By Bed Threads Interiors 24.08.2026

Bare Walls? Decorate Your Rental With These 6 Landlord-Approved Hacks

Easy, breezy and instantly transformative.

If you’re renting your space rather than owning it, the lack of control over what you can and can’t do when it comes to decorating can occasionally prove frustrating.

No major renovations, no serious permanent changes… For the average renter, it’s a difficult predicament. The answer is to seek out landlord-approved decorating hacks that will change the look and feel of your space without breaking your legal responsibilities as a tenant. In short? You need to opt for non-permanent or minor renovations.

One of the best areas to make these sorts of small changes is on the walls. There are plenty of ways you can update bare walls that come with a stamp of approval from even the trickiest landlord. Here are a few of our favourites.

Bookshelves

Bothered by excesses of blank space, courtesy of your bare walls? It’s time to invest in some bookshelves. This is the definition of a non-permanent change: you’re just adding a piece of furniture you can take with you when you leave your rental.

If you have a lot of bare wall space and it’s within your budget, why not buy a few matching bookshelves that you can place side by side along the wall? Fill the bookshelves with all your beloved titles, magazines and knick-knacks, and you’ll see an instant change in how your room feels.

If you want to keep things light and airy, consider a ladder bookshelf. This backless style means that the bare wall behind is exposed, ensuring that even though you’re adding a piece or two of furniture to a room, it will never feel overwrought because the wall behind will shine through.

Decals

Sticker decals, which can be placed on the wall and removed easily without damaging the paint, used to conjure up images of childhood bedrooms and preschools. However, in recent years, they’ve had a bit of a resurgence courtesy of the art school maximalism trend and small producers on websites like Etsy – where else? – making the kinds of sticker decals we’ve always dreamt of.

Ever wanted to make a terrazzo feature wall? You can, with a sticker decal that applies effortlessly to the wall and can just as simply be removed when you’re ready to leave.

Photo walls

Similar to decals, photos – or postcards or art prints – stuck to the wall using low-adhesive, non-abrasive tape like the Japanese masking tape Washi Tape, or blue tack, make for a fantastic, minimal-impact wall decoration.

Print and gather all your favourite photos or art prints, and then either tack them directly to the wall or to a board, which can be hung onto a picture rail or a hook.

Now, instead of a blank wall, you'll have a beautiful space dedicated to your fondest memories or most inspiring visuals.

Art

Again, if you have picture rails with existing hooks, it’s time to get your beloved art pieces onto the wall. The best thing about art is that it is easily changed, meaning that if you want to swap out a painting for a different one, or if you’re ready for a sea change, you can do so with just a minute’s worth of re-hanging.

If you don’t have picture rails or hooks, never fear. According to rental guidelines, minor changes such as hooks for hanging paintings are usually acceptable, as long as you get permission from your landlord first.

Reach out and tell them that you’re hoping to hang some artwork and need to get some hooks installed. The chances are that they’ll say yes, because when you leave, the next tenant is sure to want to decorate that blank wall space, too.

Coat hooks

As with art in your rental, hanging some coat hooks is possible as long as you get permission first. If you’re planning on purchasing the coat hooks yourself and having them installed by a professional in a reasonable location – say, on a wall near the front door – there’s a very good chance that your landlord will say yes. Just remember to always ask for permission. It is their property, after all.

A very big plant

Whenever we’re stuck for decorating tips, we always end up thinking about house plants. All roads really do lead to house plants, as far as we’re concerned. If you have a bare wall that you’re looking to decorate, why not invest in a towering number that will really draw the eye and take up space?

Some fiddle leaf figs can grow to enormous heights, their leaves curling out to cover blank wall space. Or what about a big olive tree, with its sage green leaves and its simple, easy-to-care-for nature? Whatever large plant you choose, it will bring light and energy into your living space and liven up even the blankest of bare walls.