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We bought the macrame swing in January. We moved it for the third and final time in March. In between, we drilled two holes in the bedroom ceiling that we now have to fill before we leave this flat, and one hole in the balcony ceiling that we might also have to fill depending on what the landlord says. The living room corner was the right spot all along. It was also the last spot we tried.
We live in a 2BHK in Kakkanad, Kochi. The flat is on the 8th floor — good views, decent natural light, and a covered balcony facing west. We'd been wanting a macrame swing for about a year. When we finally ordered one from Shopps.in — the teal jhula at ₹8,700 — we were confident we knew where it was going. We were wrong twice before we were right.
This is the honest account of all three attempts, what went wrong, and what finally worked.
Attempt 1 — The Bedroom (Wrong)
Why it seemed right
Pinterest had conditioned us. Every macrame swing photo on home décor accounts is in a bedroom — white walls, linen sheets, golden hour light, a woman in a kaftan holding a book. We wanted that.
The bedroom ceiling in our flat is 9 feet exactly. We drilled the anchor, hung the swing in the corner between the window and the wardrobe wall, and stood back to look at it. It looked exactly like the Instagram photos for about twenty minutes — which is roughly how long we spent taking photos of it.
Then we tried to actually use it. The corner was too tight. To get into the swing, you had to navigate around the wardrobe door. To get out of it, you swung gently backward and immediately hit the wall behind you. The teal cotton kept brushing against the white paint and leaving faint marks. The fringe at the bottom of the swing would occasionally snag on the textured wall surface. My husband sat in it once, said "this is fine," and never sat in it again.
The fundamental problem: the bedroom corner had less than 3 feet of clearance on one side and about 4 feet on the other. You need at least 4–5 feet on all sides for a macrame swing to be usable rather than decorative. And a decorative swing you can't sit in is just a very expensive piece of wall art with a clock mechanism you didn't want.
What we learned from Attempt 1
Measure 4–5 feet from the intended hang point in all four horizontal directions before drilling. Walk through the act of getting in and getting out of the swing. If any side has less than 4 feet, the swing is not going in that spot.
Attempt 2 — The Covered Balcony (Wrong for Different Reasons)
Why it seemed right
We have a covered balcony with a solid concrete ceiling — structurally ideal. The balcony faces west with views over the backwaters. We'd be sitting in the swing watching the sunset. We were certain.
The second hole went into the balcony ceiling. The swing hung beautifully. The views were everything we'd imagined. For two weeks, we used the swing on the balcony every evening and it was genuinely the best decision we'd made in our flat.
Then Kochi's pre-monsoon humidity set in. Even with a covered balcony, the moisture in coastal air in March–April is relentless. The teal cotton started to smell faintly musty after a week of not drying out completely between uses. The fringe absorbed ambient moisture and took two days to fully dry on a humid day. The cotton rope itself was fine structurally, but the smell was enough that we stopped wanting to sit in it.
I WhatsApped Shopps.in at +91-99468-28484 and asked directly: is this normal? They confirmed: cotton macrame in coastal high-humidity environments needs to be taken indoors every few days or it will develop mild odour from moisture. For Kochi, Chennai, Mumbai sea-facing — bring it in every 3–4 days even if it's covered. This was information I should have asked before installing it on the balcony. Lesson learned.
What we learned from Attempt 2
In coastal cities — Kochi, Mumbai, Chennai, Vizag, Goa — a macrame swing on the balcony works best as a seasonal piece (October–February in Kerala). For year-round use without maintenance effort, an indoor spot is better. WhatsApp Shopps.in before you decide on placement if you're in a coastal city.
Attempt 3 — The Living Room Corner (Right)
Why it works
The living room's NE corner has 9.5 feet of ceiling, 6 feet of clearance behind, 5 feet to the left toward the TV wall, and open space to the right toward the kitchen. No humidity exposure. No furniture within reach. Controlled environment.
The third hole — in the living room ceiling, NE corner — was the last one we drilled. We measured every clearance distance before drilling this time. Six feet behind (to the glass balcony door), five feet to the left (TV unit), fully open to the right. Ceiling at 9.5 feet — just enough hang length for comfortable sitting with some swing arc.
It has been in this spot for two months now. We use it every day. It is climate-controlled, so no humidity problem. The teal cotton has stayed fresh and the fringe has stayed white. The living room wall behind it is dark green (we painted it specifically after we decided the swing was staying here), and the contrast between the teal macrame and the dark green wall is — honestly — one of the better design decisions we've made in this flat.
The swing is the first thing people notice when they walk into the flat. Two friends have ordered macrame swings after seeing it. One is in a flat in Thiruvananthapuram. I told her to measure the clearances first.
"The third hole was the right hole. The living room corner had been the obvious spot all along — I'd just romanticised the balcony and the bedroom more."
The Actual Product — What We Bought
Other Options I'd Consider Next Time
The Checklist I Should Have Used Before Attempt 1
Ceiling height 9 feet or more at the hang point
Measure at the exact spot, not the room average. Old Indian buildings have sloped or beamed ceilings that vary by location.
4–5 feet clear on all four sides of the hang point
Walk the act of getting in and out. Swing gently and see if anything is reachable. Walls, doors, and furniture are all common collision points.
Concrete or solid wood ceiling — not false ceiling
Tap the ceiling. Hollow = false ceiling, needs penetration to the slab above. Solid = safe to drill with expansion anchor bolts (M10 minimum).
No sustained direct rainfall or coastal salt-air exposure
Indoor or fully covered outdoor placements work year-round. Open balconies in coastal cities need seasonal management — bring the swing indoors during monsoon.
Away from direct afternoon sunlight
UV fades cotton rope and cushion fabric within a year or two. Indirect light, filtered light, or shade is fine. A west-facing balcony with direct afternoon sun is the risk scenario.
WhatsApp Shopps.in before placing the order if you have location doubts
+91-99468-28484 — I've tested their response time twice. Both times under 12 hours. They gave genuinely useful advice, not just "buy now" responses. Also toll-free: 1800-203-7307.
Shop macrame swings
Macrame Swings & Jhulas at Shopps.in
₹8,700–₹14,659 · Hand-knotted cotton · IGST-inclusive · Free all-India delivery · COD available
