10 Easy Renter-Friendly Upgrades You Can Make in Your Home
I'm going to be breaking down the easiest renter-friendly upgrades. These are ways you can instantly give your rented home a facelift. They're affordable and won't cause damage to your apartment.
Renter-friendly upgrades
1. Lighting
No interior design is complete without light. There are three main aspects in which you can upgrade the lighting in your apartment today.
The first one is natural lighting. Think about ways in which you can help natural lighting to enter your apartment easily.
Do you have some heavy drapery or vertical blinds that block the passage of light into your space?
Increase natural lighting by using sheer curtains paired with blinds. During the day, the sheer curtains are decorative and provide light passage, and the blinds provide nighttime privacy.
Upgrading fixtures is a very simple way to uplift the overall look of your space and bring it to the next level. If you have old-looking light fixtures, you may want to switch them out for more modern-looking ones. This is a significant upgrade because it is easy to switch back to the old one when leaving.
Also, look at the general or task lighting in your apartment.
These are not necessarily the light fixtures that everybody might see but think about adding small lighting details, for example, LED lights, track lights, puck lights, you name it.
You can put your LED lights in your hallway or even perhaps wall mount a TV console and then add a little strip of lighting underneath it to create that modern look and modernize your space.
2. Removable wallpaper
I love wallpaper in any space. The good thing about removable wallpaper is you can remove it without damaging the wall.
You have to test everything before you go in and wallpaper your entire apartment, and then risk having damage and paying for that damage.
Wallpaper can add color to your space if you use it as a solid color, or it could also add movement if you add patterns, and there are different patterns to choose from.
The other great thing about removable wallpaper is you don't have to wallpaper the entire room if you don't want to. You can use it to accent a particular wall or features you want to highlight.
3. Living room storage
Most of us need to add storage into our spaces, but it's about the type of storage you add and how you add it, which can either make or break your interior design style.
In the living room, if you feel like you need extra space, then consider buying a sofa that has storage underneath.
If you already have a sofa that is not an option to consider, consider upgrading your coffee table and replacing it with an ottoman.
An ottoman serves three functions and is one of my favorite pieces of furniture. One, it can be used as a coffee table. Two, it can be used as storage underneath it, and three, it can be used as extra seating.
4. Bathroom and bedroom storage
Another way to think of storage is in the bathroom. Can you install extra shelving, perhaps above your toilet or even above the toilet door, to utilize that space for storing things away, like tissues and extra toiletries?
Within the bedroom, you could also think of using a bed with built-in storage or using some nightstands with extra storage
5. Wall molding
I am a fan of wall molding. It is hands down one of the easiest ways to add architectural details and interest to your walls.
After adding these wooden details to the walls, many paint them before adding them to the walls or leave them bare to give that contrast to the whole space. Some peel-and-stick wall moldings are out there, which are a genius solution.
Wall molding works in more traditional or transitional spaces, but you want to do a slat wall instead of wall molding for a modern look.
A slat wall is a cousin to wall molding because it also adds wooden elements to the wall for decoration. There are some stick-and-peel options for you to consider.
6. Open shelving
I love open shelving, an easy way to make your space look modern. If you think open shelving is for you, then there is a simple way to upgrade your kitchen. You can unscrew the doors from your upper cabinets; you have some open shelving before you know it.
7. Clean grout lines
You have to clean your grout lines, which is an easy way to modify your space. Not only does it modify your space in the way of modernizing, but it also uplifts the space because you will have a seamless floor with fewer boundaries.
If using the chemical as a grout cleaner is not possible, there are also some physical grout cleaners that you can use to scrape the dirt out of the grout lines and restore them to their original condition.
8. Remove vertical blinds
Removing these dated blinds is the easiest way to update your space. If you still have vertical blinds, the most straightforward solution would be to rip them out and replace them with something else.
However, that's not an option if you're a renter like me. So, let's think about other creative ways to do this.
There are kinds of curtain rods that you can attach to the rods of the vertical blinds; thus, you can hide those vertical blinds behind the curtain.
When you open and close the curtain, you have to be mindful of when you stop so that the blinds are not exposed, and voila, no one will ever know that there are vertical blinds behind the curtain.
9. Home decor
Lastly, discuss some decor elements you can add to your space—art and mirrors. There are different ways that you can still display your art and your mirrors without having to drill. The first option would be to lean it against the wall.
Another way to hang your mirror or art without drilling into the wall is to use picture hanging strips.
Another non-invasive way to hang your art is to leave it on the easel. This is a classic way to showcase your creativity; you can even have the easel match your interior decor.
Being a renter shouldn't stop you from displaying your art; most importantly, it shouldn't stop you from decorating your apartment and making you feel at home.
10. Balcony flooring
If you're blessed to have a balcony in your apartment, then the flooring on the balcony might be dating the entire look of your apartment.
The good thing is that there are so many ready-to-use solutions on the market that are easy to install and uninstall. Tiles can add a modern look and can give you some Mediterranean vibes.
Renter-friendly upgrades
What are your favorite renter-friendly upgrades? What have you done to make your rental personal? Share your ideas in the comments below.
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