Showing posts with label Juliette balconies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Juliette balconies. Show all posts

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

Juliette Balconies


“Romeo Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo”


The Aptly named “Juliette Balconies” is of course famous from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The shallow balcony is designed to provide a safety barrier in front of French windows but at the same time give you a feeling of your very own home balcony.

Juliet Balconies are ideal for:

  • Housing developments
  • Apartments
  • Three storey townhouses
  • Schools
  • Hospitals
  • Nursing homes
  • Student accommodation
  • And on the rare occasion... famous romantic novels.

Due to the increasing popularity of Juliette Balconies Alpha Rail has now added four stunning new designs to our collection, These are:

The Washington, the Lincoln, the Jefferson and the Cleveland.

All of which are fully galvanized with a robust black powder coated finish.

Juliette balconies are not only required for safety but can be a thing of beauty, a fantastic contemporary alternative to the usual ranges out there. Juliette balconies are easy to fit and are extremely cost effective.

Check out our great range here:

Thursday, 11 August 2011

Discover Alpharail's Range of Juliette Balconies


When you want to add something additional to protect your home, it can often be more difficult than you expect. An option would be Alpharail’s extensive range of Juliette balconies, not only to they look beautiful but they have the additional ability to protect a wide variety of windows.


Juliette balconies present pure beauty, and that is the first thing customers will notice in the product, because of the way the balconies are designed customers will see they are making the correct choice in product as not only will it give their home a great look it will be increasing the safety of the property also.

Juliette balconies offer ultimate protection for windows, and usually they will be covering the bottom half of a two level window, this type of covering will prevent people from breaking the glass on the reachable portion of the window, however it is also small enough with enough openings to easily allow the air to flow freely through the balcony allowing for a great breeze to enter your home.

Here at Alpharail we have a variety of Juliette balcony ranges, all with stunning different designs:
• The Portland
• The Byron
• The Rufford
• The Chatsworth
• The Washington
• The Lincoln
• The Jefferson
• The Cleveland
• The Stafford

Being able to protect your home is a wonderful thing to do and a stunning Alpharail Juliette balcony is definitely a method to consider making your home safe and attractive.

Monday, 18 April 2011

How To Choose The Right Gate For Your House?

Stunning gates give an impression whenever people walk or drive past your house. Such gateways are not only attractive but also practical because they are made from affordable material and the height is reasonable. Gated communities are among the most protected from theft or looting during civil unrest. Some are made from wrought iron while others from hard wood in relation to the type of garden or environment the house is surrounded with.

Choosing the right gate for your house depends on the following factors: kids, pets and unsafe neighbourhood or even wanting to add this little extra to your safety. If you have kids in the house and you want to protect them from wondering into the yard or garden, you need gates that will not harm your kids when they are outside exploring or playing. Some kids like to climb gates and these gates should be high to prevent them from climbing and falling which will cause fatal injuries. They should be made from hard wood which will not break and crash over a kid.

Pets are also considered when choosing the right gate for your house. This means that they should not have wide spaces that will allow pets to pass through and wonder off in the neighborhood. There are people who also steal pets and electronics in people’s house. When there is a gate in front of your house, a thief will tend to try somewhere else as . If your house has a long driveway, you need an automatic entrance with an intercom so that you will know your visitors and only allow authorized people in the house. Driveway gateways are mostly lightweight and made from aluminum which is a cheap and strong metal.

If you need privacy from neighbours and strangers, you need an entrance that is higher to conceal your garden and yard from neighbors. Garden gates on the other hand will create a stir whenever people pass by your house. They look great with amazing creations. Most people prefer wrought iron and the black color which makes people’s stare turn to the garden’s beautiful flowers and plantations. Modern designs employ the use of white vinyl which gives the house an elegant touch. People who have decks also choose high gateways mainly for security reasons. They are often made with high latches hence preventing kids from climbing it and causing accidents.

Friday, 14 January 2011

The importance of a nice Balustrade

A balustrade is a row of small posts that support the upper part of a railing. Staircases and porches feature balustrades that are more commonly used as a safety feature and decorative edge. A balustrade adds drama, classic charm and a sense of historic design to all indoor or outdoor building schemes. Balustrades are used in all types of structures, i.e., public homes, churches, hotels, gardens, and theatres. Balustrades are one of the oldest forms of banisters. The balustrades were first used by the Assyrians, followed by popular use during the Italian Renaissance and shortly became the style adopted worldwide.

Though balustrades are commonly used with railings, staircases, balconies and porches, balustrades are also used in different styles of furniture and home accessories. Traditional balustrades were made only from wood, stone, clay or iron. Today, a wide range of materials are available for modern balustrades such as plaster, resin, fiberglass, steel, polyer that are made to look like stone, polyurethane which are very lightweight, durable and is less costly, and vinyl which is very cost effective, is easy to maintain and very durable, as well as other synthetic and natural materials.

