Easy Tips To Decorate Your Rental Without Breaking The Rules

Sometimes, renting a home is preferable to owning one. Renters aren’t responsible for upkeep or repairs, and there isn’t the stress of maintaining value, loan interest rates, or appliance purchases. Often, renting a home means that you can enjoy all the perks of a house with far fewer responsibilities.

The downside of renting is that you have no control over how your home looks, however.

Most landlords don’t want you to paint the walls, drill holes, and take on projects that change the appearance of the home. As a renter, you’re stuck with the existing aesthetic.

Luckily, there are many ways around that problem. There are options for spicing up a rental home without causing issues with your landlord. Check out a full list of decor ideas for renters below.

1. Make the space yours with unique furniture.

The easiest way to customise the space when decorating a rental is by choosing furniture that matches your personality. Furniture is an essential element to any home, so you might as well use it to your design advantage. For example, instead of lamenting that you can’t paint a rouge accent wall, select a bright red couch for a colour pop in the living room.

Furniture creates opportunities for placing vignettes or clusters of cute personalised items. Take advantage of spaces on top of dressers or shelves to display collections that make you happy. This decoration technique may require a little extra dusting, but it’s worth it to influence the vibe of your rented home.

2. Add colour and texture to a room by replacing the curtains.

Curtains and blinds are some of the most overlooked elements for upgrading rental spaces. These options require no new hardware or holes and drastically improve the apartment.

It’s often affordable and easy to replace the plastic vertical blinds with Venetians or cordless models, for example. Pop them into the existing holders or slip new curtains onto an existing rod for a fast and effective décor switch.

TIP: Save the old blinds or curtains to restore the originals when you move out.

3. Use removable hooks to hang art on the walls.

Some landlords are okay with holes in the walls for picture hooks, as long as you fill them before you leave. This relaxed attitude is not one to count on when planning your rental home decorations, however.

Instead, use removable hooks or adhesive strips to hang your art on the walls. Different models have unique weight capacities, so make sure your picture hanger can handle the load.

4. Cover ugly floors with area and throw rugs.

If the flooring isn’t conducive to a comfortable atmosphere, cover it up. It is less work than a full flooring upgrade, and more affordable—a win-win situation all around.

For a full room makeover, cover the entire floor with a large area rug, for example. For more texture, layer smaller throw rugs on top.

5. Breathe life into your space with plants.

Plants are scientifically proven to cleanse the air in a home. It automatically makes a room feel fresher, thanks to the purifying superpowers. Innovations also make it easier than ever to keep plants alive and looking amazing without too much effort.

When selecting house plants, find options that work with lower light. Then, check to see how much water they need. You can purchase a bulb or plate that you only have to fill with water when it’s empty, for example, instead of having to remember to water the plant at the appropriate time.

It is a simple way to incorporate living decorations into your space.

6. Replace outdated light fixtures with something more your style.

Light fixtures are surprisingly easy to alter and replace, too. For chandeliers or other lights with shades, consider replacing the bulb covers with something more appealing. Many overhead lights have the same size base, so all you have to do is unscrew and disconnect the old lamp and put up a replacement.

As with the curtains and blinds, don’t forget to keep everything you change or remove. Most property owners require that the house returns to the exact condition it was in before you lived there.

7. Use peel and stick tiles to spice up the kitchen or bathroom.

Design technology has advanced with renters in mind over recent years. Now, you can hide ugly backsplashes and refresh unsightly bathrooms with ease. Peel and stick tiles meet all three essential criteria: they look amazing, they stick, and they come off cleanly when you’re ready to move on.

If you’re going to try this option, test a piece in a low corner of your wall to be certain they don’t leave marks or impossible-to-clean residue. Once you’re confident they won’t make your life harder, in the long run, apply away.

8. Whatever you choose, be confident it won’t leave any damages.

The most important part of the rental decorating is that the additions come off without leaving a trace. Moving is stressful as it is, and you don’t want extra repair work when you’re moving on to your next home.

If you’re using something that sticks on, like wall hooks or stickers, test it first. Apply it to a hidden spot that’s out of the way, just in case it leaves an unsightly mark. Then, remove it and see what happens.

A little caution goes a long way to being able to enjoy your decorated home without concerns about your security deposit.