10 Ways to Decorate a Rental Home

Decorating a rental comes with a unique set of challenges compared to owning a home. Home ownership gives you the ultimate freedom to decorate and furnish to your heart’s content. On the other hand, a rental often comes with restrictions written into the lease that forbid permanent changes from being made. What’s more, the short-term nature of most rentals makes some projects impractical. However, there are still many ways to decorate a rental and make it look amazing!

1) Easy-to-Assemble Furniture

Moving in and out of rentals can be time consuming, and relocating furniture is a big reason why. It’s big, it’s bulky, and it’s HEAVY.  Purchase Easy-to-Assemble furniture to make this process easier! These pieces ship in a flat box and can be easily assembled and dissembled. Moving a couch becomes so much easier when you can disassemble it and carry several smaller pieces.

Pictured Above: Ashley Arcola Sofa

Learn more about Easy-to-Assemble Furniture!

2) Multipurpose Furniture

While not always the case, rentals tend to be smaller in size. In order to use the space you do have efficiently, take advantage of flexible, multipurpose furniture. For example, if you don’t have the space to set up an entire guest bedroom, get a sleeper sofa to transform your living room area into one. Or, use an ottoman as a makeshift coffee table. Many pieces of furniture have hidden storage in them to further maximize your space.

Pictured Above: Ashley Alenya Charcoal Queen Sleeper Sofa

Check out 7 Versatile Furniture Pieces You Need in Your Home

3) Plants, plants, & more plants

Adding greenery to your rental home has so many benefits, including improving focus, providing natural air purification if you choose real plants, and adding visual interest to your rental space. Whether you choose to bring a variety of natural plants to care for into your home or an array of artificial plants,  this is a quick and cost efficient way to dress up your space.

See the Beginner’s Guide to Decorating with Houseplants

4) Add Wall Art

Just because you live in a rental doesn’t mean decorating the walls isn’t an option. Barren walls are no fun, so it’s worth figuring out a solution that doesn’t create permanent damage. Some nails are small enough that the hole left behind is barely noticeable, plus there are several methods of DIY-repairing that hole afterwards. Alternatively, solutions like Command Strips allow you to decorate your walls with zero damage or marks made! Make sure to check any restrictions your property has before holes in walls.

5) Add Room Dividers/Partitions

Whether you’re living in a studio apartment or have a huge open space that makes decorating difficult, adding in room dividers or partitions is a great idea. For example, you can set up a divider separating your bed/sleeping area from your living room and workspace. This helps your brain mentally adjust to the intended purpose of each area, helping you be more productive! Plus, dividing up your rental opens up so many style possibilities compared to having one large space to decorate.

6) Rugs

Just as wall art lets you customize your rental home’s walls, rugs let you customize your floors. While it’s unlikely you’ll get permission to completely recarpet your rental or place new flooring in, rugs give you limitless options to style your space. A perfectly placed rug in your living room helps to add texture and anchor your space, while a runner rug adds the finishing touch to your hallway. You can even layer rugs to create additional effects!

7) Fill Space with Storage Pieces

If you’ve already gotten all the furniture essentials for your home, storage pieces are the perfect place to look next. If there’s one thing many renters want, it’s more space. Storage pieces work seamlessly into your space, adding both style and additional room to store your belongings.

Pictured Above: Ashley Flintley Short Bookcase

Add these Top 10 Storage Pieces to your rental!

8) Get the Lighting Right

An often-overlooked feature of any home, rented or not, is its lighting. Good lighting will help your rental come alive, as well as produce a warm and inviting feel that begs you to snuggle up and get cozy. Start with a floor lamp or two that complement the look of your space, and then add table lamps throughout your rental as needed to produce the perfect lighting. Even if your home has an abundance of natural light, lamps can still be sued as decorative pieces to add personality to your rooms.

9) Mirrors

Mirrors are a great way to take an otherwise cramped and restrictive rental space and open it up. The reflection from your mirror makes your space look much larger than it is. Strategically placing wall and floor mirrors throughout your living room, bathroom, and bedroom is one of the simplest ways to decorate your rental.

Pictured Above: Coast to Coast Leaner Mirror

Shop Wall and Floor Mirrors!

10) Keep Moving in Mind

Due to the nature of rentals, you may find yourself moving at some point. It’s wise to keep this in mind as you decorate. Make sure any new furniture and décor you buy not only works well with your current apartment, but would be a good fit for a wide variety of future rental options. The last thing you want is having to completely rebuy and start from scratch every time you move.

Following a dedicated interior design style can help with this. Certain styles are more versatile than others, and choosing pieces around a particular style makes everything easier down the line.

Compared to home ownership, decorating a rental can be difficult. Thankfully, there are still so many options to create a comfortable and cozy space. From versatile furniture pieces to colorful rugs and wall art, turn your rental into a space you can truly call home.