Let’s face it. College years (and often beyond) are the renting years. You live in a place that someone else owns and sometimes it can be hard to make a rented apartment or house feel like your space. Lately I've been feeling the renter’s blues and I've been going crazy trying to add personal touches in a non-permanent way. I've found that there is quite a bit that I can do to make a standard apartment feel homier. As such, I thought I would share five tips to spruce up your rental.
- Replace Your Hardware. Changing wall plates, knobs on drawers or cabinets, or even replacing the kitchen sink faucet are easy ways to add your own personal touches without any permanent changes. We just changed over our wall plates in the front room and I love them! I had fun looking through Lowe's website and thinking about what would work best in the room. Then, when we went to go pick up the wall plates my husband found the dimmer switches and we bought one to install over the dining room table. I love it! Have you ever had the problem where the light on is not romantic and when you just light candles you can’t see what you are eating? Us too. So, he wired in our dimmer switch (turn the power off!!) and now we can have a romantic dinner by candlelight and see our food simply by turning down the light over the table until it’s just right. When we move out we will just switch our hardware with the original and take it with us.
- Add Comfort. Nothing makes a cold renter’s apartment homier faster than some quick throw pillows or a blanket thrown over the top of the sofa. Add some cushy touches that match other important pieces in the room. Do you have a painting that you love that has a fabulous streak of orange? Add orange throw pillows that will pick up on the painting and pull the room together. We have a large area rug that is red and blue. I love decorating with various hues of red and blue. Add textures too. Fluffy or fuzzy break up harsh lines and make you just want to snuggle up.
- Use Smoke and Mirrors. Or just mirrors. Too many affordable apartments are in dingy basements, are smaller than a shoe box, or have small windows.
Invest in a large mirror (IKEA is a good option here) to cover a portion of the wall where sunlight will hit it throughout the day. Not only will it make your apartment feel and look bigger, it will bring sunlight into the room and help the room not be so dark. It’s my favorite magic trick, plus when you move it goes with you and so your investment will pay out—big time. - Find Good Temporary Wallpaper. That’s right, wallpaper can be temporary. I've done a lot of research on this since we’re thinking of adding a border to the top of our bedroom, and there are many companies that sell good peel and stick, or removable paper. Sherwin William’s EasyChange Wallpaper is a popular way to go. There is no glue you have to buy, no special tools, and they have a variety of darling patterns. Then, when you are ready to leave just take it down and use an old sponge to get any remaining marks off the wall. It might be a bit of a hassle for someone who isn't planning on staying very long, but if you know you are going to rent for a while it might be the perfect thing to spruce up your space. Consider doing one wall or even a hallway. It will add interest without breaking the bank. If wallpapering scares you consider the wide variety of wall decals and prints. These just peel and stick!
- Get A Little Crafty. A few weeks ago I was unhappy with our bedroom. It was just so drab and there was just so little I could think of to fix it. I started looking around and after reading about a million blogs I decided I was going to make us a headboard for our bed. It was an easy project and we've had fun picking out fabric, some finishing touches, and creating a shape that we are both happy with. Just last night, we finished it! I so love the finished product! It adds a lot of color, style, and the room feels more like ours already. I decided I’m going to make curtains using the same fabric next and pull it all together (Originally I bought white curtains for our bedroom. White? What a mistake! The whole room is white! Now I’m going color, albeit a soft one, all the way.) There are tons of blogs, pictures, and people around you that can lend a helping hand when you decide you want to try. Don’t let your lack of experience stop you. I had never made a headboard before, but now I have and I can say it wasn't that bad.
Here it is in all it's glory. Not too shabby if I may say so myself.
