The Dos and Don’ts of Decorating a Rental Home

Rental living is not a reason for you not to decorate and add your own personal touch to your home. Your home should be an expression of you, not a four-wall white box devoid of character. Whether it’s a penang house for rent, or a tiny villa by the seaside, inject the place with some personal flavor. The only thing that stands in the way of you expressing your own style is, of course, the tenancy agreement.

In this guide, we’ve compiled some sensible and creative tips to insert your personality into your rental home, turning a temporary abode into a palace fit for a king.

Do get written permission

Before you start with any décor projects, do be sure that you are legally allowed to make the physical changes you are planning to make. Otherwise, you might stand losing your deposit. It is better to have any agreements spelled out in ink, lest the lord of your manor renegade on your verbal pact.

Do pay for it yourself

If you have any plans to aesthetically upgrade your rental home, it is best do so on your own dime. If you do hope your landlord will fork out the money for the improvements you want to make, make sure you negotiate for any reimbursements when you are signing the lease. Otherwise, your negotiations may go awry.

Do be thrifty

Your rental home is a stepping stone to a home that is your “forever home”. So, do tone down the ostentatious with a dash of frugality. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a budget, or if your accommodations are short-term, do stay on the sensible side of decorating and steer clear of frivolous spending. You can domesticate your rental by decorating with a combination of quality and frugality. Think of mixing lavish furniture pieces with secondhand or vintage pieces to show off some shabby chicness. You can even scour flea markets, estate sales or garage sales to look for one-of-a-kind pieces to supplement your décor.

Do accessorize

If your budget is tight, and frugality is your favorite word, you can consider accessorizing with accents. Think about accents such as lighting, curtains, rugs, or even small hardware to add a dash of personality to even the most nondescript white-walled room. Switch out those standard metal blinds with some colorful tantalizing textiles. Supplement those boring overhead lights with a vintage table lamp that gives off a warm twinkle. What’s great about accessorizing with décor is that it is mobile: you can take it with you when you go, easy-peasy.

Don’t let the bed bugs bite

Before you squeal with delight at that antique ottoman you picked up at an estate sale, do beware that they could be a nesting ground for bed bugs or mites. Be extra careful when purchasing used furniture that are upholstered. Give these items a good airing-out under the sun, along with a thorough cleaning, before bringing any of these items into your home. This helps keep any unwanted visitors out of your abode, however tiny they may be. If you have the coin, you can even take extra measures by sending these items for a professional cleaning.

Don’t paint any natural woodwork

White-painted woodwork seems to be de rigeur in domestic interiors. It is almost a foregone conclusion. However, you should steer clear of painting any trim, crown molding or baseboards, unless of course you are prepared for the consequences doing so will bring you. Not only does brushing a smooth finish on woodwork take patience and attention to detail, repainting them back to white, or worse, to wood is not an easy task either. Instead, learn to embrace white or natural woodwork by complementing and accenting them with colored décor.

Do consult the wheel of color

The usual rental home comes in the form a four-walled white box. This would be just fine for minimalists. It should be a no-brained that you should not paint the walls unless you are allowed to, or you are prepared to return them to its original hue. However, you can add dashes and pops of color into your furniture, upholstery and décor elements. Do make sure that the colors you choose complement each other well. Otherwise, you might juts end up with a rainbow concoction that its more of an eyesore than a warm homely hue.

Do accentuate the positives

Not all décor endeavors have to break the bank. You can carry out some small simple projects that can inject your home with a zest of lived-in feel. Think about adding storage and maximizing space with a wall shelf, or even creating a small reading corner from unused space. Decorate your home as you would decorate yourself, by accentuating the positives and eliminating the negatives.

Final words

No matter if your house is rented or owned, you should enjoy your space to the fullest of its potential. A well lived-in home is the best décor. However, once your lease is up, do make sure to return your rental to the same condition as it was given to you. Unless your landlord agrees with the improvements, you might lose a hefty part of your deposit!