Rental properties can often feel like dingy, dark, and sometimes sterile places with no character due to the plain décor. They can often be quite small and compact too, with not a lot of available space to feel like a home. Rentals can sometimes feel like small industrial smoke shelters in the UK or compact dingy sheds that can be difficult to revamp and breathe life into!
However, it is possible to make a rental property feel like a cozy, full-of-life home, without adjusting structures or making any huge changes that landowners won’t be happy with. To transform your rental property, try these décor ideas to make it feel like home and brighten the house up, allowing you to feel at ease and comfortable while creating your own personalized space.
Add a splash of color with removable wall décor
A super simple way to make your rental property feel like home is by adding a splash of color or funky pattern to your walls. Due to restrictions and rules with rentals, it may not be possible to paint the walls with color or decorate them to your liking. Using removable wall décor allows you to add color, pattern, personality, and style to the home, instantly creating a homely feel. There are plenty of alternatives that you can use to brighten any room which are:
- Peel and stick wallpaper: This is available in plenty of styles that suit your taste and can easily transform a room. It’s renter-friendly as you can peel it off easily and allows you to add color, pattern, and texture to your home.
- Decorative wall decals: Wall decals can be a fun and vibrant touch to your rental property, allowing you to add your personality through vibrant, artsy peel-off stickers.
- 3D wall panels: These are made of materials like glass-reinforced plastic and come in various thicknesses. You can easily create a unique and stylish feature wall that can be later removed.
- Fabric wall hangings: You can hang large colorful fabric tapestries or blankets to cover an entire wall, creating a feature wall or smaller focal point. Using fabric in this way is a cheaper alternative that can easily be swapped and brought down.
Invest in freestanding furniture
You can furnish your rental property without the need for drilling into structures, which many landlords dislike. Choosing freestanding furniture rather than built-in is the ideal choice for renters as you don’t need to touch the house. Plus, freestanding furniture can add a pop of color and luxury style to the home, making you feel comfortable and homely! Once you move, you can simply take the furniture with you too, meaning you can get your money’s worth for years to come.
Breathe life into the home through creative lighting
If your rental property is on the compact side, there is so much you can do to make the space feel bigger and homely. An easy solution to this issue is by using creative lighting to trick the eye. You can choose unique styles of lighting to make your home look brighter and feel more spacious, breathing life into the house.
Make quirks work
Many rentals, especially older buildings, have quirky spaces and features that look amazing but often can be annoying. They can be in the way, look dated, or leave awkward measurements to do anything with them. These can be an old radiator that sticks out, weird-shaped rooms, or archways and slanted walls. To transform your rental into a home, you can highlight these quirks and make them work for you. You could create a reading nook near slanted walls, add quirky shelving on top of radiators, or add sparkling lights wrapped around colorful greenery to outline the archway.
Add a touch of nature with plants
Bringing in greenery and color through plants is a quick way to brighten up your rental property. Plus, having actual living things in your home breathes life into it, making your rental feel homely. Plants can bring a burst of energy to the home and can add character and personality as you can choose the plants and flowers you love. From small plants to large tree-like plants, you can personalize every room to your liking.
Create cozy homely areas
To give you the ultimate homely feel, you can create cozy areas throughout your house. Divide spaces up to create cozy homely areas that reflect your interests, allow you to socialize with others, or create a relaxation haven to escape to. Creating these cozy areas and nooks can make a huge difference to your rental. Be sure to use furniture and décor that can easily be taken away when you move.
A cozy idea could be a reading nook. Use freestanding shelves to display your book collection and choose a comfortable reading chair, or oversized beanbag, to curl up onto and get lost in your favorite books. Have soft lighting and maybe even some candles or diffusers to create a cozy and homely environment.
You could also create a dining area to socialize with family and friends. If your kitchen is too small in your rental, consider taking some space in the hallways or the living area to put a large dining table into. Choose a table and chairs that suit your style and encourage family time over a delicious meal.
Try some of these ideas to make your rental property feel like home, instantly transforming any room to make you feel at ease and comfortable. Choose furniture and décor that can be easily taken down and swapped and ensure to not change anything huge or make amendments to the buildings structure.
