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8 Big Impact, Cheap Decorating Ideas That Are Renter-friendly

Written by Posted On Wednesday, 06 April 2016 03:56

For us, tenants, it’s always about the money when we ponder on how to spruce up the flat. That’s completely normal. Who would invest in a property that he doesn’t own, right? You never know when you’re going to move out and you want to be able to get your deposit back. At the same time, we still wish to live in a nice looking, cosy home. We want a comfy space to rest after a stressful work day. We want that bold wall we saw in the magazine a couple of days ago. And we want our landlord to approve all of it. Oh, and we also want it as cheap as possible. Thank you very much.

Although not free, the ways to decorate your rented property I’m going to show you will make drastic changes. The goal is achieving maximum result with minimum effort. I will feature quirky furniture, awesome wall art and easy ways to transform just about any space. Let’s get started!

Refresh The Walls With Zero Painting

Removable wallpapers should become tenant’s best friend. Why? Because they are cheap, easy to peel and with them you are able to revamp every boring, old looking wall or floor. Lately, they’ve been under the spotlight for these exact reasons. Which means that you, being a poor, poor renter, can find great designs for just about any price (except for free of course). The only downside to the whole thing is that you can’t take credit for making them like you can do with art pieces. Which, I bet, everyone is willing to live with.

removable wallpaper

Transform Your Appliances

Stickers do a job similar to wallpapers’ and can turn an old fridge into a statement piece with little effort. You can choose single stickers that will personalize your furniture. Or you can achieve an overall appliance makeover in just about 15 minutes. Removing is quite easy and leaves no traces behind. Your landlord will have his boring fridge back in no time. I promise.

transform furniture & appliances

Boost Your Bookshelves

Although quite renter-friendly, removable wallpaper takes time to clean up, which you won’t have when doing the tenancy cleaning. That’s not the case with decorating old bookshelves. Add patterned backing to them to completely renew their looks. It’s easier to be done than wallpapering an entire room and it’s much cheaper. I completely renew mine when seasons change to bring the spirit of the current season in the room.

boost the bookshelves

Update The Pillows

There’s nothing new or original about this idea and yet tenants always fail to implement it. We look for more screaming ways to decorate the flat and completely forget about the functionality of a simple pillow. Besides for resting purposes you can use pillows to compliment a theme going in your room, stack them as an extra seat or use them as a statement item. Just be careful with the statement items. Having one or two is ok. Making a room look like a home accessory shop isn’t a good idea.

update the pillows

Hang Whatever You Want With Zero Damage

Decorating a rented property can be tricky when you can’t use nails. There’s always a way around it, though. Depending on the items you want to be displayed, you can choose between:

  • A decorative ladder - perfect for books, magazines and other hangable items
  • Metal grid hanger - you can spray-paint it in a complementary colour or make it pop-out. Mounting isn’t necessary, you can just lean it on the wall and use it this way.
  • Stick on the wall hooks are an obvious solution for when you want to display artworks, hang a mirror or photographs
  • Velcro strips are another way of hanging frames on the wall without making any holes

 zero-damage hangers

Personalize Your Accessories

Do you know the feeling of having something that is one of a kind? Here’s a chance to make something like that. Adding your touch to an item is way better than making it yourself because you get to keep the quality of it. Items like that are special and can turn into great gifts when you need to move out... Or you can simply keep them to yourself.

personalize your accessories

Add More Storage

A tenant always needs some extra storage space. Often a rented property doesn’t have enough of it and we bear? the burden to think of a non-destructive solution to that problem. Try out these things:

  • Boxes - the quick-fix to all storing problems. Boxes are quite easy to find and are great clutter-free solutions. What tenants love most is that you can use them when you’re moving out. 
  • Shelve units - use them as a display unit, to store your boxes or my favourite one - as a combo of the previous two. Talk to your landlord if you want them mounted on the wall.
  • Multi-functional furniture - this is our last resort. As tenants, we need to restrict ourselves from buying furniture for obvious reasons. However, if you’re still in a desperate need of storage space, multi-purpose solutions is your best shot. 

storage solutions

Redefine Your Space With Room Dividers

Sometimes you don’t have the word on how your flat is divided into rooms. And sometimes you do. Dividers are able to help every renter deal with a large box-like space and separate it into smaller areas. You can even use shelve units to divide your room. DIY projects are also welcome and even preferable. You can do a lovely divider unit from fruit boxes and use it as a storage as well.

room dividers

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NathanGreen

Nathan is a marketing professional working for a tenancy cleaning company in London, UK. His main job is creating a useful and informative content for the company's blog. He enjoys helping people with their moving process by giving professional advice, cleaning tips and occasionally shares tricks on how to make your rented property more liveable. 

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