How do you make a rental home feel like your own? When decorating a rental property, you need creativity above all else. Next comes the budget and, finally, the time to put it all together.
If you’ll be living in a rented apartment or house for a considerable amount of time, it is essential to make it comfortable for you.
You don’t need to be an interior designer nor have a big decorating budget to switch things around to get the kind of space you want.
One of the main things that renters always have a problem with is the walls of a home. Most rented places do not allow any changes to be made on the walls.
This includes no painting, drilling holes or making any kind of permanent marks. So how do you update a space to make it feel like your own?
Here are ten budget-friendly ways to add your style on walls:
Peel-and-stick tiles and lining
If your landlord is ok with you painting the walls, go for it. However, many renters find it costly and time-consuming to paint the walls in an apartment, only to paint them back in their original color when moving out.
One fantastic option for you would be peel-and-stick tiles and wallpaper lining. Peel-and-stick tiles are ideal for kitchen backsplash and bathroom walls- stick them onto the existing tiles.
Wallpaper lining is used to layer between the existing wall and non-removable wallpaper. Both options are easily stripped off when it’s time to move.
Stick-on wallpaper
This is another favorite among renters. You can use stick-on wallpaper to cover the entire wall or make a statement wall.
Stick-on wallpaper peels right off, making it a quick and easy solution when you are moving out.
However, stick-on wallpaper can have a very strong adhesive and might peel off the existing paint. If you use this option, make sure to get matching colors to cover up spots and peels if necessary.
Adding shelves and cabinets
Another way to cover up walls without using paint or stick-on wallpaper is to hide walls with shelving or cabinets.
Wall-to-ceiling cabinets are an excellent solution for this idea. You can fill up the shelves and cabinets with books, decorative vases, ornaments and potted plants.
The great thing about using this option is that the shelves and cabinets belong to you, which you can take with you when moving out.
Using plants
If you have never owned a plant in your life, this is where you can start. Plants are a great way to add a touch of personality, style and vibrancy to any room.
Green, leafy plants add freshness and liveliness, especially to a city apartment. It’s also a low-cost ornament that you can add to any room in a home.
Pothos, cactuses and monsteras are the easiest plant types to start with. It’s easy to take care of and requires less maintenance.
Command tape is your friend
Command tapes and strips are a renter’s best friend. It enables you to hang something without drilling holes into the walls.
Command strips and tape are designed in various sizes and strengths to hold just about anything from a wall mirror, kitchen utensils, to photo frames. They don’t leave a mark when you remove them from walls.
String lights
You might think that adding lights to a particular section of the wall will only highlight what you don’t want.
On the contrary, adding the right type of lighting, such as string lights or fairy lights, can add a different perspective to these walls.
Bring a little bit of fantasy and magic into your home by adorning one section of a wall with fairy lights cascading down to the floor. You can turn it on the entire day and night, and it’ll give a different vibe as the sun goes down.
Photo wall
Using command strips, you can plan an entire wall with photos of your life. Depending on the look you are going for, you can mix and match frames to create a wall of memories that can become the centerpiece of your home.
If you don’t want to use frames, you can string twine horizontally across your wall and pin your photos using paperclips or wooden cloth pegs. This idea is also great if you already have fairy lights strung on your wall.
Using tapestry or macrame
Using a stunning tapestry is another way to cover up walls you don’t like. You can also create a statement wall using tapestry, making it a focal point in your home. Another type of wall decoration that is excellent for wall coverings is macrame.
Macrame adds a different type of aesthetic to a home. Accentuate your macrame with plants and colored vases.
Wall art
Another exciting way to showcase your personality and create the kind of atmosphere you want in your home is to add wall art.
Niche canvas wall art is just the kind of wall art that can brighten up areas with a splash of personality.
Canvas wall art can be found in various shapes, formats and designs to create the kind of mood you want while beautifying your spaces.
Curtains & room separators
Curtains are another way to cover up walls you don’t like. It may sound a little unconventional, but it can add more personality to your home if done right. You want to look for light and breezy curtains to give the illusion of airiness into the house.
Sheer curtains or ones with simple designs make a great choice to cover up walls without making the room look heavy and closed-in. Another option is to use room separators in various designs to cover up a portion of the wall you don’t like.
All it takes is a little creativity to create a space that you’re happy to come home to. You can make it your own by making a few simple tweaks and changes, and the first place to start is by ideating what you would like to see in your new home.
If you are low on budget, it’s always good to start with the slightest changes in your home decor so that you can refine and update the look as you go.