Renter-Friendly Décor

A home should feel like your own personal realm, a haven designed for your life. Now, as more and more financial gurus are urging us to rethink a house as an asset and advocating for renting as the better financial path, people are still reluctant to rent as it feels too impersonal. Renting is also a great option if you are advancing your career and would like to move cities every few years to higher-paying jobs. Renters find it difficult to personalize their living space for fear of losing their deposit. It is vital to impart your signature look without altering the space more than your rental agreement allows. Here are some fun ideas that are renter-friendly:

• Cover a blank wall with a tapestry of choice. This will work incredibly well if you do not like the color of the wall or if the paint is not in great condition. Be careful with wallpaper, though – only use the ones that come off quickly. 
• Create a gallery wall using command hooks. If you do not mind the color of the wall as a background, find attractive mirrors, artwork, and personal photographs of varying sizes and arrange them close together in a pattern that you like. 
• Add large mirrors to small rooms that feel cramped. It creates the illusion of space. The reflection of light will also brighten the room.
• Add plants to liven up a room. If you are short on space, try vertical planters or hanging pots. If you are not used to maintaining plants, try the easy-to-grow ones like the ZZ plant.
• Add a clothing rack if the closet is insufficient, or add a vintage chest of drawers to change the tone of a space completely.
• Use KonMari or other similar methods to cut the clutter. Things that do not bring you beauty, function, or joy do not belong in your home. Just removing 20%-30% of your clothes, for example, will give you closet space and make everything else that you do want to keep much more visible and easier to use.
• Place your knickknacks on floating shelves that do not leave marks on the wall. Keep sentimental items in view to keep yourself connected to your loved ones. 
• Add rugs to rooms if the floors are not to your liking. Soft wool or rubberized carpets are great for insulating rooms in a cold-weather climate, and bamboo and seagrass are great for warm climates. 
• Add lights that help you work. A table lamp at your home office and a warm ring light in your bathroom can instantly upgrade a dull space.

Buying a house is no longer the aspiration it used to be, and renting can have the advantage of giving you the flexibility of quickly moving your home. Protect your deposit while making your home your own.