Decorating a rental property can be a little harder than decorating a property you own. Depending on the landlord, they may not permit you to start painting walls, wallpapering, and changing the floors. Even if you intend on staying in this property for years to come, it may not be worth your while to invest in decorating the space this way. Instead, you’re going to need to decorate a rental in a way you’re happy with, without annoying your landlord! Some landlords have even made tenants switch the whole place back when they moved out – true story.
These key tips will help you to get started!
Un-Furnished Property
Some people prefer to get a furnished property; after all, it can save you a little money on furnishing the property yourself. However, with a non furnished property, you will be able to slowly fill it with furniture you love, that’s also more to your tastes. You can then take this with you when you move. In a furnished property, you will be surrounded by somebody else’s furniture, and you won’t necessarily like it or be able to do anything about it. If you haven’t got much to spend you could even scour antique markets to find furniture that fits your budget better or just wait until you can afford a few nicer pieces.
Upcycle Your Furniture
For the furniture you own, don’t be afraid to upcycle it to give it more character and transform it into something you love. It’s always going to be worth spending time on making your furniture look incredible if you can’t do things in your rental such as change the carpets and paint the walls.
Say you have a plain cabinet; sanding it, priming it, and then painting it can give it a brand new look, as well as changing the hardware. You could even use a unique paper to decoupage it if you want something seriously unique.
Using Wallpaper – An Easy Alternative
Some landlords won’t mind if you wallpaper, but others will. Make sure you know how yours feels before you continue. If they are the type of landlord that would rather you didn’t, you could always wallpaper wooden boards and then prop them up behind your sofa or a table. This will give a similar look without making a commitment or getting you into trouble!
Wall decals are also a great way to change the appearance of a wall in a temporary way. You can easily apply them, and they’ll look painted on when you’re finished. They’re super easy to remove if you move out too.
Display Your Favorite Art And Photos
Your art and photos are keepsakes you can take with you wherever you go, so they are definitely worth investing in. Sam Burns creates amazing pictures that capture the light, but there’s a photographer/artist out there for everybody. If you know of a local artist, why not commission them to create something exactly to your tastes? You can display these in focal points in a room, such as over your bed or over your sofa. They should draw the eye! As you’ll be able to keep these forever, it’s much better to go for one large piece that costs a little more than going for lots of cheaper pieces that you fall out of love with.
Make sure you also print out your favorite photos of yourself and loved ones and display those. It’ll make you feel more at home!
Make It As Personal As Possible
One of the best things you can do with decorating a rental property is make it personal. How about displaying some of your favorite books on a coffee table, or having a dedicated reading area displaying all of your favorite works? Plants will also give a fresh, healthy feel to the home. There’s absolutely no reason to allow your rental to look boring and bland when there are so many things you can still control about it. Fairy lights, bunting, light fixtures, and other items are all easily added, can be taken with you when you leave, and give your home personality. Have fun with it and experiment with different methods!
Hopefully, these key tips to decorating your rental have inspired you and made you see that you will be able to make it feel like yours. If you’re low on inspiration, you can contact a professional interior decorator to give you ideas and it won’t cost a fortune for a consultation. Leave your thoughts and any tips of your own below!
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