Decorating for Tenants

With the number of households renting throughout the UK gone up by 25% over the previous 13 years, there is a general growing interest in what people can and can’t do to their homes as tenants.

Today, we’ll empower you with the knowledge you need to improve your home with creative and non-invasive forms of decorating!

Check With Your Landlord First

Firstly, whatever decorating work you want to undertake, you’ll still need to double-check with your landlord before all else. This way, you can go ahead and change the look of your home without worrying about issues regarding your tenancy or legal troubles. So always double-check before all else!

Decorating Ideas for Tenants

As touched on, there are many creative and non-invasive ways of decorating your home. Let’s take a look at some notable examples.

Purchase Houseplants

Note: If you have any pets, just be sure that any houseplants you include are not poisonous to them. Also, be sure to consider whether the plants included could be an issue for any potential visitors in terms of allergies.

Simply adding houseplants to your home can introduce a personal touch and both more life and colour, as well as the aura of nature.

Some popular examples include:

• Areca Palm
• Boston Fern
• Crocodile Fern
• Flowering Rose
• Marimo
• Kentia Palm
• Parlour Palm
• Prayer Plant
• Spider Plant
• Velvet Plant

When adding houseplants, consider where to place them such that they are presented well in their own right and juxtapose well with their surroundings (e.g. contrast against surrounding colours or even complement them).

Storage Ideas

Improving storage is another great way of enhancing your home. Implementing better approaches to storage can not only free up space (which can be a form of ‘decorating’ in of itself) but could allow you to add aesthetically pleasing forms of storage like storage baskets).

Here are some of the best ways of increasing storage in your home that are non-invasive/non-destructive:

• Utilise storage containers
• Freestanding wardrobe
• Decorative baskets and decorative bins
• Storage trolleys including several tier options
• Zipped storage bags
• New standalone clothes rail
• Storage jars (for food that is suitable to be stored this way) *

*Be sure that the storage jars are kept in a suitable place (e.g. you’ll probably need to keep them out of direct sunlight to avoid the food contained within from going off too soon).

Install a Statement Rug

Something as simple as including a statement rug in your primary living space (if suitable) can really add flavour to your home.

Of course, choosing the right size and type of rug will depend on your preferences and the size and layout of the room in question. Just be careful to ensure the rug is neither too small nor too big (with the former arguably a more common mistake than the latter).

A somewhat large statement rug can provide you with a cosy environment with a nice addition from a visual perspective.

New Curtains

Pro tip: If approved (for this option specifically), consider having thermal curtains installed if you have the budget and your home is prone to getting particularly cold in the winter or/and is not very well insulated.

If allowed, you might want to consider having fresh curtains added at certain windows in your home for decorative purposes. Along with opting for a design you like, as with many instalments/additions, be sure to consider the colour of the curtains and how it looks along with the rest of the room.

Look Into Painting Options

While it’s less likely that you’ll be able to paint or repaint sections of your home, there’s no harm in finding out whether or not the landlord would approve of this (if it’s a sensible idea, they might be thankful more than anything).

If approved, you could consider ideas such as:

• Painting kitchen cupboards
• Painting walls in your living space
• Painting walls in the hallway

You may want to simply paint them with the existing colour or opt for something brand new to give the walls and your kitchen cupboards a new lease of life.

Whatever option you go with, be sure to consider how the new decorative approach will affect the look and feel of the space all round, as well as getting permission from your landlord before all else.

Ultimately, with enough brainstorming and time spent looking into the right options, you can give your home a breath of fresh air with some great, non-invasive and creative decorative approaches!