Easy and Impactful Decorating Tips for Apartment Renters

Easy and Impactful Decorating Tips for Apartment Renters

Does your rental feel like someone else's home? When you rent, it can be hard to come up with creative ways to decorate your space without violating your rental agreement. What if you can't repaint, put holes in the walls, or replace those ugly floors? Thankfully, there are countless creative ways to bring a little personality and elegance to your rented space. And if you live in a small apartment, space-saving and functional decor will make your home much more accommodating.

Below, we share some landlord-approved decorating hacks to get your rental ready for work, life, and everything in between!

Decorating Your Home Office

If you work from home, you need a dedicated workspace. There's no way around it. You'll find it near impossible to stay focused on your work if you're constantly battling distractions. The good news is that you can fit a productive workspace into the smallest of apartments. Stuck in a studio apartment? Modsy suggests floating your sofa and positioning a narrow desk behind it. In a one-bedroom? Integrate your workspace into the bedroom. If you're lucky enough to have a second bedroom for your office, do some redecorating to eliminate time-wasters and improve your productivity.

Wherever you find space for your home office, make use of creative storage solutions to keep clutter off your desk. You'll find it much easier to focus with a clear workspace! Vertical storage solutions are a great use of space, and if you buy a standalone storage unit, you won't have to drill holes in the wall to hang shelves.

Rental Upgrades for the Kid's Room

Do you have kids? Apartment Therapy recommends a number of inventive ways to personalize their rooms without making permanent changes to the space. Instead of painting the walls, paint the furniture fun colors and hang removable wallpaper to make a bold statement. Grasscloth wallpaper adds an elegant touch, and you can get unique designs printed from artists all over the world.

Command hooks and hangers are great for hanging pictures on the walls without nails. If your child's room has hard floors, consider getting a large rug or some foam floor mats to make playtime a little more comfortable.

Decor Ideas for Welcoming Guests

If entertaining guests is one of your joys, with a little creativity, you can make your space feel welcoming for elegant dinner parties and casual hangouts alike. Consider getting a two-tiered or nesting coffee table to hold an array of appetizers. Purchase folding furniture to stash in your storage unit. Get a few stylish floor cushions to serve as impromptu seating. Most importantly, remember that your kitchen can double as an entertainment space! Keep clutter off your countertops so you can use the kitchen as a bar area during gatherings.

Creating a Relaxing Oasis

Turning your home into a relaxing retreat can help you escape the hustle and bustle of life. Choose decorative accents in colors that make you feel calm—hues of blue and green tend to be relaxing. Bring nature into your space with potted plants and natural materials like clay, stone, wood, and rattan. Keep your decor minimal instead of mixing several patterns and colors. Sticking with a limited number of patterns will help your space feel calm and unified.

You can also use lighting to lend a calming atmosphere to your apartment. While you might not be able to run new wires behind the walls or install new lights, you can swap out your apartment's light fixtures while you live there. Swapping a bright overhead light for a fancy chandelier, for example, can make your living room feel luxurious.

Just because you rent doesn't mean you can't have fun decorating your home. Rental-friendly decorating can help you make your space your own, even if you have to work around a few odd angles and dated fixtures. Whether you have kids, work from home, or just want a space to relax at the end of a long day, this is your chance to get creative!

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By Natalie Jones