Just because you do not own your house does not mean that you have to settle for what you found when you moved in. You can dress it up, cover the not-so-attractive parts, and add you own personal touch. Decorating a rental can often seem like a task full of decisions, making you have to choose between the financial investment and aesthetic value you get.
How much money and time should you invest in your temporary home? What areas should receive your undivided attention? Read on for eight easy, temporary tips and tricks that will make any space your own.
- Painting Everything from Rooms to Doors
Painting is easy, fast and inexpensive to personalize your rental. However, you should ask your landlord where he or she stands with painting before you even move in. One way to stay safe is by having the specific rules submitted to you in writing. Make sure that if you are granted permission to paint, it is included in your lease.
If the landlord is not comfortable with the idea of painting the house, you can try again by giving him or her a few paint color choices you have in mind. This way you let the landlord know what you intend to do to improve your living space.
- Decorate
With painting out of the way, the next definite thing you can do is decorate. Although you might not use the house for a long time, decorating in small, temporary ways will make it a living space with character. Ignoring those things you do not like about your home or not putting your own signature mark is one thing that will make you feel miserable every time you step in through the door. You have no excuses; even your home deserves some of your love.
- Where Possible, Upgrade Lighting
Lighting is probably one of the worst features when it comes to rentals. Luckily, you can easily swap out a shade or two, and it will make a huge difference in any room of the house. If due to technical issues or your budget you cannot upgrade current fixtures, try not to use the overhead lights as much as possible. Instead, focus on investing in a collection of stylish table and floor lamps.
- Improve on Current Window Coverings
Another area that rental homes seem to lack is the window covering. Dull window treatments and dirty old curtains scream temporary home. Solve this by installing fresh curtains that match the walls or your furniture.
- Choose Neutral Furniture
Neutrals should be for soft furniture, including carpets, bedding, sofa covers and chairs. You can use the same slipcovers in your living room for years no matter your house design. The next inexpensive thing to change in a room, after painting, is the color of your pillows and throws; simply use slipcovers. White slipcovers work especially well if you are living in a house with bright walls that you cannot paint over and they will still look natural on your sofas, according to In My Own Style. Whatever the color of the year, white furniture works great.
- Consider Installing Temporary Measures
If you would like the time, work and expense involving painting, consider having other wall decoration forms. These include temporary stick-on wallpaper to decals, according to the Apartment Guide Blog. The options available to you are virtually limitless. The smallest of accents to your wall can make a huge difference compared to the bespoke nature look and feel of your home as you inject some of your personality.
- Display Art
Whether you can hang art largely depends on the lease agreement you signed with your landlord. Most do allow it as long as you do not actually paint artwork on the walls. However, even with the strictest of leases, it is no excuse to have bare walls. Adding art to a house makes it a home, and there are many ways you can add it to yours. Add anything from original works that lean on furniture to affordable art that you can hang in the style of an art gallery.
- Purchase Versatile Pieces
Renting a home can be done over a long period of time, and most often you do not know where you might be living next. Invest in versatile furniture, instead of items that perfectly fit your current rental which may be a handful to handle down the line. Go for modular sofas that can be right or left handed, as well as coffee or side tables that can double up as storage areas and folding chairs.
Conclusion
Other things that you can do to your property include sprucing up the outdoor area to enhance the feeling of extra space, adding your own personal history through blown up family portraits and applying peel-and-stick granite over the old counter tops. While shopping for a townhouse on DDProperty, remember to check the images that come with individual listings to have a better idea of what might require changing.
