If you’re renting your home or apartment, you may feel restricted in what you can do to decorate it. Strict leases may bar you from painting walls, changing fixtures, or removing wallpaper that’s not your style.
However, you shouldn’t feel doomed to live in an impersonal space. There are plenty of easy ways to personalize your rented home or apartment without stirring up trouble with your landlord! Try these decorating ideas on for size.
Hang Bold Curtains
If your lease forbids you from painting your walls or putting up wallpaper, add some color and pizzazz to those walls with stylish curtains! Ask your landlord’s permission before removing any existing vertical blinds or curtains, and stash them in a safe place so that you can replace them on move-out day.
Strategically Place Mirrors
Placing large mirrors on walls is a classic interior design trick to make any room look bigger. Scour antique malls, estate sales, and thrift stores for large mirrors. Then, hang them in your living room, front hallway, or any space that feels crowded or claustrophobic.
Create a Small Museum
Turn a bland wall in your living room into a gallery wall of your favorite art or a tiny museum of your treasured tchotchkes and souvenirs. Using a bookcase or a floating shelf to display keepsakes from your travels is a great way to add your own personality to a bland rental home.
Paint Your Furniture
Can’t paint your walls? You can still add a dash of your favorite colors to your living space by applying a fresh coat of paint to one or two pieces of furniture. Side tables, dressers, and other wooden pieces are prime candidates for the “pop of color” treatment.
Use Shelf Space
When decorating a rental, be strategic about the number of holes you drill in your wall, as you’ll have to spackle over them on move-out day. Consider displaying some of your framed art on bookshelves or bookcases instead of hanging it. Artfully arrange your books and houseplants to add customizable visual interest to your walls.
Are you living in a rental home or apartment and looking for ways to make it your own? Use these easy tips to personalize your living space while you’re there. You’ll feel right at home and avoid making waves with your landlord by minimizing the number of permanent changes you make.
