Decorating a rental can have some serious limitations. Often you can’t paint, replace carpet or lighting, or even put holes in the walls. I used to struggle with this because, though I spent several months a year in my own home (with MULTIPLE holes in every wall for hanging things), I spent a majority of the year abroad for my husband’s career.
We lived in rental apartments and couldn’t modify anything, nor did we really want to because —what’s the point of pouring our hard-earned dollars into another person’s pad?! This was especially painful for me as a designer and self-described more-is-more type of decorator!
Over the years of this nomadic-designer life, I have found there are three things that always make me feel more at home in our rental property.
How To Decorate A Rental: The 3 Ps:
Step 1. Soften Up Your Rental With Pillows
Whether your apartment comes furnished or unfurnished, adding pillows is a great way to add color, pattern and personality into the space. There are endless options to choose from, and you can easily pack them up and move them to your next place.
If you are you a chronic change-around-er of things, pillows are great! Swap one to the bedroom and mix in a new pattern or color to give your rented living room a mini face-lift!
Right now I’m loving on dark tones like Navy + Gold + Black, and of course always a little animal print.
Step 2. Add Life To Your Rental With Plants
Plants can make a huge impact on a space. Not only do they bring in color, life and texture, but they also have a positive emotional effect on us. There are lots of different ways to incorporate greenery into your rental, through traditional potted floor plants, or terrariums of desert plants (for those of us with the black thumb).
Using a grouping of small plants is a great and cost-effective way to fill up an alcove or built-in shelf in your rental! Don’t be afraid to GO FAUX! A designer-favorite is the Fiddle Leaf Fig. It’s a great option to fill up an empty corner. But they are SUPER-hard to keep alive. One of my favorites is this one from CB2. Don’t need something quite that big? There are tons of great options available now that look and feel like the REAL thing! Check them out here.
Step 3. Make Your Rental Pop With Pictures
Art should always be personal. Use it as a way to show off your style, your travels or your favorite colors. I love mixing and matching different media (think photography with abstract with fiber art) to create a space that feels ‘collected’ over time. Mix in pictures of family and friends, or art collected from your travels with some less expensive pieces from some of my favorite retailers. I am personally loving this abstract print from Minted paired with this modern photography.
Shop More Ways To Decorate Your Rental
-Allison H.
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I noticed you suggested a couple of products from Wayfair in this post/story; I would encourage you to reconsider doing so in the future, as the company is profiting off selling beds to detention centers along the U.S.-Mexico border and has decided to continue doing so. From what I can tell, The Mom Edit’s stance seems to be of disgust toward family separations (rightfully so), so consider that the responsible promotion of companies plays a role in backing up this verbal stance.