Living in a rented home has several benefits that we all love to take advantage of. With rentals, you can save money and get a house for yourself without being tied down in an area, both of which are important for young adults. However, living in rentals poses the distinct disadvantage of monotony.

All rentals, particularly apartments, have the same four boxed design that you can also see in your neighbor’s room. You’ll always wake up to dull painted ceilings and walls with home decor from the nearby dollar store plastered all over. Though some rentals are pretty, you’ll get sick of the design eventually. After all, furniture and bedsheets are pretty much the only aspects you can freely change without your landlord going nuts. So even if you’re technically living in the room, it won’t feel like home.

Thankfully, you can redecorate your home to alleviate the alienating feeling of living on a rental. How exactly do we do that, you ask? Well, get your stencils and decals ready. Let’s find out.

Ground rules before redecorating your rental

Ask permission from your landlord

You mainly need written permission that states that you’re allowed to redecorate your rental. Written authorization will serve as concrete proof that your landlord has allowed you when they contest you for redecorating the rental. If you’re lucky, some landlords may even offer help when a tenant wants to redecorate the rental.

Set a budget

Redecorating your home is fun and addicting. It’s wise to stick to a budget that you can afford. After all, if you get evicted or decide to leave the house, you can’t bring the permanent improvements. Consider going to thrift shops that offer cheap deals on furniture, decorations, and more.

Quick and easy ways to redecorate your rental

Add furniture that you’ve always wanted

Renting a fully furnished house is a tremendous cost-saving technique that is the main selling point for tenants. But the furniture included is often bland, boring, and immovable. However, this shouldn’t stop you from redecorating your rental. You can always add curtains, bookcases, tables, and LED lighting to accentuate your room to your liking. Plus, you can always upcycle the included furniture to save yourself from shopping at IKEA.

By the way: remember to save all the furniture you remove or change. The landlord might want it back when you move out.

Redecorate your bedroom and living room

Now and then, we experience the massive letdown of resting at a rental home that doesn’t suit our preferences. Often, sleeping in the bedroom is akin to staying the night at a hotel—it’s friendly and usable, but it’s just not right. Luckily, you can fix this problem with ease, just:

Add wall decorations that you’ll love to see every day. By effortlessly putting up a picture frame of you and your friends, you’ve quickly added your flair to the room. Accompany the decal wallpaper with paintings and fairy lights to further spice up your space.

Paint walls to your liking. Do take note that some landlords don’t allow painting in rentals. If they don’t let you paint your rooms, try adding wall decals or stencils. Options like these are an alternate solution that will enable you the freedom to be creative, with the benefit of easy removal. Along with painting your room, some landlords don’t allow wallpapers. Even though wallpapers are pretty, it’s not advised for rentals as it’s difficult to remove. Save yourself and your landlord the hassle by sticking to stencils.

Redecorate your kitchen

Often enough, the kitchen you get in rentals is bare to the bones and strictly for utility. Thankfully, you can improve the ambiance of the area by installing decorative tile paper. With this, you can add your favorite colors and art in the kitchen. In addition to tile paper, you can customize your spice cabinet by adding shelves to which you’ll have quick access.

By the way: never paint on natural wood. Some kitchens are fitted with natural wood for accent and are designed to stay looking like that. If the wood is chipping, varnish it instead. Your landlord will thank you for not ruining their oak table.

People have always tried to be unique and stand amongst the flock. We try to show our personalities through various mediums such as art, music, poetry, and more. That’s why we try to design our home that screams our identity. But what if you’re living in a rental home? Does this limit how we can express ourselves?

Absolutely not. So, redecorate your rental to your heart’s content. Just follow the guide listed above, and you’ll feel like you’re home again.