Keys to Decorating a Rental: Creative Ways to Feel At Home
Put your stamp on a temporary space.
Decorating a rental might seem counterproductive, especially when you have a six-month lease or less, but it can help you feel more content, at-ease, and most importantly, at home. Read below for some helpful tips before you get started, or skip ahead to get inspired on all the ways to transform a rental space into a place you can call home – for now, anyway.
Before You Start Decorating
- Check With Your Landlord: See what you're allowed to do with the space before you put your ideas into motion. This way you know for sure whether you can change up the wall color, install a light fixture, or hang up your collection of modern art.
- Use the Space to Your Advantage: Use a rental's layout and architectural features to guide your decor decisions. Think: marble counters paired with marble light fixtures, wood beams paired with rustic cowhide rugs, or a gallery wall made of mirrors to reflect natural light from a singular window throughout the space.
- Think Long-Term, Even in Short-Term Spaces: When choosing rental apartment decor or furnishings, consider which items you can use to elevate your current rental and also take with you to new rental spaces. With this idea in mind, you can pick and choose quality items that will help define your aesthetic no matter where you go.
Rental Apartment Decorating Ideas
The right decor will make you forget you're renting, and make you feel right at home. Refresh lived-in spaces and make them your own with these rental decor ideas.
1. Reimagine Rental Floors
Conquer linoleum floors, well-loved carpets, and wood floors when decorating a rental apartment by adding comfortable rugs. Lay out a large area rug in the living room for a personalized look and softer feel. Ground your dining area with a rustic cowhide rug to warm up cool tiling. Roll out a runner rug in a fun Persian-inspired pattern to dress up kitchen inlets or bare hallways. Then when it's time to move, simply roll them up and take them with you to your next place.
Make your rental apartment feel like home with removable wallpaper solutions that make for easy application and removal when your lease is up. Brighten up neutral walls without paint by wallpapering an entire room or adding an accent wall as a focal point. Create a striking backdrop to a makeshift bar station with rich blue wallpaper and geometric outlines. Or evoke subtle contrast with sunburst formations in golden metallics set against a white base. Opt for peel-and-stick wallpaper for the easiest results. Just remove the protective backing and you're ready to go.
Pro Tip:
Check out Modern Wallpaper Designs for more inspiration.
3. Bring in Rent-Friendly Light Fixtures
Choose the right types of lighting to ensure a homey atmosphere that also adheres to rental guidelines. Can't install pendant lights? No problem. Echo an overhead light with a modern pendant-style floor lamp like the one pictured above. Select fabric shades or globe pendants that filter brightness to curate an inviting atmosphere with warm, ambient light.
Place table lamps on an accent cabinet behind your sofa, a side table, or your nightstand to brighten up dark corners. Not getting enough illumination from the overhead lights in your kitchen? Plug in a small table lamp on the counter. Floor and table lamps are smart rental decor ideas because they come in so many fun configurations and brighten up a poorly-lit rental with just a quick plug in.
Wondering how to decorate a rental with white walls? Wall art is a great solution. Avoid nail holes and losing your security deposit when decorating a rental by leaning art prints against the wall. Position an accent cabinet against the wall to create height for your display, or set an oversized abstract on the ground to make a statement by itself. Curate a gallery wall with abstract prints for pops of color or stick to relaxed minimalism with slim outlines for a subtle color scheme.
Pro Tip:
Want to make your rental apartment feel even more like your own? Intersperse photos of your go-to travel spots and fun memories with your wall art for a cool twist.
Swap out cabinet knobs, pulls, and faucets (with your landlord's permission) to personalize your bathroom vanities and kitchen space. Opt for a sleek modern black faucet to contrast white surfaces, or install geometric knobs with a golden bronze finish to add an element of refinement to your kitchen cabinets. Simply store the original hardware and reinstall it when it's time to move, so you can take your hardware with you for the next apartment. This subtle rental apartment decor gives you a sense of ownership without much effort.
Focus on the bed when decorating a rental to help you show off your style with no extra steps required. Add an upholstered headboard in a wrap-around configuration and abstract design to frame your bed and add character to the room. Or go for a bohemian look with a woven design made with natural rattan. The right headboard does the work of decorating all by itself, so you only need a terrazzo table lamp, a contemporary poster, or a smooth glass vase to complete the look.
Breathe fresh new life into a rental apartment with houseplants. Place a small peperomia in an abstract vase on a bedroom dresser. Set larger houseplants on the floor or a small side table for visual height. Allow trailing plants like a pothos to spill over floating shelves, windowsills, tops of kitchen cabinets, or off of wall hooks. Pot plants in contemporary planters with cool patterns and bold colors to add vibrancy to rental spaces.
Pro Tip:
Opt for faux houseplants if you want the look of greenery without the responsibilities that come with plant care.
Embrace rental apartment decor that makes you feel relaxed and at home, like quality bedding. Pair crisp white sheets with a thick, large comforter in a warm color like the one pictured above. Drape a woven throw over the bed and add an accent pillow in a contemporary pattern to further define your sleeping space.
Spruce up the basic sofa that came with your furnished rental apartment by investing in quality throw pillows and blankets. Cover the sofa with a few throw pillows with geometric outlines and art deco-inspired patterns for a modern refresh. Toss a throw blanket on an accent chair or store several in a decorative basket to create comforting texture and convey relaxation. These rental apartment decorating ideas help you feel at home and encourage you to settle in.
Introduce decorative storage methods that enrich your apartment's aesthetic and tuck away clutter at the same time. Keep woven baskets under your entryway table to store packages, shoes, umbrellas, or any other miscellaneous items. Choose natural materials like wicker, rattan, or jute for warm texture that pops against white walls and looks both Scandi and bohemian. Remove the need for wall-mounted hooks with a free-standing coat rack with a retro design and carved wood details for a statement piece of its own. Store your go-to tea blend on the kitchen counter in a white marble storage container. Storage and decor all in one? Yes please.
If you're lucky enough to get a rental apartment with a small balcony or patio, make the most of it. Give yourself the space to relax and enjoy outdoor meals with a foldable bistro table and chairs that you can easily pack up and move when the time comes. Grab a few planters to house refreshing greenery, herbs, flowers, or vegetable plants for an urban garden. Bring the comforts of indoors outside with an outdoor area rug to cover concrete tiling or a wood deck.
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