These designer-approved ideas will turn your rental into your personal sanctuary.

17.01.24 | By Rachael Thompson | Journal

11 Easy Tricks for Decorating a Rental on a Budget

These designer-approved ideas will turn your rental into your personal sanctuary.

When you live in a rental home, there are unfortunately limits to what you can do with your space. It's likely you can't renovate and you might not have the budget to do so, especially with rental prices skyrocketing at the moment.

Whether you don't live in a home that you own because you simply aren't interested in buying, you don't have the funds, or you're living away from home, there are plenty of ways to personalise your space. "You can make any space look and feel fabulous with the right colour choices, styling and upkeep. And you don’t need to spend the earth to do it," explains stylist Ella Barba.

You can make a rental feel like a home without breaking the bank or risking your deposit. Below, we look at 11 affordable, designer-approved ways you can decorate your rental and turn it into your own private haven.

1. Switch up the window furnishings

In interior designer Sarah Shinners' experience, all the rental homes she's lived in have had underwhelming window furnishings. "They're easy to take down and store to return to their place when you leave and can be inexpensively replaced," she says. "Try finding some basic linen tab top curtains and a rod from an op shop or fabric shop and then decorate them yourself using fabric paint or stitching off-cuts of fabric onto them a la Studio Fie Paarup."

2. Use rugs to hide rental floors

Using rugs to either create and bring a space together or hide any rental flooring that you can't replace is a game-changer according to Ella. It could even be a hall runner if you want to have a nice entrance each time you come home.

3. Play with your lampshades

Lighting sets the mood in your home so it's worth focusing on this aspect of your abode. "Sometimes all it needs is a fun new shade. I swapped the pendant shades in my home to black and white striped paper shades which you can find quite inexpensively on Etsy," explains Sarah.

Also, consider each room and its lighting requirements. A bedroom should have warm-toned lighting and a bathroom should have nice bright lighting, so switch up the light bulbs to suit the space.

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4. Propagate indoor plants

Houseplants can instantly elevate a space. If you already have a couple in your home and want more it's time to start propagating! Not sure where to start? Follow our guide on propagating houseplants and turn your rental into a little oasis.

5. Add some art

Interior designer Sarah Shinners suggests adding art to your home in an effort to make your it feel special to you.

"Personalising your home with art collected and curated is the easiest way to individualise your space. And it doesn't have to be expensive art, it can be homemade, found at markets and op shops or prints of pieces you love framed cleverly to add interest and texture. Art doesn't even have to be a painting – it can be a beautiful ceramic plate, a found object like a beautiful stone or even a tea towel/piece of fabric or clothing."

6. Capitalise on what you have

When it came to decorating her rental home, Ella Barba took advantage of the features that she most liked. "The thought process was to capitalise on what the house already had, be it high ceilings, natural light, white walls, and spacious big rooms, and then style it to at least feel like it could be our forever home (even though it’s obviously not)."

Some examples for enhancing your home:

If you have high ceilings find a nice pendant light to accentuate this quality.
If you have a decorative fireplace, dress it up and draw attention to it with candles, plants, or special trinkets.
If you have plenty of natural light, see if you can temporarily swap out the current curtains for sheer ones.
If you have an open-floor plan, research how to layout your furniture to make the most of it.

7. Get crafty with DIY wall sconces

Given how important lighting is for a home, we're coming to you with another budget, rental-friendly lighting trick, this time from stylist Loui Burke. These beautiful ceramic-look sconces look much more expensive than they are, require no wiring, and can easily be taken down as soon as you're lease is up – genius!

8. Replace outdated knobs and handles

If you want to refresh your kitchen space or bathroom you can do so very easily by switching out the tired old handles for some new sets. Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, or secondhand/thrift stores have a lot of great options for those on a budget. Don't forget to keep hold of the old handles in case you need to put them back when you leave.

9. Play with mirrors

"Mirrors have the ability to reframe a space and give it a new dimension," shares Ella. Adding a mirror to a space is a particularly great tool to use if your rental is on the smaller side or you want your space to have extra light. This is one item you really don't need to spend much on because brands Ikea, Target, and Kmart are making some fantastic options that don't look inexpensive.

10. Hang up a nice shower curtain

If your home has a shower with a curtain and it's looking worse for wear, switch it up for something more to your taste. A pretty shower curtain can brighten even the dankest of rooms.

11. Pick a pleasant scent

The smell of your home will be one of the first things guests notice when they arrive. It's a powerful tool that can affect our mood and make us feel nostalgic, uplifted, or relaxed. A good fragrance will change the vibe of your home so pick a pleasant candle, incense, or diffuser to enhance one's perception of your home.

For more styling help follow:

Sarah Shinners at @sarah.shinners @without.studio

Loui Burke at @louiburke

Ella Barba at @ellabarba @homesnob

These designer-approved ideas will turn your rental into your personal sanctuary.