The dreaded parquet flooring and pastel linoleum countertops. The closets that don’t fit a hanger. Walls that you can’t bang nails into… These and more are the woes of renting a home. Never fear, there are ways to make your rental unit a beautiful space that reflects your unique personality. Take our word for it, there’s no reason you can’t have the swoon-worthy living room that you have always dreamed of, even if you’re a renter! So, ready to call your rental home?
5 Rental Home Decorating Tips
1. Choose The Perfect Rug
Rugs not only bring color and texture to your space, they also offer a completed and homey look, which is a truly valuable thing in a rental unit. Choose a rug that reflects your personality as it will be a piece that most people notice. Something course or shaggy to add texture, a bold pattern to draw the eye and even a rug with lots of color – these are all great options to showcase the individuality of a space that’s uniquely yours.
2. Think Fresh
We love rentals for their convenience. However, we do not love rentals for their abundance of peace, calm and character. They lack all three! Consider the following plant-based decorating ideas to bring your rental space to life:
- Pot plants of various sizes in planters with varying heights to create an engaging visual landscape
- Decorate with orchids, succulents, and epiphytic bromeliads – these lovely house mates take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, making them perfect companions to keep the calming oxygen flowing.
- Make friends with bamboo, who won’t mind if you leave early and work late – just keep them in water and you’ll benefit from years of soothing green bamboo tones.
- Hang a spider plant in an unused vertical space, which is an ideal design tip if you choose to follow our advice of minimizing flat surfaces.
Curious what houseplant best fits your personality? Take our houseplant personality quiz to find out!
3. Plentiful Pillows, Please
Photo: Lauren L.’s Elegant & Enchanting Living Room
Pillows – where would we be without them? From bringing a sense of balance to creating cozy spots for relaxing, decorating with pillows is one rental decorating mainstay we couldn’t live without. Before we start styling a scene with pillows, we love to get lost in inspiration. So for your pillow-browsing-pleasure, we’ve put together a gallery of gorgeous throw pillow scenes, enjoy!
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4. Upgrade Your Lighting!
Remember our mantra: whether you rent or own, you deserve to love your home! So when that glaring fluorescent lighting or other annoyingly-permanent light fixture has got you down, upgrade your space with a stylish collection of table and floor lamps.
5. Revamp Hardware & Coverings
From your cabinet pulls in the bathroom and kitchen to your bedroom and living room window coverings, this is your opportunity to leave a noticeable yet impermanent mark on your rental home. Because while you can’t pull up that parquet flooring, you can certainly spruce up those outdated cabinets!