Moving into your first rental home can be altogether daunting yet exciting.
But now that you’re starting to settle into into it, you can see that it’s not all glitter and gold. For starters, your rental home doesn’t exactly look like ‘you’.
With a rental, you’re bound by so many limitations that your landlord has put in place. How on earth do you make an impersonal rental home look and feel like it’s truly your own?
It might be challenging, but it’s not impossible.
In fact, the obstacles in your way may even serve as that spark of creativity that’ll push you to work your way around the rules. We’re here to help with some tips of our own.
1. Fix the lighting
More often than not, the lighting that comes with a rental home isn’t great. It’s usually either too dim or too bright, thanks to fluorescent bulbs.
Luckily, changing the lighting fixtures is one of the easiest things you can do to personalise a rental home.
By upgrading the ceiling lights, adding a few standing lamps with vibrant lampshades for character, or even investing in a light dimmer you’ll be able to make a huge difference in the overall ambience of your rental space.
2. Change the curtains
Does your rental come with dusty curtains in the ugliest colour possible, that are somehow even the wrong size?
This is your cue to take them off, store them away, and put up your own set of curtains or blinds that make the space your own.
Bamboo blinds are chic and easy to install or get a set of ready-made linen curtains from IKEA. If they’re not the right length, you can easily hem it with one of our favourite purchases from the Swedish furniture store. Should you want to make your curtains a statement piece, get some bold, patterned ones and you’ll have a fun area in your home.
3. Put up some art
We know what you’re thinking: putting up art equals drilling or hammering nails into the wall, and that’s a big rental no-no. Thankfully, things are a lot different now – you can easily purchase self-adhesive hooks to hang your wall art, so you don’t need to ruin the wall and your lease.
Invest in some art pieces that you have an affinity for, and these will travel with you as you move from place to place.
4. Cover ugly flooring
If there’s something that you absolutely won’t be able to change, it’s the flooring. Unfortunately, not all affordable rentals come with aesthetic flooring – it could be that the wood is worn, the tiles are not a great colour or wall-to-wall carpeting that’s not in a desirable shade.
Luckily, if you can’t change it, you can at least hide it with rugs. Get a big one that can cover a large area of the floor. That way, you have something that you like while covering something you dislike.
5. Decorate with textiles
One very easy and affordable way to bring your personality into a rental home is with interchangeable textile. We’re referring to your bedsheets, quilts, throw blankets, pillows, and more.
If your home is predominantly in neutrals, get printed throw pillows to add some colour and character to your living room. You can mix and match in the bedroom with a plain duvet and a bold quilt – these all play a part in making your rental house a home.
Want more inspiration for your rental home? Download our Timeless Living: How To Design A Classy IKEA-Inspired Home ebook for free here: