Your house should be a reflection of your sense of style and personality. Even if you're renting and can't make permanent changes to your abode, there are plenty of ways to add character and colour that are not simply reserved for those who own their own property.
People often ask, why bother? ‘My biggest answer to this question is with another – why should I live with rental optic white walls and bare bulbs just because of my financial reality?’ journalist and renter Katherine Ormerod explains in her article on the highs and lows of creating a non-permanent family home. ‘Our homes are our sanctuaries, and they’re also the base from which we foster our mental health. If we feel disconnected and depressed by our surroundings at home, guess what? We feel depressed and disconnected too. I don’t want that for myself and I definitely don’t want that for my kids.’
With more of us renting than ever before, it's no surprise that there are more accounts across Instagram and TikTok brimming with DIY and decorating design inspiration specifically for rented spaces.
These accounts are packed with unique ways to add colour and character to often stark-white or greige interiors while keeping your deposit intact. Find everything from creative paint projects that aren't just for the walls to kitchen-storage upgrades, peel and stick wallpaper and tiles solutions, faux fireplaces and fresh ways to upgrade a sad-looking bathroom without a renovation.
Read on for a starting point for creative accounts to follow for rental-friendly design ideas.
@want.zamora
LA-based renter Marco Zamora is a must-follow for colourful rental-friendly hacks. He lives in a 1920s flat with an open-spaced living room and French windows and his refresh projects include everything from adding peel-and-stick tile stickers to his kitchen floor to a unique wooden doorway inspired by his Mexican heritage to reshape the kitchen entrance.
@katherine_ormerod
At 40, Katherine Ormerod has spent most of her life renting. She has lamented the highs and lows of creating a non-permanent family home, having moved into her West London home – which she shares with her family. She has creative ways to hide rental quirks like not-so-aesthetically-pleasing silvery carpets with playful charm and often affordable purchases. ‘I have decorated every single flat and house I’ve lived in,’ Katherine Ormerod says in her article. ‘There was the defunct fireplace I hand-painted in a Broughton Street in Edinburgh, the huge French posters I pinned to every wall in a bijoux maisonette above a bank, the perfectly proportioned shoe shelves I added to a Queen’s Park two-bed I lived in with my boyfriend and brother… Wherever I lay my spirit level – that’s my home.’
@my.life.in.colour
As the handle suggests, stylist and creative consultant Gillian Lawlee, @my.life.in.colour, loves colour. Having moved from her LA cottage to a rented home in Cork in Ireland, Gillian's IG followers can expect to see her signature smart ways of incorporating colour beyond a painted wall, from trims to vintage furniture, colourful artwork and textiles.
@aconsideredspace
This list wouldn't be complete without mentioning our regular columnist Eleanor Cording-Booth who shares glimpses into her small flat in London's iconic Barbican Estate. Come here for the stylish and often affordable home inspiration, stay for a nosey into her travels and interesting things spied around the design world.
@prettyinthepines
Shelby, the creator behind @prettyinthepines, moved from North Carolina to a small New York apartment with her family in 2020, sharing the journey with her followers for things like what to do when the landlord hasn't placed the fridge in the kitchen (it's truly a tiny kitchen). A recent explainer showing how to use wallpaper on things that aren't walls, like on the back of cabinets and a toddler stool, is a particular highlight.
@madhoney.london
Founder of sculpture studio Studio Bust, Mads Montagu-Andrews shares renter-friendly ideas from her Hampshire house, having moved from Notting Hill during the pandemic. Her feed is filled with clever and affordable ideas for elevating a rented space, like this cabinet update for hiding the TV and smart ways to use fabric to update older furniture.
@grillodesigns
Medina Grillo knows a lot of about rent-friendly design, having founded the How I Rent series. On her own channels on TikTok and Instagram Medina shares a lot of practical tips and design hacks from her own semi-detached, three-bedroom house in Birmingham, with many pieces thrifted or from affordable retailers like Ikea.
@heartzeenahome
Stylist and textile designer Zeena Shah is all about dopamine interiors. Think vibrant colours (a lot of pinks), bold patterns, eclectic prints, tactile textures and lots of house plants. Her hashtag #colourmeupmonday reveals the joyful interior design ideas Zeena uses to liven up her East London flat.
This story originally appeared on House & Garden UK.
