Furnishing Rental Apartments: Creating a Home Away From Home

Recently updated on February 24th, 2024 at 12:55 pm

Renting a property is all that most people can hope for in today’s housing market, with prices higher than ever and growing. But, just because you don’t own a home doesn’t mean you can’t still make it your own. Furnishing rental apartments can be a bit of a sketchy area, as you may not know the extent to which you can change things around, especially if the place came with furnishings when you moved in. We’ve put together this rental decorating blog to give you the right idea about how much decorating a rental property can cost.

Bring in the Plants

Houseplants are a great way to decorate a rental property, bringing in a touch of your own personality and sensibilities while also adding some biophilic appeal. Part of the appeal of bringing in potted plants is that all they need is a place to sit, with some sunlight and access to water, with no need to make any structural changes to the property at all. If you maintain them well enough, you can easily take plants with you between properties with minimal effort. Maintain your reputation as a plant parent while bringing fresh oxygen and a gorgeous natural touch to your rental flat.

Insight – Lean Less Permanent: It’s near-impossible to make permanent changes in a rental property, so go for smaller changes and pieces that you can take with you when your tenancy runs its course.

Related Article: Decorating With Houseplants: Tips for Creating an Indoor Oasis

Soft Furnishings

Soft furnishings include pillows, cushions, curtains, rugs, and throws. These are non-permanent elements that are one of the most accessible options when it comes to rental DIY decorating, as they’re often cheap, lightweight, and easily transportable if and when you need to move out. If your flat has a substandard sofa, spruce it up with cushions that represent your taste. If the living room floor looks a little barren and depressing, introduce a statement throw or rug to bring it back to life. Soft furnishings and decor options are a simple and surefire way to get some valuable decorating done in a rental property. 

Gain Insight: Modern DIY Home Decor You Will Actually Enjoy

Furnishing Rental Apartments: Light Fixtures

If you’re struggling to find inspiration for rental living room ideas, think about lights and lamps. An appealing light fixture in a room can introduce a lot of personality without being directly installed into the home’s mains. Plenty of exciting, artistic floor lamps on the market are great for bringing light to the darker corners of rooms, while dresser and tabletop lamps can also come with stunning designs that are great for an added touch of expression in your home.

Insight – Create a Dialogue With Your Landlord: It’s vital that you keep an open channel of communication with your landlord. This way there will be no confusion about the degree to which you can decorate.

Furnishing Rental Apartments: Art and Photos

This is a perfect way to showcase yourself across a rental property. Most flats, apartments, and rental houses will have hanging hooks on the walls, which you can populate with framed paintings, photos, and canvases to express your taste and tell your story. Doing this will also help make your rented property feel more like a home that belongs to you, as you’ll have the company of faces and artwork that you love daily. 

Give the Walls a Paint Job

This option isn’t a sure thing, but if you have a good relationship with your landlord and have been living in a property for some time, there’s a good chance they’ll let you give the walls a fresh coat of paint. Something as simple as a color scheme can impact our mental experience of a property, so switching that color scheme up can very literally give us a new lease on life. Of course, make sure you get the go-ahead from the property owner, but realistically, they shouldn’t have an issue with it, seeing as they’re essentially getting some maintenance work done free of charge. Another option in this vein is removable wallpaper, a less permanent way to reinvigorate your walls.

Furnishing Rental Apartments: Stylish Storage

Even if your rental flat comes with some furniture, things like wash baskets and living room storage pieces won’t be included in the deal. This offers you an area where you can indulge in and express your style without taking up too much room and even saving space with your belongings. There are many stunning woven basket options on the market these days, utilizing wicker, rope, and other fabrics that can bring an invitingly rustic appeal to the rooms they sit in. 

Lightweight Multifunction Furniture

Bring in things that do more than the outside implies, and make sure it’s light and compact enough to be moved out when needed. Storage stools, nesting tables and chairs, and other multifunctional items provide extra degrees of value in the things you choose to bring into a rental property. You’re essentially getting additional items in one package with multifunctional furniture, meaning you have more opportunity to decorate and furnish in your own style in a more organized manner.

Insight – Work with Your Allowance: Don’t try to change too much too soon, as this could antagonize your landlord. Just work with the allowance for decoration that you discuss to ensure a more secure living space.

What’s Next? 

Now that we’ve answered the question, “Can you decorate a rented flat?” it’s time for you to get to decorating. Make small touches where you can and seek permission to make the larger ones; then, you should be well on the way to giving your rental property a real sense of self and identity. Inspiration is vital when designing or decorating any room of the house, so for further projects, be sure to visit a good design blog to give you more ideas and concepts. Even if you don’t take them verbatim, it can be great for developing your own point of view. Happy decorating, everyone!

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