Types of balustrade include lace, wrought iron, and nouveaux curved glass. With modern technology, designing or creating your own style of balustrades is endless. Balustrades can be created in contemporary designs, with turnings that can be made smooth, reeded, fluted, twisted or octagonal. These form of balusters can be topped with handrails complementing its style.

In earlier architectural designs, the baluster served as a support for the building structures and was also displayed as a status symbol. Famous artists created balusters to prominently feature famous structures. Shakespearean and opera arias scenes feature beautifully adorned balustrades. Balusters are available in a wide range of shapes and sizes to complement any design.

In addition to balustrade companie's large inventory of standard balustrade designs, their artisans can also reproduce any balustrade pattern or custom balustrade design. Balustrade companies have experts with a large range of stylistic ideas to give consumers more choices of colours, they can manufacture standardised moulds to produce different profiles and sized in house if owners have a specific need, at an affordable price.

Wednesday, 22 September 2010

Transform Your Property with a Juliette Balcony


A balcony can be a great addition to any home. It can be a way to change the style of a home without spending a large amount of money and without too much work. There are several types of balconies; Maltese and Juliette just to name a few. When trying to decide what kind of balcony will work best, you may want to consider your budget, the amount of space you have to work with and what you are likely to use the balcony for. If you have a limited budget, and not a lot of space to work with then a Juliette balcony may be the best option for you.

The name Juliette balcony comes from a famous scene in the Shakespearean play "Romeo and Juliet". A Juliette balcony is used with French doors, which allows you a small amount of room to step out onto and prevents anyone from falling. As well as this it can increase the light and ventilation into a room and transforms the exterior of your property, making it much more attractive. Almost any set of windows can be removed to make room for a set of doors and using single glazed doors will allow in extra light to help brighten the room.

Alpha Rail has a stunning variety of styles and designs of Juliette balconies to choose from. The "Portland", "Byron" and "Washington" are all classic styles with a contemporary flair, making them perfect for any style of architecture. The "Rufford" design is a simple Victorian style that can add a touch of sophistication to your home. The newest style that Alpha Rail offers is the “Chatsworth”, which features a diamond design at the top of the railing. The "Lincoln" and the "Jefferson" reflect minimalism, which is perfect if you’re looking for a more contemporary style, whereas the "Cleveland" is traditional with a modern twist featuring wavy lines.

Whatever the style of your home, whether it is modern or period, a Juliette balcony can improve the curb appeal of your property and could even add to its value. Make sure, however, that you hire a specialist company like Alpha Rail to install the balcony as they have the skills and expertise to ensure that it is done properly and safely.

Thursday, 15 July 2010

The Origin of the Juliette Balcony

Balconies have been, then and again, beautiful additions to a building’s facade. They are more commonly seen on areas where there are beautiful views like mountain ranges or beaches. In the urban areas, balconies are built not as a part of the house to stand on but more of a architectural design to give a medieval effect.

The term Balcony came from the Old Italian word balcony which means beam. It is described as a platform protruding from a wall or building and supported by columns and enclosed with a balustrade.

Modern designs use metal railings as a substitute for balustrade.



Balconies are more often used for ceremonial purposes. In the medieval times, Kings and Queens often wave and smile to their subjects while standing on a balcony giving an effect that they are above anyone and their word is law. In Rome, Italy, a newly elected Pope first shows up on the balcony for the first time for the whole world to see. This is where the Pope also celebrates mass. In churches, the balcony is more of a place for choirs so their voices will have a resounding effect on the attendee’s ears.

The most notable balcony has been used on plays most especially in William Shakespeare’s tragedy; Romeo and Juliet. There is a scene in the play where Juliet stands on a balcony while Romeo is courting her. Because of this scene balconies have been called Juliette Balconies. Although balcony where Juliet was standing was made of concrete and enclosed by balustrades, modern balconies are designs have been improved to be cost effective and easy to install.

Manufacturers now use metal railings to support and enclose balconies. European manufacturers like Alpha Rail often seek consultancy and accreditation from the European Fencing Industry Association for a suitable design. The founders of European Fencing Industry Association aim to represent all interests in designing, manufacturing and installing of fences. Alpha Rail’s designs fit perfectly on the modern world’s tastes. Some of their designs include the Portland, the Byron, the Rufford and the Chatsworth. Because of the increasing popularity and demand of Juliette Balconies, Alpha Rail has added 4 more designs and named after United States Presidents.

The Washington balcony design has criss-cross patterns on the top and at the bottom corners of the rail for a geometric detail. The Lincoln’s design is more modern and reflects minimalism perfect for simple but more urban like homes. The Jefferson is more like the Washington with the criss-cross pattern replaced with circles but still reflects the same elegance. The Cleveland is simpler with wavy rails strategically placed after two straight ones creating an optical illusion that the whole balcony is made of gelatin.