Roughly 2.7 million people in London live in rented accommodation.
While this makes living in the city more feasible for many, it can sometimes feel as though you’re just passing through as opposed to building a home for yourself. You can easily remedy this, however, by adding your own stamp to the space.
With that in mind, here are some simple yet effective ways in which you can make your rental space feel like home.
Think about making temporary changes.
The majority of rental contracts will stipulate that you cannot make any permanent alterations to a rental property. This means that tasks such as repainting the walls are out of the question.
However, there are many ‘temporary’ changes that you can make that will make the rental space feel like home. For example, you can install peel-and-stick wallpaper, which can easily be removed when your tenancy comes to an end. This is a great way to inject some colour into the space, which is great news as rental properties tend to have a more neutral colour scheme in place. On a similar note, you may be able to purchase tiles or backsplashes for the kitchen that can be removed with similar ease.
Furthermore, if you do not like your landlord’s choice of curtains or blinds, you can always replace them with your own. However, you should be sure to store anything that belongs to your landlord in a clean, dry space to avoid it getting damaged.
Invest in high-quality command strips.
Tired of staring at blank walls but worried about losing your deposit? Investing in command strips is an easy solution. This way, you can hang everything from family photographs to artwork on the walls, without worrying about damaging or marking them. This, in turn, will allow you to create a space that feels truly personalised and unique, as opposed to looking like a showhome.
If you’re looking for some inspiration in this regard, why not try to create a collage wall in your bedroom or living room? This way, every time you walk into the room, you’ll find some of your happiest memories staring back at you.
Introduce Cosy Scents
To make your rental space feel more personal, introduce comforting scents that create a welcoming atmosphere. Scented candles are a simple yet effective way to infuse your space with your favourite fragrances, whether it’s a calming lavender for relaxation or a cozy vanilla for warmth. Candles can easily be moved from room to room, allowing you to customise the ambiance wherever you go. Their flickering glow adds to the comfort, making your rental truly feel like home.
Bring plants into the space.
Houseplants are a great way to make any apartment or house feel more homely. This is because they inject life and colour into the space while also complementing a range of design aesthetics and styles.
To keep things simple (and tidy), keep an eye out for plants that come with a fitting pot. This way, you can place them in any room in your home without hassle!
Buy your own furniture.
Rental properties often contain the bare minimum in terms of furniture. This is because landlords will focus on practicality over style. Fortunately, buying your own furniture can help to remedy this while also ensuring that you can make the space look like your own. After all, this gives you greater control over how the space looks and feels.
If you don’t have a lot of money to hand, check out online re-seller groups such as Facebook Marketplace. Here, you’ll be able to find high-quality furniture for a fraction of its original price. Don’t forget to haggle! Alternatively, you could find what you are looking for at a charity shop.
Remember, while buying furniture can be expensive, this is a long-term investment as you’ll be able to take it with you should you decide to move.
Change the layout of your furniture.
While this may require some heavy lifting, you can make a rental space feel a lot more homely by rearranging the furniture somewhat. This gives you much greater control of how the space looks and feels. For example, you may want to move furniture around in the bedroom so that you can set up a work-from-home station.
This is something that you can shake up relatively often (or as often as you can be bothered to put your strength to the test).
Introduce your favourite colour into the space.
Finding ways to incorporate your favourite colour into your home design is one of the easiest ways in which you can set about making a rental property feel like home. This is because, once again, it will feel as though your own tastes are reflected in the space, as opposed to your landlords.
There are many different ways in which you can introduce more colour into your home. For example, using your living room as an example, you could:
- Invest in a colourful rug
- Purchase colourful throws, pillows, and blankets
- Use colourful cushion covers
- Hang artwork on the walls
Change up the lighting.
Changing up the lighting in your rental property can also help make a house feel more like home, especially as relying solely on overhead lighting does not make a room feel all that cosy. As such, you should invest in a range of different types of lighting moving forward, such as different-sized lamps and fairylights (depending on the room in question). You may also want to swap out any fluorescent light bulbs for something a little gentler!
You should also try to let as much natural light into your home as possible. This will, once again, make the space appear much more welcoming and appealing moving forward. In addition to this, studies have found that increasing natural light within the home can improve your sleeping habits and improve your mental health.
Choose a theme for each room.
If you aren’t sure where to start when it comes to making your space feel a little more like you, try to choose a distinct theme for each room in the house or apartment. For example, you may want to design a modern bedroom while cottage-chic as inspiration in the kitchen. Either way, the more specific you can be, the better.
Get your landlord to handle maintenance issues.
Dealing with maintenance issues as soon as they arise and asking your landlord for help can also come in handy when it comes to ensuring that your rental feels like home. This is because you will be able to properly enjoy the space as opposed to worrying about everything that you need to do to improve it.
Remember, the more you ignore maintenance issues, the harder they will become to resolve in the long run. This means that you must take a proactive approach to this.
Final thoughts.
While there are many benefits to renting, it can sometimes be a little disheartening. After all, it can feel as though you are a guest in someone’s home, even if you are staying there long-term. Fortunately, there are plenty of steps that you can take to make your rental space feel like home. This includes:
- Making temporary changes, such as installing peel-and-stick wallpaper
- Investing in high-quality command strips for hanging up photographs, artwork, and more
- Bringing plants into the space
- Investing in your own furniture
- Changing the layout of the furniture
- Introducing your favourite colours into space
- Choosing a theme for each room and decorating accordingly
- Dealing with maintenance issues as quickly as they arise
However, you may also benefit from reaching out to your landlord directly. This is because they may allow you to make significant changes to the property, provided that it adds value to the space. In some cases, they may also be willing to invest in this themselves.
Either way, making the changes listed above will make it much easier for you to settle into your home, whether you are staying there for one year or several.
