Turning your Rented House into Your Dream Home
With Sydney housing prices soaring to new heights and no relief in sight, renting our home has become the new norm. Just because your name isn’t on the title doesn't mean you can’t make it your own space and create your dream home.
There are several ways to cleverly create an inspiring space without getting on the wrong side of the landlord.
Lighting:
It is a common problem to see terrible and harsh lighting in a rented house. Whilst you may not be able to do anything about the fixtures, you can create your own lighting scheme by introducing new layers. By adding floor lamps and table lamps you can create a whole new lighting scheme, which may mean you don’t even need to switch on the overhead fluorescents. Just be sure to always select a warm light bulb – no one looks great with a cool light bulb shining on them!
Storage:
Storage of all sorts is an issue with many rentals. Not having a place to display your décor and signature pieces means it is hard to give your home a personality. By adding in a cost-effective shelving unit you can create small vignettes to display your favourite pieces. There are often great finds on gumtree or even Facebook marketplace – there is no need to spend a large amount on the shelving itself. Let it be a neutral backdrop and focus on what you would like to place on there. These could be pieces you’ve collected on your travels, treasured family heirlooms, or latest season homewares. You really can have fun here with your choice of objects. However, it is important to keep in mind the scale and sizing of the item to ensure it works in with the rest of the scheme. One of my favourite tricks is to place the decorative objects on top of a stack of books to create both height and layers.
Rugs:
Your rental home may come with the bonus of tired, old, or worse – stained, flooring. There is not much that can be done to fix the problem, but you can definitely hide it! Some well-placed rugs can disguise all those problems and make them disappear completely. No rule says you can’t place rugs on top of carpet, so get rug shopping and hide any tired flooring. If on the other hand, you have been blessed with beautiful floors, but you are worried about what your tribe of toddlers may do to them, again rugs are a great way of protecting the floors, and your bond!
Plantlife:
When you introduce indoor plants into your home, you are literally bringing your home to life. By adding some well-placed greenery to your space, you can brighten odd corners and even hide chips and scratches in paintwork. Just remember to give your plants the love and attention they deserve, a dead plant in a corner is not a good decorating item in any terms.
Style your coffee table:
When renting, it can be hard to bring your space to life when you can’t hang anything on the walls. But by looking at surfaces that you can style you can bring some colour and personality into your home. Styling your coffee table with a stack of beautiful books, some fresh flowers, and a scented candle can really transform a space and become a focal point for the room. Just don’t forget to light that candle occasionally!
Whilst there are many rules and regulations around what a renter can and can’t do in terms of decorating and styling, there is no reason you can’t be clever and still create your dream home. There are now no excuses to think, “we are just renting”, stop making excuses and start creating a house you love coming home to.