8 ways to turn a rental house into a home

You’d be amazed at how a simple colour switch can instantly transform the vibe of a space. Often times, when renting older apartments, you find yourself stuck with dated interior decor and odd wall choices. That spacey club-like feel that was all the rage of the early 2000s suddenly feels so icky in 2022.

Check with your landlord, and if they are agreeable, go out to a paint store and pick up a couple litres of paint to give your walls a refresh. You may need to consult the paint store experts on whether you need to prime the walls or not, and you’ll definitely need to roll up those sleeves to tackle the actual painting, but we guarantee you that you’ll instantly feel a shift in the mood of the room once it’s done.

As we mentioned earlier, older units often come with pre-existing furniture that often look like they belong in a museum rather than a living room. If your landlord is agreeable to it, consider swapping some of them out. You are going to be using it for the next few years, so you want to be comfortable afterall.

And it doesn’t have to be a total makeover either! You’d be surprised at how a new ottoman or a side chair in your fave colour can make you feel represented within a space that you’re living in.

Just because you don’t own the space doesn’t mean you can’t have a decor scheme. While most landlords will balk at the idea of a total revamp, there are decor schemes that you can use to complement the existing setup whilst retaining your personal style and flavour.

Going for a bohemian scheme? Maybe add a couple rattan chairs and a beige couch to the room. Or perhaps you want to go with a look that brings SoHo industrialism with touches of modern art? Use that as a reference point when selecting your wall art, lamps or even vases.

Importantly, when selecting a scheme for the space, consider the amount of work required to realise your vision, and whether or not it can work with existing built-in features that come with the space.

There’s something about adding living beings into a space that instantly gives it a homelier feeling. House plants are a low-fuss way of doing so, and thanks to the advent of planter designs, you have a whole bevy of different planters and pots to pick from to suit the design aesthetic of your space.

One headache most renters will face when getting pre-owned units is that it would come with strange built-in shelves and countertops. And while hacking off built-in furnishings are rarely something that most renters or landlords would even consider, you can style it to make it fit into your space.

Look for unique table lamps, coffee table books on subjects that speak to you, framed artwork that you’ve collected on your travels, and finish off a vase of fresh flowers to tie these disparate but unavoidable built-ins into your space.

Here’s a personal story: when I recently rented an old condominium apartment, the kitchen came with badly stained countertops. Obviously, hacking them and replacing them would be near to impossible due to costs and time, so we went with the next best thing: sticker laminates that can be easily bought online.

With plenty of mapping and measuring, we were able to order a few rolls of marble-printed sticker laminates, which we used to paper over the existing stains. These laminates were heat-resistant and waterproof for easy maintenance, and at the end of our tenancy, could be peeled off easily and without leaving residual damage.

Much like repainting your walls, you’d be surprised at just how transformative wall art can be. Not only do they help you tie in your entire design scheme, they’re great for hiding unsightly cracks or peeling plaster spots. Optimal Print and Society6 are two great places you can easily find wall art, but truth is that there are plenty of decor sites and artist catalogs that you can also peruse.

Don’t underestimate the power of a conversation starter. Having a unique piece sitting in your space can help you feel represented, and it’s a great talking point to have when visitors drop by for dinner. Being able to share the story of how you found this strange-looking dinner chair from a flea market in Morocco automatically gives you a sense of ownership within the space you are inhabiting.

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