Can you really make a rental feel like a home without decorating it from scratch?
While it’s not always obvious, you can style rental homes without renovations and without risking your deposit.
There are plenty of renter-friendly upgrades you can undertake to make a big impact, even temporarily, and we’ve included 5 of our favorites to talk about here.
If you want your rental to look like home today, and stay deposit-friendly tomorrow, keep reading.
5 Ideas to Style Rental Homes Without Renovations
Just because a style is temporary doesn’t mean it can’t be personal.
With the right approach, you can have your homey atmosphere without any permanent changes to your apartment. Here are 5 expert-driven ideas that show you how:
Use temporary wall solutions
First and foremost – survey your walls. One of the most transformative ways to style a rental home without committing to permanent changes is by using temporary wall treatments. You can try a variety of peel-and-stick wallpapers or use other unique approaches.
For example, you can create a custom fabric wallpaper using a mix of water and liquid starch. Apply the starch to the fabric and adhere it to the wall, and when it’s time to move, peel off the fabric and wash it so that it’s ready to be reused.
Of course, it’s worth noting what not to use regarding temporary home decor, and that’s a command hook. While many renters assume that these are a safe and damage-free solution, in reality, they can strip several layers of paint and lead to larger repair costs.
We recommend avoiding “trendy”quick fixes and stick to solutions that have been proven to work.
Get modular and movable furniture
If you moved into an unfurnished apartment, you have the luxury of making the space as “you” as it can get.
In cases where you have this much flexibility, it’s always a good idea to invest in modular and movable furniture, which will allow you to experiment with layouts and functionality without making permanent changes. We especially like using multi-functional pieces like ottomans with storage, foldable tables, or sectional sofas with reconfigurable components.
When you buy mostly lightweight furniture, you can rearrange it at will and take it with you (easily) when you move out.
A tip we abide by is choosing foundational pieces with neutral tones or simple patterns that can serve as a versatile backdrop for more eye-catching accents like rugs, cushions, or wall art, which you can then switch out whenever you need to.
Add maintenance-free greenery
A house isn’t a home without some plants, and incorporating greenery is one of the quickest rental-friendly upgrades to make a space feel inviting and lively.
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Unfortunately though, real plants require constant care and may not always be practical. Instead of forgoing the option of having greenery, we suggest shifting to movable, maintenance-free options like high-quality artificial hanging plants.
There are many reasons why fake plants are a great renter-friendly decor hacks, including:
- They don’t fade from the sun
- They don’t need watering
- They can be placed anywhere
- They don’t wilt or drop leaves
- They don’t need repotting
You can get faux hanging plant baskets and place them on shelves or windowsills. Or, you can hang them from an already-installed curtain rod.
If you don’t want a full faux setup, you can mix artificial and real greenery. We suggest pairing sall live plants with faux hanging plants for a more layered look, or grouping plants of varying heights in empty corners. This way, your rental space will look fresh and personalized while remaining move-in and move-out friendly.
Use freestanding bookshelves
Got a stack of books waiting to be displayed in your space, but no bookshelf in your rental space?
Instead of just stacking your books in the corner, we suggest shopping for a freestanding and multi-purpose bookshelf. This unit can be as small or as large as you want it to be, and, beyond holding books, it can act as a room divider to define different areas in an open-plan apartment.
For example, you can decorate your bookshelf and place it between the living area and your home office to create some visual separation. Just make sure to pick shelves that are tall enough to double as a boundary, but not so bulky that they overwhelm the room.
Open-back designs are especially useful because they allow light to pass through and keep spaces bright without taking away structure. You can also combine your books with baskets, plants, or art pieces to give the shelf some zest.
Include removable lighting and accessories
Last but not least, don’t overlook your lighting. One of our favorite renter-friendly decor hacks are upgrading light switches and outlet covers. Decorative faceplates are great and cheap upgrades for a rental property, and they’re widely available online at affordable prices.
You can swap the originals out for your customized ones and just change them back before moving out.
And beyond faceplates, use removable lighting solutions like floor lamps, clip-on lights, or plug-in sconces. This way, you can layer ambient and task lighting without ever touching the walls or ceilings. Then, supplement this light with thoughtfully selected accessories like mirrors, hooks, and artwork (mounted with removable adhesive strips).
Conclusion
Styling a rental home without renovations shouldn’t mean sacrificing personality or comfort. There are plenty of thoughtful, renter-friendly solutions (of which we only mentioned 5!) that you can take advantage of.
The key is to focus on flexibility and versatility and choose options that enhance your environment without risking your security deposit.
By layering some of our strategies, you can fashion a cohesive, lived-in look that reflects your style and allows you to rearrange as your needs change.
