If you’re renting a home or apartment, there are many ways that you can make the space feel like your own. While you might not be able to change paint colors or move walls to make renovations, you can add your own special touches through furnishings and decor. Here are some popular trends that can work well for rental spaces, often inexpensively:
- Start decorating at your front door, using rugs, potted plants, wreaths, and door hangings to dress up your entrance. Even if you have an apartment with an interior entrance, decorating your door area will make it stand out from others on the hallway and provide a warm welcome to guests.
- Open shelving is more popular than ever and can provide useful storage solutions, especially for smaller homes and apartments. This versatile type of shelving is great for kitchen items, bathroom towels, and for displaying decorative objects in dining areas, breakfast nooks, living rooms and bedrooms. There are many types of open shelving style from which to choose, including stacked shelving and single shelves hung on industrial-style hardware. Choose the type and color that complements the rest of your decor.
- Elevate your dining area (literally) with a pub table and bar stools. These higher tables and chairs provide a fun, casual feel to dining rooms, breakfast nooks, living room corners, and patios. Their vertical style can also help add visual interest and works well for compact spaces.
- Versatile furniture pieces that have more than one function are popular choices for apartments and rental spaces. Ottomans that can double as coffee and end tables, sectional pieces, and coffee tables that convert into work stations all can work in your living room today as well as in your next home. Daybeds are perfect for small bedrooms or roommate situations because they fold back into a sofa during the day to free up space or to provide another seating area for working or relaxing.
- Metallics are more popular than ever. Adding pops of gold and silver, or copper can complement just about any color scheme and enhance a room’s appeal. Furniture, picture frames, kitchen equipment, towel racks, and drawer pulls can all incorporate metallics for interest.
- Decorative rugs are available in more styles, shades, sizes, and price ranges than ever. Adding a rug to a room can introduce color, patterns, texture, and warmth. Many rugs sold today are washable, which makes them great for small spaces where they got more wear.
- Coordinated, framed groupings of photographs or artwork are a great way to fill up large wall spaces without spending a lot of money. Choose matching or complementary frames and mats in similar sizes, then add black-and-white or color photos, silhouettes, botanical prints, drawings, or other images to feature. You can easily update and change out the frames when you’re ready.
While it’s fun to follow fashionable trends, don’t forget some of the tried-and-true decorating tips. Make sure each room in your rental has adequate lighting by including table and floor lamps. Choose comfortable upholstery pieces. Potted plants can fill empty spaces while adding color and warmth. Most important, have fun with your space and enjoy sharing it with family friends.