Renovation Ideas for Renters
Homeowners aren’t the only ones who can update their living space. If you’re sick of your rentals decor, and bland landscaping don’t stress! There are many ways you can fix up your rental without breaking the bank or getting you into trouble with your landlord.
Add Living Color
If you’re short on outdoor space and your view isn’t a perfectly painted picture, bring some color inside! Bring organic colors, textures, and forms inside with plants. Whether you choose to start a countertop herb garden, or hang a hanging spider plant in front of a window, plants are a great way to add color and make your rental feel more like home.
Shine a Fresh Light
Check with your landlord first with this one, if they give you the okay then get started on replacing your existing light fixtures with more modern fittings. When choosing new fixtures, find something that is both energy efficient and has personality. Be sure to turn the power off in the room you’ll be working on. If the electrical box is loose, be sure to tighten the screws. Follow the manufacturers instructions when installing the new fixture, put the old fixture somewhere safe so you can reinstall it before you move out.
Update with Fabrics
Utilize fabrics and touchable textiles to create a captivating wall. You can get a n upholstered look by tacking fabric panels on a wall of your choice, the fabric will work as a great accent wall. You can also wrap a plywood panel in a fabric of your choice to make a headboard for your bedroom.
Utilize Shelves
A great way to optimize wall space is to add shelves, shelving will increase your home’s purpose and looks. You can mount shelves that will show off objects you want to display, but don’t have the proper place for such as books, photos in frames and artwork. You can also optimize kitchen space by adding some shelves to store kitchen tools. Go for shelves equipped with pegs or hooks to hold towels, coats, or backpacks.
Enhance an Entryway
You can create an inviting entryway with a bookcase or removable shelves, turn the space into a mudroom/coatroom if you have a habit of leaving clothes and bags around. Place the book case near your entryway, remove the upper shelves, and install hooks to hold outerwear. Add shoe racks to lower shelves to hold gloves and boots, if your entryway is too tight, you can set up a coat tree or a wall hung coat rack near the front door.
Dress Walls for the Short Term
Use a removable peel and stick wall cover to add life to your bare walls. You can shop for self adhesive wallpaper panels, murals, quotable stickers and artistic motifs to add some temporary color, pattern, and dimension around a room or on a single feature wall.
Paint it Personal
Check with your landlord before you decide to pick up a roller. If the landlord allows it, you can refresh your walls with paint colors that better suit your decorating style and compliment your favorite things. For smaller quarters lighter hues work well as they reflect natural light and expand the perception of space. Deeper, darker tones will make your home feel cozy, remember that eventually you may have to paint over your work when you decide to move out, painting with light colors will be easier to cover.
Create Temporary Transitions
You can divide wide open spaces without building walls with folding screens, bookcases, standing lamps, and or sofas for partial partitions that separate your spaces. You want to create some division between your eating, living, and cooking spaces.
Improve Operations
Make your bare rental kitchen more functional by enhancing your cooking, serving, and organizational process by adding a freestanding island. You may also add shelving or use a bar cart to optimize efficiency by choosing storage pieces that are equipped with a surface for you to prepare food on as well as serve and set out buffet style.
We hope you’ve found these tips helpful when renovating your rental, for more tips, DIY ideas, and more follow along for daily posts from Waste Solutions 123!