How to Decorate a Flat You’re Just Renting

When you’re just renting, you think you’re quite limited in what you can do to your flat in terms of decorating. At least that’s what I think, anyway. Bryn Huntpalmer of Modernize.com is here to give us some tips on this while I’m off on vacation. 

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So you can’t paint that accent wall or install built-in shelves. No big deal! There are plenty of other ways to get what you want out of a rental space. Add easy dashes of your personal style to make it feel all yours without enraging the landlord.

Put up Temporary Wallpaper

Temporary wallpaper is the “why didn’t we think of this sooner” solution to one of your biggest rental problems. Rather than settling for wall decals or trying to fill a blank space with a hundred pictures, you can opt for self-adhesive, easily removable yet durable wallpaper. And the best part is that if you get bored of the look in a few months, you can refresh the entire room just by changing one feature.

Cover Your Flaws

Rental properties are convenient, but they come with their fair share of flaws. Bad carpet is enough to kill the mood, but bad carpet with permanent stains is even worse. Wall holes from past tenants can still be noticeable even if they’ve been caulked and painted over.

But there’s always some kind of solution for hiding unsightly flaws. Use large area rugs to cover stains or just the carpet in general if you don’t like it! Don’t be afraid to get creative if a feature is truly problematic for you. Hang a mural on a beat-up wall, or cover it with curtains and use the the space behind them for extra storage. You can also cut and customize curtains or used design tape to hide exposed pipes.

Give Your Furniture a Makeover

Your walls may not be fully customizable, but that doesn’t mean that all your color needs to come from hanging artwork and decorative pillows. If you can’t paint the walls your favorite color, paint your nightstand or even your bed frame. This will bring such a pop into the room you that you will completely forget the walls are the plainest shade of beige.

Bring Your Own Storage

Built-in shelves are great for both storage and decoration. But if you can’t really afford to put that many holes in the wall, mimic the look by creating an illusion. You can stack multiple identical shelves to get the look of a tall built-in. You can also position two tall shelves so that they’re flanking a feature like a bed, desk, or doorway.

Customize Where You Can

The key to personalizing a rental space is to go after the little things. If the cabinet handles are the gaudiest, most outdated things you’ve ever laid eyes on, buy new ones at few bucks a pop. The key is to keep the old ones and change them out again when you leave.

The same goes for items like door handles and switch plates. If you’re up for an even bigger but still sneaky exchange, replace an unsightly light fixture with something that’s more your style.

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I think Bryn’s tips are very creative, don’t you? For more design ideas and inspiration, head to Modernize.com.