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Having a good relationship with yourneighborscan be tricky.
You want them to be friendly and helpful but not step over the line.
One surveyfoundthat a whopping 81% of Americans value privacy from their neighbors.
Some people even admitted to hiding from them.
This person had somechatty neighborswho would bother her every day after work on their joint balcony.
To them, it may seem like they were only being social.
But the woman quickly got tired of their chattiness and decided to put up a divider.
When they got mad, shedecided to askwhether her decision was so wrong.
Some people like to live openly with the curtains open and no fences around their house.
The author in this story opted for a quick and simple solution with a basic privacy screen.
Yet there are other morestylish but practicalsolutions.
A similar option would be a divider of some sort: either a wooden trellis or a reeded screen.
Both add texture and coziness to the space while providing privacy.
Another way is to go with fabrics.
Curtains are also an option.
Just as we use them on windows, we can also put them up on the balcony.
A third solution is forplant lovers: to build a privacy screen out of plants.
And they dont have to be exclusively green; flower pots work super well on balcony rails.
Furniture can also act as a privacy screen.
Chairs, other seaters, or tables can be arranged so that youre not face-to-face with yourneighbors.
A big curved chair is especially handy in situations like this.
All these methods can, of course, be mixed and matched.
Putting up smaller potted plants on a table also gives you a tad of privacy.
The solutions are plenty, and its up to the person to pick which appeals to them the most.
Some people pick and choose their company very carefully.
Weretoo lonely, too busy, too focused on indoor entertainment, and have a retreat mentality.
For the author in this story, it seems that its all about the latter.
But Burton cautions against it.
Thats the impact of reduced social interactions.
Be intentional about being outside.
Watch and speak to neighbors that you see.
And take steps to learn and use the names of your neighbors, Burton urges.
Check out the results:
