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Adding a Personal Touch to Rented Properties

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Renting has its advantages, however it can be difficult to make a house a home when it doesn’t belong to you. Our tips add a personal touch and a homely feel, without upsetting the landlord.

When moving into a new home, the first item on the to-do list is often: paint. Whether you want to blitz the magnolia with a splash of colour, or to cover up former occupants’ questionable colour choices, a fresh coat of paint can transform a living space. Unfortunately, painting isn’t an option for most people that live in rented properties. So how can you fully enjoy your home when renting?

Paint coloursGive Your Furniture a Makeover

When moving into a rented property, it’s likely you’ll be bringing some of your own furniture with you. You could perhaps give a wooden table, chair, cupboard or chest of drawers a colourful makeover. It’s the perfect way to bring your style to a room in a way that you can take with you when you move.

Here are four easy steps to paint your furniture:

  1. Remove drawers, hinges, latches or ornaments, wipe them down and clean all surfaces with a sponge and hot soapy water.
  2. Once they have dried thoroughly, rub over all surfaces with sandpaper. This will make it easier to apply the paint. Dust the surfaces down and place the item in a well-ventilated room.
  3. Spray or paint a coat of primer over the entire area, including any table tops. Do the same with the drawers that you have removed. Allow the primer to dry and then apply a second coat. Leave this to dry overnight.
  4. Apply your preferred varnish or paint colour and then leave to dry overnight. Do the same with any drawers you have removed. Once dry, reattach any handles, hinges, latches or ornaments, and enjoy!

Paint rollerSpeak to Your Landlord

Some landlords are open to letting tenants paint within their terms, e.g. they may request that you return the walls to the original colour before moving out. Make sure you get any agreement in writing before you pick up a brush. Alternatively, they may offer to hire a professional decorator if the property is in need of paint, but this is likely to be standard magnolia. 

Accessorise!

Just like with clothes, accessories make all the difference to a room. When limited in what you can makeover, you can showcase your personality with home accessories. Use cushions, throws, lamps and curtains in living rooms and bedrooms. Consider a new set of towels, a bathroom mat and sink-set for the bathroom. Complete a hall with a rug, coat rack and table. Other accessories such as lampshades, candles and pictures also help disguise the rented feel. Products like 3M Command Strips are a great product for hanging pictures in rented properties as there is no need for nails or holes in walls.

When it comes to choosing accessories, pick patterns and colours which reflect who you are and help you forget that your property is rented. Colour plays an important part in how we feel about our home and our surroundings. The colours of your curtains, bedding and cushions should work together to create the mood that you want to achieve; green is the colour of empathy and can be soothing in a bedroom or living area, and they say that yellow promotes a sense of optimism.

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