Decorating a rental home is a big challenge, especially with all the limitations it comes with.
However, if you see the limitations as a challenge to be inventive, no one can stop you from creating a beautiful and unique home, even if it is on rent! You can put your stamp on the living space without spending much money and without making any permanent changes.
So, how can you decorate a rental home to ensure you leave everything intact while leaving the home? Here are some easy and affordable décor ideas for your rental home:
Tip – Check with your landlord about the changes he is ok with and go through your lease to find out about things you will be charged for at the end of the lease.
Invest in good furniture pieces
Given that you might need to change house in a few years, it is wise to spend money on things that you can take away with you. Interior designers recommend buying a few stand-out pieces of furniture and curtains and art-work to go well with them. This way you can create a theme that can be carried with you to your next home.
Ugly flooring? Hide it with smart tricks
House owners often refrain from spending money on flooring, leaving ugly flooring as one of the common issues with rental properties. While you cannot get the floor refurbished, you can still make it look good by investing in area rugs. Having a wall-to-wall carpet doesn’t make sense in rental properties.
You should rather invest in a large, neutral rug to add colour and excitement to the space while covering as much area as possible.
Use removable wallpapers
If your rental contract stops you from putting any artwork or paintings on the wall, you can still decorate your wall with removable wallpapers. It is a wonderful way to give life to those plain white walls of a rental property.
Since the wallpapers are removable, it won’t be an issue to get rid of them when moving houses. If carefully removed, you can also use them again in your new home.
Bring your own lighting
While you cannot make too many changes in a rented apartment, you can change the lighting. Designer chandeliers and funky bedside lamps look great in any apartment.
Buy those bright coloured metallic lamps and hang then everywhere in the house and witness the instant transformation. Smart overhead light is a beautiful and affordable way to lift the ambience of any room instantly.
Add colour with funky blinds
Drapes and curtains can instantly transform the look of any room. So, ditch the boring curtains and go for colourful and cheery curtains to uplift the mood.
Tip – Buy long curtains and, if required, fold it as per the height of the current home. This is to ensure your curtains are still usable if your next home has high ceilings.
Do not overlook the obvious
While trying to make everything look unique and beautiful, many times we tend to forget the obvious. For example, investing in finishing touches like bed linen and cushions can make a huge difference.
With plenty of opportunities to mix and match, linens can instantly add splashes of colour and update your bedroom space. Similarly, cushions can help in adding drama and bold colour to the living space.
These decorating tips for rental homes are for anyone who likes to give his/her home a personal touch without spending too much.
Remember, if you are smart and creative, you need not compromise on style just because you do not own the home you are living in right now.
My husband and I want to buy a rental of some sort, so I wanted tips on decorating! I didn’t think to get stand-out furniture and accessories, so you can carry a theme you like whenever you move. I’ll have to keep that in mind as we browse for properties rentals we like, thanks to this post.
I like how you mentioned that you can bring in your own lighting. My husband and I are planning on renting our first home. We’ll make sure to keep these tips in mind when we find a home to rent!
This post is amazing.Thank you for sharing with us.
I love that you mentioned removable wallpapers so that your rooms have life and are easy to remove.
I appreciate how you suggest using removable wallpaper to decorate a rental home. My sister and her husband are planning to move closer to their jobs but they are not ready to buy a home. It would be nice for them to rent a house that is ready to move in.
It stood out to me when you explained that linens can instantly bring life and color to a bedroom space. My sister is looking for corporate housing to rent for an extended stay since she’ll be temporarily relocating to a new branch of her office later his year. I’ll pass along this info since I”m not sure she has any experienced decorating rental spaces!
Great article