How to make a rented place feel like home
LIZ CONNOR reveals some quick and easy interior design tips and tricks that won’t annoy your landlord
THERE are a lot of things that can make a rented home feel like a temporary space. But you don’t need to own your property to make your place feel homely.
While you’ll need permission from your landlord to do things like painting walls or updating floors, there are other ways to get great interiors.
Hang some artwork
A few well-placed frames can really transform a room, without the need to bargain with your landlord about re-painting.
Desenio (desenio.co.uk) has affordable, contemporary posters and prints, but if you have a slightly larger budget, check out the limited edition screenprints at Print Club London (printclublondon. com) for something special.
Make sure you read your contract to find out if you’re allowed to put nails in your walls; if not, you could try Command picture hanging strips (£12 for 10, argos.co. uk), which are ideal for hanging framed photos without causing any damage to your walls.
Pot some plants
Scattering leafy green plants around your home can fill a lifeless rented pad with the kind of positive feng shui energy we all need.
If you’re new to the world of gardening, we recommend looking at aloe vera, English ivy and snake plants; three hardy varieties that are fairly low-maintenance and easy to care for.
Your local garden centre is a great place to find inspiration and advice, but you could also try a plant delivery service like Patch Plants (patchplants.com).
Use vinyl to update surfaces
You can’t rip out a dated kitchen when you’re renting, but you can use removable vinyl to add a more modern colour or pattern to your units.
We like JesRose Vinyl (jesrose.co.uk), which has a massive variety of patterned vinyl options for covering everything from furniture and walls to backsplashes, cupboards and bath panels. The vinyl is really easy to apply and simply peels off when you’re ready to move out.