One of the biggest perks of homeownership is that you’re free to change the appearance of your house through improvements and renovations. If you want to have an open floor plan, you can tear down the wall dividing two areas, but make sure it’s not load-bearing if you don’t want the house to crumble.
And if you want a bathtub instead of a shower in the bathroom, you can easily make that happen because it’s your home, after all. But those luxuries aren’t available to those who are only renting. That’s because if they so much as made a permanent alteration to the house, they could lose their deposit.
However, it’s difficult to feel comfortable and at home in a place that doesn’t have a unique character or your personal touches. But don’t lose hope just yet. If you’re only renting the house you’re living in now; there are still ways for you to make it your own without having to make permanent changes.
You can make your house scream “you” even if it’s not legally yours. The title to the house may not be in your name, but you’re still the one living in it and paying rent. So, it’s only right that you do what you can to make yourself feel at home. In fact, here are three ways you can achieve that:
Add Your Personal Touch with Decorations
The easiest way to mark your territory is by filling the place with your memorabilia and decorations. But don’t think that decorations are only the tacky pieces hung during celebrations. There are plenty of decorations that aren’t a sight for sore eyes and can add character to your home to make it yours.
For instance, you can get the best doormats you can find online so that you’ll already have your personal touch from the moment you walk through your doors. It could be something fun and casual like those animal-inspired designs, but it could also be simple and formal. The choice is yours.
You’ll have even more opportunities to decorate inside. An example of this is if you like to paint as a hobby because you can hang up your paintings around the house to fill the empty walls. Or if you’re more of a green thumb, then you can place indoor plants on windowsills and hallways to add a pop of color to the room.
Strategically Arrange Your Furniture
When you’re renting, you won’t be able to make major renovations to the house you’re living in. But while there’s nothing you can do about the physical space, you can always tweak the appearance of your home by strategically arranging your furniture. You can make it look bigger or smaller depending on your furniture placements.
Imagine that your living room is a square. There’s only enough room for your couch and a bookshelf or a television stand. If you have yet to buy your furniture, don’t go for the largest couch you can find, mainly because it might not fit. Or if it does fit, the couch will occupy the entire living area. That can make it hard to move around.
Instead of simply buying any furniture that manages to catch your eye, think about how it will fit into your space first so you can maximize the floor plan. Switch the large couch for a love seat or have your television wall-mounted so you can save more space. By having a good command of your spaces, you’ll be able to make your house homier.
Be Creative with the Interior Design
Consult your landlord about how much is too much when you’re redesigning the house and start from there. Your landlord may allow you to repaint the house’s interiors if you can paint it back to the original color before you leave for good. If you can do that, then you’re in for a treat.
You can also showcase your personality and creativity through your household accessories. For example, if you prefer to have a sleek, monochromatic theme, you can have black and white plates, silverware, solid-colored curtains, or even bare walls. You can go so far as to make your furniture match the theme just so you can achieve coherence.
Another thing that you may have not considered is carpeting. It might not be wise to have carpeting installed unless there’s already one there because that’s difficult to remove. But you can achieve the same textures if you buy carpets or rugs that you can put wherever you want. And it’s cheaper.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with renting; not everyone dreams of being a homeowner anyway. But the only way you can feel at home in your house is by personalizing it through decorations and memorabilia. So, go crazy with the designs, but make sure not to permanently alter the house itself.
