A beautiful place to live makes a big difference in your day to day. Even if you won’t be renting it forever, it’s important for your home to feel homely, while making sure that you can return the property in the same condition it was in at the start of your tenancy. Here, we’ll detail a few ideas for a stylish flat that won’t risk your deposit.
A few months ago, we wrote about what first-time buyers forget to ask when viewing a home. There are some good tips in the article if you’re viewing a rental, but for renters, we'd also remind you to ask about decorating. Can you paint, and if so, what colours? Can you put tacks on the walls or even hang shelves? What furniture will remain in the flat? You’ll want to go into a property viewing with an understanding of what you can and cannot do with the space.
The accent colour
Rental apartments typically focus on neutral tones. An article by the Home Design Paris Institute says, “Neutral hues are especially effective in modern interiors, despite the fact that they are adaptable and suitable (and even required) for any type of interior design. This is due to the fact that neutral hues enable the outstanding architectural components of contemporary design to become the focal point.” In previous decades the blank white walls of a new let could seem a bit dreary, however modern design uses these tones to its advantage, to make an accent pieces pop. Your accents could be:
Soft furnishings
Sofa cushions make all the difference in a sitting room – and if you really like a change of scenery, get a plain cushion with covers you can change out, so you can match the vibe to your mood or the season.
A unique feature
Depending on how long you’d like to rent, you may not want to invest too much into your decor. Finding something unique, something that speaks to you, can be an easy way to give a room some TLC without breaking the bank.
Maybe you’ve got a friend who does pottery or you found a wacky side table at a charity shop. Book lover? Pick out a few of your favourites - a stack of book makes a classy feature in your sitting room or reading nook.
Find your Frame
A frame makes a big difference, making the design of your home feel more permanent. With a frame, you can also lean the piece instead of tacking it up – some landlords don’t allow holes in the walls. You can get crafty, too. Grab one you like from a charity shop, and frame a beautiful piece of fabric or colourful wallpaper.
Growing interest
Plants are a brilliant decoration for the home. They make a room feel livelier, you can find a plant that’ll be happy on just about any light and an unusual pot can be another source of interest in a room. Here are some great house plants for rental properties:
For pet owners
Many great houseplants are poisonous to animals – ZZ plant, lucky bamboo, basically any kind of lily…So, be careful with any plant you’re bringing home. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is commonly known to be pet friendly, and it’ll produce offshoots you can snip off and pot up to decorate more of your home.
For the bathroom
For the bathroom, you’ll want something that's happy with humidity. Often bathroom windows provide indirect sunlight, so it's not a place for sun lovers. Friendship Plant (Pilea involucrata) can be grown nicely in bathrooms, as it needs consistent moisture to grow. If your bathroom window is too small, Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) is a fantastic low-light option for the bathroom.
For limited light
Many of the plants that do well in low light are leafy, like Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior) or Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata). There are a few plants you can get to produce flowers in lower light, like African Violet (Saintpaulia ionantha) often can bloom with less light, and Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) actually thrives in low-light conditions.
For indirect sunlight, Swallowtail Plant (Christia obcordata) is a unique option with striped triangular leaves that look like a butterfly at rest.
For the windowsill
Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) is an easy windowsill plant that you can grab on your next grocery run. It’ll have bright flowers typically in red, pink, orange or yellow, and if you keep it deadheaded (remove the spent flowers) you can keep this in bloom for quite a while.
For beginners
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is a traditional beginner plant because it’s long lived and doesn’t need bright sun or constant watering. It’s hugely useful for renters on a budget as it grows fast and you can propagate it easily to get more live plants around your flat.
For warming up the cold months
Keep your apartment bright and cheery through the coldest months with Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii). This is a gorgeous trailing succulent that’ll produce bright tropical blooms around November to January – a treasure in to lighten any mid-winter gloom.
For small shelves
String of Hearts (Ceropegia woodii) is ideal for small shelves because you’ll have a cascade of hearts spilling romantically over the edge. This is another fast-growing and easy-to-propagate plant, and such a sweet gift for loved ones.
For big corners
The large leaves of rubber plant (Ficus elastica) make a great space filler for big empty corners. It can be a bit particular about its environment, but in the right spot, it’ll be a beautiful year-round feature. For those without green thumbs, it’s not too difficult to find an artificial rubber plant with realistic leaves, thanks to its waxy leaves.
For busy renters
ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) is well known for tolerating neglect. It’s happy in most any light – including low light, and won’t need water until it’s dry under the soil surface.
Need more ideas? We’ve also published a general article decorating a flat, as well as some decorating tips for landlords.
