making your APARTMENT OR RENTAL your own

Our family recently moved from a house that we owned into an apartment that we now rent. And if I’m being honest, one of the things I was nervous about was that I wouldn’t be able to make our new apartment as cozy and as personal as we did our previous home. But I was wrong, because I’ve loved the challenge of making our rental feel like ours.

There can sometimes be a stigma with renting. And for those who are either in a financial place to only rent, or for those who simply choose to, it’s unfortunate. When we watch HGTV or scroll through our social media, most design tips apply to homeowners. But I am a firm believer that one doesn’t have to wait to own to make a place their home. So no matter where you find yourself in your renting or home ownership journey, I hope these tips offer some creative ways to invest into your rental.

While painting a wall might not be a possibility in a rental, a fun and easy way to continually change up a color palette and switch up your decor style is by playing with shelves. Whether your shelves are hung on the wall or within a bookshelf, styling shelves is a great way to experiment with your own personal style. If you are one who loves to decorate for holidays or by season, this is also a great way to continually switch out your favorite items.

It’s no secret that apartments are typically smaller in square feet. This isn’t a bad thing — minimalism anyone? However, a really simple way to add dimension to a room is by adding mirrors. With the addition of a mirror, a smaller living room can feel exponentially larger and brighter. Don’t be afraid to play with shapes and styles as well. Mirrors can also be utilized as a focal point or an art piece.

Now hear me out. I do not have a green thumb. But, over time I have done my research to find which plants are easier to maintain. And I gotta say, I am starting to become one of those plant ladies. Plants are a wonderful way to add color, vibrancy and texture to any room. Plus who doesn’t love a cute planter? Home styles may come and go, but plants will always be in style.

Whoever said that rugs were only for hardwood floors is missing out. In rentals, most of the carpets picked by the developers are very bland and almost commercial-like. Layering a rug on carpet can add a lot of warmth and style to a space. Additionally, layering rugs over rugs can also add a great amount of texture. In our living room, we decided to layer a 5x7 flat weave rug over an 8x10 jute rug, and we love the unique and layered look.

Each renter will have their own level of comfort when it comes to hanging frames on their walls, but a gallery wall is an awesome way to showcase a variety of art prints and photos. And it’s also really fun to shape a room with different frame shapes and styles. Because our walls are sheet rock, we used monkey hook nails as they are less damaging and more secure. But if you wanted to avoid nails all together, command hooks are also a great option for renters.

Bottom line: have fun with renting. Make it yours and make it home! [ aw ]

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