How to Make a Rental Apartment Look Like a House
I have lived in many apartments, so I had to learn how to make temporary changes to the apartments to make them feel a little more like they were mine. I know I’m not the only one who needs a rental to feel at home, so if you want to turn your home into something that welcomes you after a long day, here’s what to do.
First of all, talk to your landlord or review the lease to find out what changes you can and cannot make. Next, set a goal for yourself. You have many small updates you can make , but if you have too many changes to your list, you might be overwhelmed, and this is the opposite effect we are aiming for. Ask yourself these questions as a starting point to understand what you want to change (and what you can learn to live with):
- What is your greatest fear in the rented material when you see or use it?
- How much are you willing to spend on home improvement ?
- How much effort are you willing to put into change (and reverse it when you move)?
- What changes can you make while maintaining your deposit?
- What themes or parts of your apartment do you like?
Once you understand how much time, energy and money you are willing to spend on transforming your space, you understand what you should do. Some things that might be on your list (sorted from least extreme to highest):
- Decorations are easily removed . Choose objects that bring joy when you see them. From cute air-filtering plants to gallery walls with pictures of your loved ones. You can also achieve this with decorative pillows or blankets that highlight your personality. If you do decide to add plants (which I highly recommend, I really liked my living room), be sure to buy ones that match the lighting level in your apartment. A dead plant won’t make you or anyone else feel at home.
- Everything has a place . It’s not about being organized or tidy, but about feeling like your stuff is rented. Simple things like a coat rack by the door and a key platter can instantly make you feel right at home when you walk through the door.
- Simple improvements that change the feel of a room . Curtains, lighting and comfortable rugs fall into this category. They are easy to make and can drastically change the mood of a room by adding specific lights, colors, or textures.
- Larger updates for more impact. Paint, temporary wallpaper, or aprons are more work and money, and harder to undo, but will make a huge difference in how much your apartment looks like you. You can also change the hardware on kitchen cabinets, cabinet doors and even your front door.
If you plan to live in the home for several years, you can negotiate with the landlord to make larger changes, such as replacing the carpet with laminate or hardwood, if you are covering some of the costs. They may even settle for things like you paint the walls, since if you are in any place for over a year they will probably still have to paint when you move out (to hide the dents and marks that fall under normal wear and tear.). Some of these changes seem large and costly (and they are), but if you think about how much time you spend at home, they can pay off in how much they improve your happiness in the long run.