• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Interiors Addict

The Interiors Addict

Style without the Snobbery

Job Board
  • Job Board
  • About
  • Before & Afters
  • RENO ADDICT
  • Kitchens
  • Bathrooms
  • Kids Rooms
  • Bedrooms
  • Living Room
  • Shopping
  • Expert Tips
  • Recipes
  • Parenting
  • Travel
Interiors Addict
  • About
    • Our Story

      Australiaโ€™s largest interior design, styling and renovation blog for the everyday Aussie. By former journalist and magazine editor Jen Bishop, the original interiors addict!
      READ MORE

      Weโ€™re big on Instagram!
      @interiorsaddict

      • About
      • Contact Interiors Addict
      • Work with Interiors Addict
      • Advertise / Find a job in Interiors
      • Press
      • Subscribe

    • How to Pull a Living Room Look Together eBookSubscribe to the Newsletter!
  • By Room
    • Browse by Room

      Where you can search for all our posts about a specific room. Only interested in kitchens and bathrooms? We got you!

      • Kitchens
      • Bathrooms
      • Kids Rooms
      • Bedrooms
      • Living Room
      • Home Office
      • Dining
      • Laundry
      • Outdoor & Exteriors
      • Renting
    • How to Pull a Living Room Look Together eBookSubscribe to the Newsletter!
  • Before & Afters
    • Before & Afters

      Who doesnโ€™t LOVE a good before & after? If you want to be inspired by the whole reno process, and not just the shiny photos at the end, this is the place for you!

      View Articles

      • Before & Afters
      • Jen’s reno
      • Real Renos
      • RENO ADDICT
    • Snapseed-14Navy weatherboard house: a crazy good before & after
    • Skylights_web_JacquiTurk-1Skylights have transformed our living room: here’s all the details
  • Reno Addict
    • RENO ADDICT

      Looking for reno inspo? Find it all here, from other peopleโ€™s projects to the latest trends, tools and products, whether youโ€™re DIY-ing or employing trades.

      View articles

      • Reno Products
      • DIY
      • Reno Trends
      • Before & Afters
      • Real Renos
    • Rear extensionMelbourne heritage overlay makes for unique renovation solution
    • Hallway styling ideas to make the best first impression
  • Shopping
    • Shopping

      Want to know where to buy the latest furniture, homewares, rugs, art and more? Weโ€™re always sharing our latest finds and telling you where you can buy them.

      View Articles

      • Furniture
      • Homewares
      • Art
      • Smart Home
      • Appliances
      • Reno Products
    • unnamed-54How to buy art online and some of the best places to find it
    • De Crecy taper candlesTaper candles take over from the jar variety in new trend we’re loving!
  • Inspiration
    • Inspiration

      While Jenโ€™s a legitimate interiors addict, sheโ€™s no design professional, so she calls on an army of the countryโ€™s best to share their expertise with you. Be inspired by their stories too!

      View Articles

      • Decorating 101
      • Interviews
      • Expert Tips
      • Before & Afters
      • House Tours
      • Designers
      • Styling
      • Renovating
      • Real Renos
      • Covet my coffee table
    • md_TAM-Rooms-12Luxury hotels NSW: Tamworth gets its own 5-star glamour
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle

      Weโ€™re mostly about the home but Jen also likes to share other things she thinks youโ€™ll love, like food and travel.

      • Recipes
      • Travel
      • Parenting
    • Banquette seatingThe Star Sydney: New Italian restaurant features interiors by TomMarkHenry
    • SOUL-of-Gerringong-backyard5 ways to make more money from your holiday property
  • Jobs
    • Advertise on our Job Board
    • Job Board FAQs for advertisers

How to personalise a rental home: 5 ideas

October 22, 2019 Leave a Comment

Facebook0Pin00Email0Tweet0

By Jessica Bellef

Are you a tenant who despairs of having a home that truly reflects your style and personality? When we rent a house, we are borrowing the space. These houses werenโ€™t built for us, and they werenโ€™t built for the people who will move in after us, but they temporarily become our own when we arrange our things in them, go through our daily routines and create memorable moments in them. The walls arenโ€™t always going to be the colour we want them to be, the floors may not give us the starting base we were hoping for and often the detail of the building structure looks tired (if anyย architectural detail exists at all).

Renting a home is a rite of passage, the first stop after careening from the family nest. It may be the first time we have had to share common rooms with people outside our circle of kin, and itโ€™s often the first time we have had to think about what furniture as well as bits and pieces go into rooms that arenโ€™t the bedroom. Budgets are usually restricted when we rent in our youth, as we are juggling study, entry-level jobs and the pull of a vibrant, glittery social life. Hungover Saturdays are spent constructing flat-packed furniture and dragging home beat-up items found on the side of the road.

