7 Decorating Tips for Rental Spaces

Posted by Līva Miķelsone on January 15, 2018

We've all been there - renting a room, apartment or a house and not liking it the way it is. Trying to upgrade a space with your hands tied is quite hard. Our dreams are usually big - there’s a wall we would like to knock down, old wall covering we’d love to paint over and somehow there are always those kitchen cabinets we’d love to replace. But since the likelihood of your landlord supporting your dreams is quite little, we thought of some smaller interior changes that require less effort but oh, what a difference they make. Here are 7 of our favorite decorating tips that will make you want to upgrade instantly!

Decorative Ladders in a bathroom

1. Decorative Ladders

This is probably one of our favorites, as it can be used as a decor in any room or setting. The ladder itself can be wooden or metallic, used as a clothing rack or as in this bathroom – stylish and handy towel hanger! Add some plants for a fresh overall look!

2. Books as Side Tables

Perfect library bookshelves are hard to find in rental spaces. Don’t let your books pile up with dust, arrange them in piles next to the bed instead and use them as a nightstand or a side table next to your living room sofa!

3. Wire Wall Grid

These grids are perfect if you are not allowed to hang anything on your walls. Clip your favorite pictures, posters or postcards, important notes or add some lights for a more cosy look! You can also try some new DIY tricks and match the color of the grid to the overall interior look!

Wire grid in a working space

4. Light Fixtures

You don’t have to change your light fixtures to make the room seem more appealing. If you’re feeling inspired, you might try upgrading the existing ones (with the approval of your landlord of course). If not possible, we found this clamp-lamp (perfect with this rung ladder) a great temporary solution!

5. Plants

Plants not only save the planet, they can transform a dull room into an oasis! There are so many to choose from, pick your favorite and watch the space around you come alive!

6. Rugs

Not all rentals have gorgeous wooden floors unfortunately. Sometimes you just have to cover them up and rugs are just the perfect solution! Layer them and don’t be afraid to play with color-contrasting and mix-matching of patterns.

Layered rugs on wooden floors

7. Framed Art as Wall Decor

There is no better way of personalising your space than covering the walls with your favorite pieces of art. Frames don’t have to align, they can even be in different sizes and here’s the best part – if you can’t have real plants add some greens to your wall in any shape or size and never worry about forgetting to water them again!

Framed art and plants as a decor

See, dreams can come true with some simple tricks and a little bit of imagination. Here’s one extra trick your landlord might(!) actually approve – you can say goodbye to old wall covering by adding some removable wallpaper to you rental. Times are changing and not only self-adhesive, even traditional wallpapers can be removed easily, with the new non-woven materials. Before you do so though, be sure to check if high quality paint has been used and the wallpaper won't damage the walls when removed! Below you can find a couple of great ideas on how to use removable wallpaper as home decor:

-Removable wallpaper for a cabinet upgrade;

-Stylish closet makeover with Removable wallpaper.

Happy decorating!

Image sources:

1. ispydiy.com 2. apartment34.com 3. ruemag.com 4. apartment34.com 5. homedecored.com

6. wearetriibe.com 7. dailydreamdecor.com