Finding a rental with a great design aesthetic is a great place to start when it comes to designing your rental to your taste. I know that it almost always feels impossible to get everything on your checklist when it comes to finding a rental. In fact, it may even seem like you get NONE of the things on your checklist when it comes to your rented space but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it stellar.
Over the years, I’ve learned some serious game changers when it comes to rentals and home decorating.
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Temporary Wall Treatments
All too often the walls of your temporary pad are either stark white or are painted to the owner’s taste. Red walls with your beachy vibe probably won’t mix well. Thank goodness for temporary wall treatments – they allow you completely change the look of a space without an ounce of paint. Plus, they are easy to remove and toss when it’s time to move on. I personally love wall decals. You easily add color with stripes or any other geometric design that is on trend. You can also add temporary wallpaper, or fabric to walls to hide unsightly paint colors.
Smart Storage Solutions
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Good storage is a MUST in a rental. All too often there is not enough storage space when it comes to rental properties. Hear that, landlords? We need more storage 🙂 This is a challenge that allows us to get a little creative when it comes to storage solutions. I’ve been known to use a coat closet as a pantry when one of our homes didn’t have a dedicated one. I also am a huge advocate of the cubby system that allows you you to hide err, store your stuff in baskets for a nice neat look. We use one in our living room because we don’t have a dedicated playroom for toys.
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Rugs
Again, I’m on my soapbox about this one but rugs are the holy grail of rental decorating! All too often rentals can have a bit of an awkward layout. Or perhaps you have one large space that you would like to use for two separate uses. Rugs can help you define a space. Not only are they great at anchoring a room, they also hide any flooring that you aren’t particularly fond of. For me, the worst flooring I ever had was this hideous dark gray carpet. Laying down rugs completely lightened up the rooms.
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Draw attention to the things you love and cover up what you hate
I’ve seen some incredible rentals, you know, the ones with original hardwood floors and beautiful moulding. I’ve only been lucky enough to snag one of those once before and let me tell you when I lived there I was constantly raving about it. If your rental has features you love, highlight them. The contrast to that is to hide what is distracting. Our last rental had those horrible vertical blinds. Instead of removing them I opened them up as wide as they would go, and then hung curtains really high. You would have never known those blinds were behind my pretty drapes.
Can I tell you a secret? I’m always in awe of the amazing rental properties that appear on the DIYNetwork show, Income Property. You know the one with licensed contractor Scott McGillivray. He works with homeowners who are transforming part of their home into a space that can be rented out as an income property. Scott presents the homeowners with two different renovation options, and through an in-depth demo and makeover process they turn an unused or undesirable space in their home into a beautifully designed space that will bring in top dollar from renters. At the end of the episode I always think, now that’s a rental I’d like to snatch up! You can watch Income Property on the DIYNetwork Thursday at 10/9c.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of DIYNetwork.com. The opinions and text are 100% mine.