Current social trends in Australiaโ€™s major cities have us renting well beyond the heady student years, as the cost of living keeps rising. We tend to hold back on setting ourselves up completely in a rental, waiting for that magical day when we can drop boxes of our things onto the floor of our perfect forever home, taking in the generous floor plan, the mass of natural light and the spot-on finishes. What we need to realise, though, is that unfortunately the perfect forever home can take a while to come around, and even then you are very lucky if you manage to nab a property that ticks all your boxes. Stamping your personality on the home and making it your own is important for your wellbeing and sense of connectedness, whether you are renting or you have moved into your not-quite-perfect forever home and renovations are a costly pipe dream.

Ideas to help make a rental yours

Mix up the layout to work for you
Rooms are defined by the furniture that goes in themโ€”a bed belongs in the bedroom, while a dining table fits in the dining room. The real estate agent may tell you that the room at the front of the house is a lounge room, but that doesnโ€™t mean you have to keep it that way. Take note of where you are drawn to at different times of the day and the conditions you need for certain activities. In Adam and Nickโ€™s home, the bedroom was in a dark cave of a room, so the sun-loving couple converted the bright sunroom into their bedroom; the old bedroom then became a workroom and storage space. They love rising with the sun and starting their weekends with coffee and the papers in bed, soaking up the light.

Use rugs to downplay unattractive flooring
Laying down a rug is the quickest way to hide floors that are looking a little worse for wear or may be finished in a way you donโ€™t like. I am a believer in rugs laid on top of carpetโ€”as long as the pile of each isnโ€™t too thick. Make sure you get the size right using the Goldilocks approachโ€”a rug that is too small will look dinky, while a rug that is too big will suffocate the space. You need to find one that is just right.

Display art without hacking into the walls
Landlords arenโ€™t very fond of holes in the walls, which makes it hard for renters to display their loved art and framed works. Sticky hooks can be useful for hanging things that are lightweight, but they arenโ€™t so reliable for heavier piecesโ€”and cheaper brands will pull paint off the walls, anyway. Large-scale art can look great casually leaning against a wall, whether it sits atop a sideboard or is placed on the ground. Shadow box frames can nestle onto shelves among your books and hold favourite items. For unframed prints on paper, washi tape and coloured painterโ€™s tape will temporarily affix the art to the wall. Work slowly and carefully when you need to remove the tape, though, so that the paint remains intact.

Change up the lighting
My least favourite thing when it comes to homes is cold, harsh fluorescent lighting. If you are stuck with a temperature of overhead lighting that you donโ€™t love, fill your rooms with lamplight for a cosy and comfortable ambience. If you donโ€™t mind the temperature of the light but arenโ€™t a fan of the fittings, get up close to see if you can swap out the shades without the need for complicated rewiring.

The other option is to talk to your landlord. If you would like to paint or make other minor alterations, there is a good chance that they will give you permission to do so. Especially if you mention that the changes may add value to the property!

–Images and text from Individualย by Jessica Bellef, photography by Sue Stubbs, Murdoch Books RRP $49.99.ย  Out now. Buy online.ย ย 

Renovate a rental property on a budget: a case study | 10 DIY updates for your rental kitchen | How to: restyle your home with what you already own

Facebook0Pin00Email0Tweet0

Primary Sidebar

Trending This Week

Visit Jen's profile on Pinterest.

Subscribe

Love interiors and renovating? Sign up for our bi-weekly emails featuring all the best bits! We'll also send you our free eBook:
How to Pull a Living Room Look Together

Real Renos

Rear extension

Melbourne heritage overlay makes for unique renovation solution

Navy weatherboard house: a crazy good before & after

Kitchen

Redfern terraces combined to create one light-filled home

Architect’s Victorian villa comes alive in colour

AFTER bathroom

Tired 40s house given colourful new lease on life by interior designer

Jen Bishop

About Jen Bishop

Jen Bishop is our owner and publisher and an experienced journalist and editor. This blog has been her full-time job for more than 7 years. She is married to Damian and mum to Sebastian and Charlie.

More from Expert Tips

5 ways to make more money from your holiday property

How to buy art online and some of the best places to…

Design your dream living room with custom made furniture

The best ‘cleanstagram’ accounts to follow for home organisation inspo

DIY? When it’s illegal, dangerous or just not worth it.

Greg Natale

Greg Natale’s 2021 interior trend predictions: curves, statement ceilings & bold colours

4 easy ways to incorporate Hamptons decorating into your home

Pinterest

Latest home design trends: Japandi, neon lights & shelfies will be hot…

Steve Cordony shares his home office must haves

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Promo Area

Subscribe to the Newsletter

We publish twice a day every weekday. Sign up to our twice-weekly newsletter with all the best bits! We'll also send you our free eBook:
How to Pull a Living Room Look Together.

Footer

Interiors Addict

Interiors Addict

  • About
  • Contact
  • Work with Jen
  • Press
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure Policy

Browse

  • RENO ADDICT
  • Jen’s Reno
  • House Tours
  • Real Renos
  • Interviews
  • Styling
  • Designers
  • Bedrooms
  • Covet My Coffee Table
  • Expert Tips
  • The Block
  • Art
  • Furniture
  • Recipes

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RENO ADDICT

Copyright © 2011–2021 Addicted Media Pty Ltd
Website care by ClickWP ยท Log in

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!