With the percentage of Americans choosing to own their homes are steadily declining for multiple reasons, there are more renters than any time since 1965. A skyrocketing housing market, greater student loan debt, upfront affordability, and the maintenance costs are all reasons contributing to the increase in households that are choosing to rent.
There were 44.1 million households renting in 2021, many without a way to purchase a home in the current market. Therefore, making the most of a rental space is crucial. Unfortunately, the majority of landlords have limits to what improvements a renter can make during their lease. To make matters worse, rent is increasing all over the United States. It is even more important to transform your plain rental apartment or house into a place you love to be, if you are spending more money than ever to be there.
In this article, we will discuss renter-friendly ways you can improve your space to make it feel like home. Everyone has their own unique style and preferences when it comes to decorating, but these general, damage-free tips can improve any home.
Note: There is no reason to fear “wasting money” on making an apartment or rental home into a space that you love to be in, most of these tips are affordable and the products can be taken with you when you move out, making them an excellent investment.
Walls
There is nothing more overwhelming than an empty apartment full of plain white walls. Sometimes, you can paint, but that still leaves the walls plain and boring. Add some visual excitement with these tips!
Image Credit: Your Modern Cottage
Create a gallery wall to fill up empty wall space. You can find inexpensive frames from Ikea, fill them with either your own photography or digital prints from online (Etsy has options for just about every style), and secure them with Command® picture hanging strips to prevent damage to the walls.
Image Credit: Caitlin De Lay
Removable wallpaper is a fun way to add dimension and color to a boring space. You can find some really fun prints on Amazon that are so easy to apply and remove in seconds.
Image Credit: MyDomaine
Add molding to give your space a homey, traditional appearance. Purchase some quarter round from your local hardware store, measure and cut to fit your space, and attach with removable velcro strips or another heavy-duty damage-free adhesive. There are so many options, from classic picture frame style to bold, modern geometric patterns.
Floors
Unless you move into a brand new build, or you have an awesome landlord that replaces the flooring between each tenant, chances are the floors in your rental have seen better days.
Eagle Rock Properties
Area rugs are essential for protecting your hard floors (and security deposit!), insulating your living space during the winter, absorbing noise, and they will even soften the impact of your footsteps if you have neighbors below you. Large rugs can get expensive, so check discount stores and websites, like www.homegoods.com and www.overstock.com for deals. Area rugs can make a big impact on a space, by adding a more “finished” look and really tying all the components of your design together.
Image Credit: Style by Emily Henderson
Peel and stick tiles have taken TikTok by storm! User TieraLovellee demonstrates how she transformed her bathroom floor using removable marble tiles and the results are incredible.
Lighting
Lighting can make a big difference in any space, but it is a very important consideration for apartments where limited natural light and outdated fixtures are common.
Image Credit: Country Living Magazine
Wall sconces add a cozy feel to any space. Either a plug-in variety or a remote-controlled battery option are the best (existing sconce + these remote-controlled LED puck lights + adhesive = a renter friendly inexpensive wall sconce)
Image Credit: YLighting
These rechargeable, remote-controlled under cabinet lights from Amazon are another product featured in many content creators’ Amazon Storefronts. They rave about how easy they are to use, and how the lighting can transform their space. See how @eastcoastdiy on TikTok transformed her kitchen with these simple adhesive lights!
Tresco® Lighting has many standard and customizable options for under cabinet, above cabinet, toe-kick, and many other applications. To make it renter-friendly, use a heavy-duty removable adhesive in place of the included hardware.
If you have old blinds that have seen better days, consider switching them out for more modern varieties, like roman shades or cellular blinds (you might even save some money on your electric bill with cellular shades!).
Credit: Apartment Therapy
Finally, extend your living space by turning your balcony or patio into a relaxing summer evening hangout spot with some outdoor LED lighting.
Credit: roohome.com
Kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the home, so it is important to ensure it's a place you love spending time. There are a lot of rental kitchens that have seen better days (like the 1980’s… yikes), so use these tips to bring them into the 21st century for the duration of your lease.
Image Credit: Black & Blooms
Use contact paper to hide atrocious countertops (tutorial here)! Pick a modern design, apply, and enjoy for the duration of your lease. It is easy to remove and as a bonus, it offers an additional layer of protection for your countertops (hello, security deposit!).
Image Credit: Cabana State of Mind
Install drawer inserts to make the most of the limited storage space. Keep your utensils tidy with this one or have an insta-worthy spice drawer with this insert! Both inserts are from Rev-A-Shelf®
Don’t underestimate the power of cabinet hardware! Just make sure to buy the same size (it needs to fit in the existing holes!) and keep the original hardware tucked away for move-out day. Just look at the difference one quick switch can make!
Image Credit: Forbes
Conclusion
How can you apply these tips to turn your basic rental into a fun space that reflects your unique style? Think like a professional and follow the basic principles of interior design:
Image Credit: Philadelphia Style Magazine
Balance: distributing the “visual weight” of a space to create a feeling of equilibrium. This is achieved through symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial balance.
Rhythm: creating visual interest through patterns and repetitions in the design
Harmony: the unified feeling created from all elements of a good design acting together
Emphasis: directing attention to one focal point, to avoid a scattered or boring feeling
Proportion and Scale: “Proportion is the ratio between the size of one part to another, and scale is how the size of one object relates to another or to the space in which it is placed” (Credit: The Spruce)
The biggest takeaway from these guidelines is to ensure you carefully plan each area of your rental space and how you want to decorate it, to avoid an unbalanced or cluttered appearance.
Image Credit: frankieandjonnie via Reddit
What are your favorite renter-friendly design tips? We would love to know!