tennis ball" flowers (presence)
- moths, bees, and butterflies coming to visit her, reminding her she is always hosting and among friends
- her flat as a place of tending to herself and nature

Article FAQs generated by AI:
1. How does reframing a living space as a "3D scrapbook of lived experience" shift our understanding of home and personal development?
Reframing a living space as a 3D scrapbook encourages us to view our homes not as static or finished products, but as dynamic reflections of who we are and how we evolve. This perspective invites a compassionate, appreciative relationship with our belongings and surroundings, even the imperfect or transitional ones. It also empowers us to see beauty and meaning in what we already have, rather than striving for external perfection or comparison. Ultimately, this shift supports personal growth by making space for self-expression, storytelling, and intentional transformation.

2. What role does community play in transforming private domestic spaces like balconies into shared ecosystems?
Community adds depth and relational meaning to personal spaces. In the case of Pini's balcony, what began as a private area became part of a larger neighbourhood ecosystem, sparking conversations with neighbours, involving them in caretaking, and generating shared appreciation for the natural elements. This dynamic helps to dissolve the boundary between public and private, making space for connection, mutual support, and belonging. Community engagement also reinforces the sustainability of these projects, as the environment becomes co-tended and relational, rather than solely individual.

3. Why might small design interventions (like repotting plants or choosing a new watering can) have such a profound psychological impact?
Small design interventions act as symbolic shifts that ripple outward into larger emotional or psychological transformations. Repotting plants gives living things the conditions to thrive, mirroring the process of tending to ourselves. Choosing a watering can over a NutriBullet jug reframes care as ritual instead of chore, elevating daily maintenance into meaningful interaction. These minor, tangible actions are often easier to implement than massive overhauls, yet they signal to the self that change is happening and that one is worthy of care, attention, and beauty.