Whether you rent or own your home, you’re going to want to make it your own once you move in! But obviously, if you’re renting, you have to be careful about what changes you make to the property. Many landlords will work with you if you want to paint or do a larger DIY project, but if your landlord doesn’t want you to paint, here are 6 other ways to customize your rental without losing your security deposit!
Switch out your light fixtures
Whether you have wall sconces, overhead lighting, or something else entirely, updating your light fixtures is an easy way to make a huge difference!
When we first moved into our apartment we noticed that the living room had no overhead lighting (
just wall sconces) and all the bulbs in the existing sconces were naked; there were no diffusers to soften the light. So we found a few inexpensive fixtures at our local hardware store, installed them, and the lighting is so much better now!
Installing your own light fixtures is simple; the instructions that come with your new fixtures should tell you everything you need to know. Just be sure to turn off the electricity to the circuit before you start! And make sure you save the old fixtures so that you can re-install them when you move out, or be prepared to leave them as a gift for the next tenant.
Add a rug to hardwood floors
Hardwood floors can be hit or miss in a rental; sometimes they are well taken care of, and sometimes they aren’t. But regardless of the condition your floors are in, hardwood floors can be too much of one color, especially if they are a bit yellow. Luckily, you can easily break up the monochrome by putting an area rug in a couple rooms!
Rugs are a great way to accent the other decor in a room. Add a pop of color to a white room by adding a brightly colored rug, lighten up a dark room with a light neutral rug, or put a dark rug in to add some contrast to a boring, neutral room!
Create bright, open shelving in your kitchen
You can easily upgrade your kitchen by removing the cabinet doors on your upper kitchen cabinets. This creates open kitchen shelving making your kitchen feel bigger. And if you want to add a pop of color to your kitchen, use removable wallpaper to cover the inside of the cabinets!
Just re-install the doors before you move out, and remove the wallpaper with a damp rag!
Update your windows
Dressing up your windows is an easy way to update your decor! And you have a ton of options! Install curtains to add some color to a neutral room. Add wooden blinds to soften up a starkly contrasted room, or install roman shades if you want to add large swathes of color to a room. You can also add trim to your windows; crown moulding on top of a window can dress up a room, and you can paint or stain the trim to add fun contrast!
Install a new shower head
If your bathroom needs upgrading, installing a new shower head is a quick and easy option! A new shower head won’t break the bank, and installation is as simple as twisting off the old shower head and twisting the new one on!
Install new faucets in your kitchen or bathroom
DIY plumbing might sound scary, but it’s not as hard as you might think! If your kitchen or bathroom has old, grungy faucets, switch them out with something more modern!
Faucets come with installation instructions, and if you pay attention as you uninstall the current faucet and drain, you shouldn’t have any trouble installing the new one! (
Visit Practically Functional to see the full tutorial for installing your own faucet or for any of the other projects mentioned in this post!)
What have you done to customize your rental?
