Make the place your own (even when it’s not)

We live in moving times. Many of us are reconsidering our options, reassessing our life choices and deciding the life we once thought was our forever choice was only our for-now choice. For some of us, we aren’t just changing how we live, but where we live too. This means that many of us have sold up and are renting until the right place comes along, or renting to try out living in what we think might be our dream location before committing, or renting because buying is impossible. Certainly, the number of people renting in England has nearly doubled since 2000.

One way or another, it leaves a lot of us challenged with making what is often an impersonal space personal, and with creating a home that feels homely, without losing our deposit in the process.

LET THERE BE LIGHT FITTINGS Good lighting can make a dramatic difference to the most ho-hum of interiors. It’s often where I start with my own rooms. Replacing rental-basic with a dramatic pendant light or even a chandelier is a quick way to make a space more your own. Store the fitting that came with the place carefully and don’t forget to put it back up when you leave. If adding wall lights feels a step too far, the kind of side lights you can clip onto shelves or bed frames are a quick way to add drama. Be generous with standard and table lamps, placing them wherever you need them in reading corners, wherever there is a table where you might sit with a cup of tea and so on. It helps define spaces and make them feel more cosy.

However long you are likely to stay in a space, create your own stories there. Live where you are. Don’t wait

ACCESS ALL AREAS

Move the furniture around. Take a picture first, so you know where everything needs to go when you leave, but then make it all your own. In large open-plan places, define spaces with area rugs in striking colours or designs and arrange the furniture around them.

GO SOFTLY

Of course, throws and pillows make bland rented furniture more appealing and are an instant way to add colour and character.

HANGING AROUND

It’s not always possible to hang pictures if your landlord doesn’t want you to hammer hooks into the walls (though it’s worth negotiating this, if you plan to be there for more than a year or so). Lighter pieces can be hung from adhesive strips which can be removed without damaging the wall. Command picture mounting strips come in various strengths, and the largest ones can hold up to 7.2kg (£4.55 for four from viking-direct.co.uk). Also, mirrors, pictures and favourite photographs framed and propped up on free-standing shelves are a good way of personalising a space without damaging the walls.

STICK ’EM UP

If you want to add colour and pattern to a wall, investigate peel-and-stick wallpapers by companies such as wallpops. co.uk, and Peelypeely on etsy.com/uk. The designs can be hung, repositioned and replaced, without damaging walls.

PUT IT AWAY

Often rentals don’t have enough storage so spaces end up looking cluttered, feeling temporary. Investing in pieces – shelves, cupboards, drawers – which you can take with you when you leave helps spaces feel calmer and more permanent.

GET YOUR GREENS

I don’t think a room feels finished without some sort of foliage. If you have green fingers, go for as large a plant as the room will take for drama – and a few smaller ones. If you don’t have green fingers, don’t stint on the cut flowers and foliage. It is the simplest way to lift the spirits and add energy to a space.

SHOP TALK

It’s probably not very cool to admit this, but I love going to Ikea. I adore their room sets, how they make a space look like a home, right down to the last teaspoon or pillow. None of the pieces in isolation would look so good; it’s the way they combine and layer things to create the sense of a real life lived that is clever. It feels like the grown-up version of playing with a doll’s house. Go and have a look at your favourite interiors store and examine exactly how they create their room sets – are there any tips you could pick up and adapt for your own space?

CREATE STORIES

However long you are likely to stay in a space, create your own stories there. Live where you are. Don’t wait. Create tablescapes and displays on shelves with anything that really means something to you. Don’t live with “this is good enough for now”. Make now as special, personal and beautiful as you possibly can. You will never regret it.

Do you have a question for Debora or a domestic tip to share? Email her at askdebora@ telegraph.co.uk

i A large plant for drama and rugs used to create different zones can work wonders