Budget and Rental-Friendly Decor Ideas

Utilize Accent Pieces

If you’re like most landlords, you probably like to paint the walls in your units a nice neutral color that keeps the space looking clean and professional. However, this can be a problem when your tenants decide that, in order to feel at home in their space, they need to go “full Michaelangelo” and paint the walls a color of their choosing.

As a renter, a good way to get around this problem is to make good use of accent pieces in your space. You can go big and hang up some oversized canvas art pieces that will command the room, take a more tactful approach with some smaller, thoughtfully placed artwork, or make it personal by putting up a collection of your favorite photographs. The options are truly endless. With the right accent pieces, renters can stop seeing those white and neutral-colored walls as dull or boring, and start seeing them as blank canvases where they can express their personality in fun and creative ways!

Invest in Quality Furniture

Don’t worry, we aren’t suggesting that you offer your rental property fully furnished (although that can be an effective way to quickly attract tenants and fetch higher rental rates). Instead, we are highlighting how big of a difference the right furniture can make in any space.
As a renter, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to paint the walls, install new cabinets, or do any other expensive and time-consuming home improvement projects when you could be looking for a new place within a year. However, investing in quality furniture is a different story. Furniture can add a pop of color or give structure to a space, and, if you purchase attractive, high-quality furniture, it can even star as the main design element in any room! The best part? When you move out you can take it with you!

Natural Elements

Incorporating natural elements into your interior design is a great, renter and budget-friendly way to increase your enjoyment of your home. All it takes is a trip to your local greenhouse, and you can find some affordable and easy-to-care-for plants that can breathe life into any area of your abode. However, we encourage you to think beyond plants and consider other natural design elements, too.

The warm glow of a salt lamp or the calming trickle of a water feature can create a soothing atmosphere that you’ll be glad to come home to after a long day of work. If you can keep up with the responsibility of cleaning the tank and caring for the fish, a small aquatic fixture can make any area stand out. Keep in mind that if you don’t want the added responsibility of watering and caring for live plants, you can always pick up fake greenery that will look great year-round.

Style Bookshelves

Renters need to think outside of the box if they want to make their home feel like their own personal work of art. One way to do this is to use bookshelves not only for storing books but for showcasing personal items and trinkets and creating unique design displays.

You can approach each shelf as its own design ecosystem, sticking to a particular theme on every level. Or you can coordinate your design efforts between each shelf to create a cohesive aesthetic from top to bottom. The best part is, that renters can pull off this project without doing any damage to the walls of their unit or making move-out day any more complicated than it already is.