Decorating Your Rented House
Are you currently rentinga house, but want to make it more homely and give it your personal touch?
Small decorative touches can make a big difference, adding colour, personality and warmth to a room.
Although sometimes you can be restricted when renting, there are plenty of ways that you can make your house a home, here are some of our top tips.
Before making any changes contact your Landlord about what it is you want to change, there may be things that you need permission for.
Flooring
If you don’t like the colour of your carpet, a lively printed rug is the perfect accessory to brighten up your space. Measure the space you want to cover and if the area is very large you might consider multiple rugs in the same style, this will give a tasteful mismatched feel to your home. Or if you just fancy brightening a beige or plain carpet, a patterned or brightly coloured rug will do the trick. The best part is, when you leave, roll it up and take it with you and there will be no damages or spillages on the carpet!
Furniture
If you’re in a furnished rental property finding the space to add personal touches through furniture can be tricky, so try adding features such as plants and other vases to give it that homely feel. However, if you’re in an unfurnished property, there is plenty of room to make it your own. Chairs, bookcases, chest of drawers can make a huge difference to living space. Don’t just stick to the Ikea basics; second hand shops can have some great furniture to add a quirky unique feel.
Functional Storage Space
A common problem in homes is a lack of storage space. Contact your landlord about adding additional shelving or storage. If the answer is no, considered free standing storage such as cabinets, these can make impressive features adding to the style of the room whilst providing efficient storage space. If your rental property follows a very neutral colour palette, adding colour through furnishing will help make it feel more like home.
Statement Lighting
You'd be surprised how much a simple light fitting can transform your space from drab to fab. Take down that dusty off light shade and find something large and perforated to take its place. Better still find something with a metallic inside this will give the maximum warmth to the room and the pattern on the light shade will give your walls an easy decoration similar to the effect of a chandelier. If your property has built in spotlights, add lamps or desk lighting as a decorative and useful feature.
Dress It Up
Whether it is cushions, throws or table runners, dressing up your property with finishing touches can completely change the look of a room. Stick to a solid colour scheme to brighten your property and even consider changing it to mix it up throughout the year! Dressing doesn’t have to stop at cushions, if you’re landlords has provided curtains or curtain rails, why not add your own curtains to fit your colour scheme, this will immediately give the room a cosier feel than a plain white or beige that can often be found in rented properties.Final TipBefore making any alterations that could have a permanent impact on the property contact your landlord, adding the simplest picture to a wall creates holes which you could be charged for upon leaving the property. Talking to your landlord you may find they are more open to decoration that you first thought!
