DIY Small Rental Home Decorating Ideas
Decorating your rental home not only allows you to put your own stamp on its interior, but the right design choices can make the house seem larger, add more storage, and increase the home's livability. Some of the most effective decorating choices can be pieces of furniture or artwork that can follow you from home to home. Make sure that your design reflects not only your taste but your interests as well, by incorporating personal photos and heirlooms into your decor. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Cleanser
- Sandpaper
- Primer
- Paint
- Paintbrushes
- Light fixtures
- Bulbs
- Baskets
- Boxes
- Bed skirt
Instructions
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Make your rooms seem larger by using one large piece of art on the wall rather than several small pieces. Move bookcases and cabinets that are long and thin and place them beside smaller pieces of furniture. Placing pieces of furniture that are different heights near each other creates an optical illusion. Your eye follows the lines of the furniture and, as you look up, the room seems higher and larger. Use the cabinets and bookcases as storage as well, which will help declutter the room.
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Paint all your furniture the same color. This creates another optical illusion, making the room seem larger. Thoroughly clean the wood and laminate pieces, sand them down to give the paint a surface to adhere to, then prime with a product specially designed for the surface of your piece. Use a semigloss to paint your furniture. Buy glass tables to make the room seem more spacious. Since you can see through glass, it "disappears," making it look like there is more space in the room..
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Change out unattractive light fixtures and replace them with more attractive chandeliers or pendant lights. Carefully store the light fixture you take down, so you can replace it when you move out. If the light in the rental home is not flattering, replace the light switches with dimmers in every room so you can control the amount of light being generated. Buy small canister lights and scatter them throughout the house. If you are not allowed to paint the walls, experiment with different colored bulbs in the canisters, then shine them on the walls to give a light tint to the room.
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Remove all clutter. Give away pieces that you don't really love or that don't reflect your current design choices. Hide necessities in baskets or decorative boxes that can be stored on bookshelves. Create storage by buying coffee tables with built-in cabinets or ottomans with lids that open up. Use a painted chest as a side table. If your bed does not have a bed skirt, buy one. Use it to hide plastic containers under the bed that can hold out-of-season clothes. Fill antique suitcases with unused sheets and blankets, then stack them by your bed to serve as a charming nightstand.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit small house image by sanyal from Fotolia.com
