5 Low-Risk Personalizing Tricks for Renters that Make a Big Impact

Even though renting comes with its various perks and advantages to owning property, renters around the world invariably face the same problem – making the rental feel like home. This can be especially difficult if you’ve moved around a lot, and it doesn’t really matter if you’re renting a condo or an apartment, there’s no denying that your personalization options are quite limited. And we all know that to make a rental feel like home, you have to personalize it at least slightly, otherwise you feel like you’re just living in someone else’s place.

Of course, while you might not be able to make any grand changes in your living environment, there are some small and affordable ideas that are lease-friendly and will make a big impact. The tips we’ll be talking about today are great for renters regardless of how high your rent is, so let’s get right down to it!

Repaint without a drop of paint

Let’s start off with probably the easiest and most landlord-friendly change you can make that will give your rental a complete makeover – a new paint job. Naturally, you can’t expect your landlord to just let you repaint the place however you like, but luckily you don’t have to use a single drop of paint if you choose peelable wallpaper instead.

Removable wallpaper is a true lifesaver for modern renters, as it’s easy to put up and easy to take off when you’re ready to move out. It also comes with an additional perk of protecting the original paint job from any damage, dirt, and scuffs over time, so you won’t have to repaint or fix anything when you move out.

You can find peelable wallpaper in many colors, patterns, and designs, and if you’re not up for putting it on every wall in your rental, you can use it to create a beautiful accent wall in every room. Quick, easy, and most importantly, lease-friendly.

More like this: From Drab to Fab: 5 Renter-Friendly Ideas for Disguising Bad Flooring

Give your cabinets and hardware a makeover

No landlord will object to you making any minor repairs and tweaks to the rental, especially if it will enhance its aesthetic appeal. Now, while it might not be your job to make any repairs, you can still bend the rules a bit by replacing old hardware with new, more stylish ones, replace the existing faucets with ornate ones you got at a thrift store, or give the cabinets a makeover.

As long as these new décor elements fit into the overarching design of the rental, you’re good. Be sure to check with the landlord before you kick-start this DIY project, though. If you’re moving to a new place, double-check the lease as well. See if the landlord is okay with your new design choices. One of the best things you can do is to remove the doors to your kitchen cabinets completely, store them somewhere until you’re ready to move out, and then just put them back in place.

Introduce beauty and comfort through the floor

If you’re failing to connect with the space and there’s just something that doesn’t make it feel like home, it’s probably the floor. There is a deep connection between the floor, the soles of your feet, and the way you perceive your living environment, so if you focus on sprucing up the floors, you can make the rental truly feel like home.

The best way to do that is to simply add rugs throughout the space, and a modern online rug collection is a great place to get some inspiration and even learn the subtle yet powerful art of rug layering. By layering rugs (choose pet-friendly ones if you have a furry friend) around the rental, you can create a more comfortable and more beautiful space that feels cozy, personal, and intimate. You can choose a style that fits your exact needs to let your personal flair come to life.

Scale the ambiance with the perfect lighting

The lighting in your rental can make all the difference. It can make the space feel cold and estranged or it can make it feel warm and inviting – it depends how you scale the natural and artificial lighting. Typically, you’ll want to brighten up the space as much as possible, especially those dark windowless rooms that always look so uninviting.

You can light up a windowless room using light-colored décor and accents, and of course, by choosing artificial lighting in a natural hue. Combine task and ambient lighting to achieve the best look and feel, and install a programmable light switch so that you can scale the ambiance just right. In every other room that has a window, you want to open up the blinds and hang only bright curtains, and put up a mirror in every room to let the natural light saturate the space.

More like this: Apartment Decor Ideas for Your Rental

When in doubt, stick to Hygge

Last but not least, a great way to create a loveable home where you’ll feel at home is to bring the popular Hygge mindset to life. Introduce greenery into every room to create a calming oasis and declutter the space as much as possible.

Use natural elements and adorn your furniture with chunky throws in various colors, patterns, and textures to make the space cozy and warm. Add a striking contrast to every room with a small piece of décor that will bring the ambiance to life and act as an amazing conversation starter to boot. This can be a piece of wall art, an ornate coffee table, a beautiful free-standing lamp, and the like.

Wrapping up

Personalizing your rental might not seem like an easy task, but that’s because you’ve been thinking of those grand changes that the landlord would definitely disapprove of. Be sure to shift your focus to these low-risk, high-impact changes that will make your rental feel like home.