Renting a house, flat, or student accommodation? Your hands aren’t as tied as you might think when it comes to transforming its interior so that it’s got more personality than a dentist’s waiting room because there are simple, non-permanent ways to add a little flair to make your rented accommodation homelier without busting your budget.
Before we dive in it’s worth mentioning that you should always check your contract to see what is and isn’t allowed, and ask your landlord’s permission if anything isn’t clear.
Use Edinburgh Self Storage for a de-clutter
If you have a smaller space than you’d like and very few cupboards for storage or you’re about to move into one a, give Edinburgh Self Storage a call and we’ll gladly help tailor a residential storage solution for you. A de-clutter is empowering.
Plants and flowers
Adding greenery is so effective and lovely. Plants and flowers beautify any living space and they can also help clean the air and hoover up toxins.
Many plants love the microclimate of a humid room and so these often-smaller ones are perfect additions to bathrooms. Don’t be shy about mixing things up with a kaleidoscope of different textured and coloured pots too.
Textile time
Scatter a few cushions and a throw and voila, you’ll transform what was a gloomy space into a homelier one instantly. Or you might want to find a funky upholstered stool or use some coloured towels in the bathroom if it’s just a bit boring
No holes barred art
Drilling holes in walls is often a big no-no in rented accommodation but there are ways around this. Why not prop oversized art against the wall at floor level or on existing shelves etc.?
Well chosen wall décor can really inject personality into your space and rented accommodation walls are usually a magnolia-fest so they need brightening and breaking up. You can use no-hole picture strips, or for a really cool on-trend look, how about Washi Tape? Originating from Japan, it’s like masking tape but way cooler and comes in a variety of colours and patterns. It’s really easy to peel off so can be used to tape it over corners of prints visibly so you can make a feature of it rather than it being an eyesore.
The bright lights
Maria Carey doesn’t do supermarkets because of the terrible lighting and she’s definitely onto something here because rubbish lighting makes for a rubbish interior. Heaven forbid you rely just on ceiling light anyway, as table lamps and floor lamps create atmosphere and change up the mood of a room magnificently, likewise candles.
Accessorise, accessorise, accessorise
It’s the little touches that take a room from something with all the allure of a bus depot to a homely interior and accessories are often your quickest route to add personality so accessorise, accessorise, accessorise. Books make you look more intelligent, soft furnishings make it feel cosy, like rugs, to cushions and blankets. You might want to do the charity shop circuit and see what treasures you can find.
Furniture
Switching up the furniture is one of the simplest and quickest ways to change the entire look of your rented accommodation and if you can’t paint the walls then you can always paint the furniture instead. This will go a long way in cheering up your space. If your place comes fully-furnished, something as simple as repositioning furniture or grouping pieces with particular accessories is one escape from the blandness.
Mirror, mirror on the wall..or floor
Dark and gloomy rooms are even more so on dull days, so why not bring in a couple of mirrors and completely change the light in the space? Lean them against the wall, style them on top of dressers or a mantelpiece and they’ll bounce plenty of light around the room, especially if hung opposite a window.
The final curtain
Curtains, window dressings and blinds are a bit overlooked in most rental properties, but these can add a lot of drama and comfort to a space and you can pick them up relatively cheaply these days, not to mention their insulation properties when it’s cold outside.
