5 ways to make your (temporary) mark on a rented home

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If there’s one thing that annoys me more than the painfully slow scoring process on The Block, it’s people saying you can’t or, worse still, there’s no point, in making an effort with your interiors if you rent your home. AAAGGGHHHH. Nonsense!

Of course there’s a point. One of the main things I hope to get across in this blog, is how much joy and fun you can get from making your home a nest, filling it with things that make you smile or perhaps feel calm and secure, or remind you of a great holiday. It can be as simple as the lovely feeling of your home being very “you” or feeling so super cosy that there’s nowhere you’d rather unwind after a busy day at the office. And it doesn’t have to be hard, expensive or permanent.

Here are my top 5 ways to add some personality and you-ness to your rented home. Because we all deserve to love our home and get the feel-good vibes that go along with that, whether we own or not. And let’s face it, it’s increasingly bloody hard to get on the housing ladder, especially in Sydney!

1. The last time I looked, rugs, furniture and accessories were all removable and therefore able to be moved from room to room or home to home, or even packed away and saved for a future home if they don’t work in the next place. There is no reason why you can’t invest in these items because they can move with you. Be smart and buy key, larger pieces in neutral colours.

2. Put up art and framed photos using 3M Command Picture Hanging Strips. These aren’t just for small frames.  You can use them to hang frames weighing up to a whopping 7kg. No limits! Creating a gallery wall of photos or hanging a favourite art print above your bed are now options without leaving so much as a mark on your landlord’s walls. Winning.

3. Change curtains and blinds. I have never EVER lived with the supplied curtains or blinds in a rental. I remove them, put them away safely somewhere and replace them with whatever I like. I simply put back the originals when I come to move out. You can also change the shower curtain if you have one.

4. Try removable wallpaper. There’s the vinyl self-adhesive kind (try Wallcreations or The Wallsticker Company) or the real paper kind (read about my experience with Publisher Textiles, tried and tested!) and you can damn well have that feature wall if you want it!

5. Ok, so this one isn’t temporary but bear with me. Depending on how long you’re likely to live in your rental and how important your interiors are to you, weigh up whether you might be prepared to spend a little money on things you won’t be able to take with you when you leave. This isn’t for everyone, but I’ve done this myself. In one apartment I HATED the kitchen floor so much I offered to pay half for a new one and the landlord said yes. In another apartment, when I moved in, I realised quite how badly the place needed a lick of paint (but it certainly wasn’t bad enough that you could argue it HAD to be done). I offered to pay half to have the small place painted and the job was done within a week. Happy days! I can’t tell you what a difference it made and I didn’t regret a dollar. Yes, you won’t get that money back but if you, like me, are really fussy about what your home looks like, you might consider it’s money well spent.

Having both rented and owned, I don’t think there’s been much difference in how much love has gone into my homes’ interiors. How about you?

 Love to hear your tips for making your mark on you rental! Please share in the comments.