There are lots of advantages to living in a rental property. For instance, they require a lot less commitment. It takes most people a long time to feel ready for their own home and renting is one way to live affordably in the meantime. You might even own your own property already but have chosen to lease it to another family as a second income.
Whatever your situation, there is one major downside to renting as well. You don’t usually have much control over the décor. Sure, you can put up new curtains and fill the place with your own furniture, but a lot of landlords aren’t very accommodating when it comes to paint, wallpaper, and other structural improvements.
The good news is that are some clever ways to get around this and imprint your personality on a rented property.
Make Your Own Curtains
One great way to inject some character is with homemade curtains. Click here to browse a selection of upholstery fabrics before you start shopping. You can pick up your own choice of fabric at a retail store and then take it to a seamstress to be turned into something special. Or, you can do it yourself if you have a sewing machine and the right skills. The best part is that, because they’re not permanent, you can be as bold and quirky as you like.
Hang Your Favourite Artwork
Just because you’re renting, doesn’t mean you can’t hang stylish pictures and family photos wherever it suits. You might have to get a bit creative about how you do it, but it is worth the extra effort. For instance, there are picture ledges, picture hanging strips, and picture rails that are all designed to support décor without putting holes in the wall. Even something as simple as hanging a printed scarf can really liven up a room.
Update the Soft Bits
Whether you are allowed to make changes to the furniture will depend on whether your property came furnished or unfurnished. You don’t have to use anything that was provided as part of the deal, but you can’t get rid of anything that doesn’t belong to you. You may also not have a huge budget to buy new furniture. So, one way to change the look of unwanted sofas and armchairs is to cover them with attractive throws. Then, add splashes of colour in the form of bright scatter cushions.
Add Decal Designs
If you’re not allowed to paint (or the thought of having to reverse it all when you move puts you off), temporary decals are a good alternative. These are impermanent sticker designs that are simply applied to the wall with a light adhesive. They leave absolutely no marks and they can be peeled off when you’re done with them. They come in a huge variety of shapes and forms; everything from written quotations to expansive prints and the smallest of miniature symbols and motifs.
Invest in Area Rugs
Fortunately, there’s no need to put up with ugly carpets or worn scuffed up wooden floors. You can make them vanish in an instant by laying down gorgeous area rugs. These nifty soft furnishings are designed to be clustered together and laid on top of one another, so don’t be afraid to create overlapping layers in a small room. They’ll increase heat retention too, which will help you to save on your utility bills. As area rugs are pretty cheap to buy, you could stand to make a small profit on your investment in time.
Why You Don’t Have to be Restricted with a Rental
It can be a little frustrating not having the freedom to decorate in the way that you’d like, but the rules are there for a reason. It is not usually worth breaking them, even a little because you could put your deposit in jeopardy. So, the best option is to get creative and use your imagination to decorate in stylish, but impermanent ways.
