Living in a rental come with one rule, and the rule is that whatever you put up on a surface must be able to come down without leaving any trace behind. This one rule usually means that a person has to live in an apartment with bare walls and a sense of impermanence about the place. However, living in a rental does not have to be this way.
There are a few decor choices that will allow a person to add their own personality to the place, while ensuring that the security deposit and the landlord is happy. The best approach to decorating a rental is to use objects and methods that work with the surfaces, instead of against them. By understanding the materials of the rental property, the weights of the items to be add to those materials, and the tricks of how to remove the items when the tenant is ready to move on, the tenant can transform the rental into a place that is unmistakably their own.
These methods will have a lasting impact on those who use them, and will work in harmony with the security deposit that the tenant has committed to the landlord. One of the most common ways that people has begun to decorate their rentals is through the use of Command hooks and Command strips. These products come in a variety of finishes, and are capable of holding a variety of items.
Best Ways To Decorate Your Rental Walls
1. Command Hooks and Strips
The key is to ensure that the weight of the item that you hang to the strip is within the weight limits of the strip; a strip rated for holding eight pound should not be used to hang a twenty-pound item. Before hanging any items to the strip, it is necessary to clean the strip with the wipe or alcohol included with the strip. This will double the bond strength between the strip and the wall.
When it is time to move out of the rental, all that is necessary is to pull the tab on the strip; the strip will come away from the wall. Any holes that may be left behind can be fixed with a magic eraser. This product has a way of seeming to work in a magical way, but it is actualy chemistry at work.
2. Peel and Stick Wallpaper
Peel-and-stick wallpaper has transformed its reputation. Many types of peel-and-stick wallpaper use an adhesive that is repositionable, meaning it does not use permanent glue to adhere to the wall. This product is useful in a variety of ways within a rental; it can be used to decorate a kitchen area, or it can be used to transform a boring hallway.
The designs of the wallpaper come in a variety of designs; they can be subtle or they can be bold. The person applies the wallpaper in vertical drops; this allows the person to adjust the placement of the wallpaper when it is applied. The material of the wallpaper is forgiving of mistake; this is one of the reasons that the wallpaper is recommended for those who are decorating their rentals for the first time.
The wallpaper will come away from the wall when it is time to move out of the rental. Any adhesive that may remain upon the wall can be removed with warm water and a plastic scraper. Floating shelves are another product that uses hardware that does not require drilling into the wall.
3. Floating Shelves
Shelves with built-in hooks can be used to hang items of a variety of weights, and can be placed into a variety of locations within the apartment. The weight of the items that are placed upon the shelves is important. A variety of ceramics may be heavier than a single large book; as such, the most common suggestion is to place the largest items in the center of the shelf, and to fill in the remaining space with items of less weight.
The built-in hardware for these shelves ensures that the walls will remain pristine upon moving out of the apartment. This small detail indicates that a tenant is thoughtful with the space that they decorate. Fabric items can be hung from the walls to add softness to an otherwise featureless and cold surface.
4. Textile Items
Items like macrame, tapestries, and even scarves can be hung from the walls; they do not require any glue or other accessories to be hung from the location that you choose. The benefit of hanging textile items from the walls is three-fold: they will absorb sound within the apartment, they will change the mood of the apartment, and they will allow for an easy move out of the apartment. For instance, if a bedroom is featured in the apartment that is to be rented, a deep navy color will absorb the light and create the feel of a library within the bedroom.
When it is time to move out of the apartment, all of the textile items can be rolled up and taken with the tenant; they will be flat within a suitcase. Another popular item is the creation of gallery walls using washi tape. This Japanese tape comes in a variety of colors and widths.
5. Washi Tape Gallery Walls
Washi tape can be used to create frames around existing posters, or to create designs with geometric shapes. Washi tape comes in strips that easily come away from the walls. This washi tape can be transferred from the design onto the wall; the person can transfer the washi tape by drawing the tape onto the wall first, and then using the pencil to transfer the measurements to the apartment walls.
The washi tape is forgiving of mistakes, as is the pencil. This allows for a variety of designs to be attempted; the most common may include only rectangles, but a variety of more complex shapes can be attempted. The tape easily comes away from most painted drywall and non-textured wallpaper.
6. Unframed Mirrors
Mirrors are another item that can come in a variety of shapes and sizes; small unframed mirrors can be attached to the walls with heavy-duty foam tape. These mirrors will reflect the light into the darkest corners of the apartment, and they will create the illusion of windows in locations where there are none. Mirrors with beveled edges may be used for a more elegant apartment, or mirrors of irregular shapes may be used to add a more moddern touch to the apartment.
The installation of the mirrors takes only a few minutes, and the removal of the mirrors will leave the walls behind in pristine condition. The addition of mirrors may be one of the most beneficial upgradess of a rental apartment; it will create a sense of pleasure each time that the tenant walks past one of these mirrors. Another product that has improved over time is removable decals.
7. Removable Decals
These decals come in a variety of vinyl designs that mimic a variety of items; they may be delicate ferns, they may be bold architectural features typical in older apartments. These decals will adhere to the smooth paint of the apartment walls; however, they will come away without leaving any paint behind. The decals can be applied in sections to the walls.
A plastic credit card can be used to smooth the decals into the wall. The decal can be peeled away with ease. These decals will leave the walls to their original state; they will be ready for the next tenant to decorate in a few minutes.
8. Tension Rods
Another entire category of rental solutions use tension rods. Beyond those that are used in the bathroom to hold up curtains, tension rods can be used in a variety of ways within the apartment. Rents can use tension rods to hold up curtains in the windows, shelves on walls, or even to create dividers within the apartment.
Many of the newer tension rods have rubberized ends that allow them to adhere to the wall. These tension rods can be measured to the width of the opening in the wall; a slightly longer rod will ensure that the tension remains firm upon the rod. Rents can use two tension rods to hold up items at varying heights.
The installation and removal of these rods does not require any screws, paint, or arguments with the landlord. Lighting strips can be adhered directly to the walls or the underside of kitchen cabinets. The LED lights come in a variety of colors and brightness settings.
9. LED Lighting Strips
The lights can be dimmed to reduce the brightness of the lights within the apartment when the tenant would like to change the mood of the apartment. These lights can be easily removed from the walls. The paint of the apartment will not be touched when the tenant moves out of the apartment.
The placement of these lights is a method of cheating the rules that a tenant must follow when decorating a rental property. Each of these methods allow a tenant to make the most of their time in the apartment, and to create a space that has meaning for those who live within. It is up to the tenant to choose two or three of these methods that will work with their energy levels, and those who would of considered the character of the apartment.
Before you know it, your rental is transformed from a blank canvas into a place that you feel at home in. When you move out of the apartment, you will be able to take your personality with you; you will leave behind only memories and pristine walls.
