Renovate Your Rental With These Easy + Reversible Upgrades

If granted the ability to go back in time, I would zoom straight back to when my boyfriend and I signed the lease on our one-bedroom downtown apartment. We told each other we wouldn’t invest in design decisions that were “too involved,” because we’d only stay for a year or two tops. Why go through all the hassle if we’d have to undo it all come moving day? Fast forward to today, going on 3 years in the same apartment, amidst a global pandemic that meant staying home more than we ever could’ve expected – and we’ve learned the hard way just how worthy an investment renovating our rental would be. Let our story be a cautionary tale for fellow renters out there: renovating your rental is 100% worth the time, elbow grease, and probable back-and-forth with your landlord. Because you deserve a space that feels like home, even if it’s not for forever. With a little bit of creativity and the right modern home decor, you can makeover your rental space without any fuss, read on to learn how.

Cover Your Floors

If you’re not loving the flooring in your space, you’ll be amazed at the difference large area rugs will make in upgrading your rental’s aesthetic. They’re a simple yet impactful way to add depth, texture, and color to your interior, and make even the most sterile lifeless floors feel cozy and welcoming.

Diamonds Rug by Heymat

The Diamonds Rug from our 15th anniversary collaboration with Heymat, is another key choice for bringing modern, Scandi design to your rental’s entryway. Inspired by the sleek lines of modern architecture, the Diamonds Rug has a bold, graphic look that’s sure to spruce up your floors and add a minimalist edge to your space. Bonus: you can even use your Heymat rug outdoors for more design possibilities!

$150+

Hilana Wool Rug by Meso

This wool rug by Meso brings plush, shaggy luxury to your floors, for a modern and tactile experience. Hand-loomed to order by expert Guatemalan artisans, every rug is totally unique making it a piece you’ll covet for a lifetime. The only thing that feels better than its comforting softness, is knowing that your consciously crafted rug helped skilled artisans and their communities.

$475+

Update Your Light Fixtures

Existing light fixtures may seem like major roadblocks to renovating your rental, but they’re easier to upgrade than you think! If you’re unafraid to tackle some light wiring (or hire an electrician to help you – with the permission of your landlord of course) swapping out light fixtures can transform the look and feel of your space. And if electrical work isn’t an option, the right table and floor lamps can have the same effect.

Elise Table Lamp by Pablo Designs

Pablo Design’s ultra-slim table lamp has a modern, futuristic look that’ll instantly update the look of any space. The timeless towering shape is affixed with a frosted acrylic diffuser that delivers a soft, ambient light that effectively brightens any room, while still giving you the ability to set the mood thanks to its full range dim control. Choose between silver, brass, or black modern aluminum bases for a look that suits your design aesthetic.

$165+

CONE Pendant Light by Puik Design

Now if you’re part of the set willing to tackle some light electrical work, a pendant light like the CONE Pendant by Puik Design makes for the perfect Scandinavian-looking lighting statement. Its simple shape and powder-coated steel material give it modern yet casual appeal that elevates the look of your everyday spaces. Go for one or create a high-impact visual display by combining two or more together.

$339

Add Houseplants

Breathing life into rental spaces can be as easy as bringing home a few new houseplants. Just be sure to find the right kind that’ll thrive in your space and lighting conditions – because dead plants are never a good look. Neither are the flimsy plastic planters they come in, so you’ll want to find a modern planter you love.

Large Aurora Planter by mind the cork

Not only is mind the cork’s Aurora Planter a sustainable home for your leafy green houseplants (learn more about the London brand’s sustainability model here), but it’s also a modern way to bring natural textures to your rental’s interior. What’s more, the simple yet elevated look of the Aurora’s molded cork construction doubles as sculptural decor.

$98

Add Throw Pillows

Few of us can dish out the cash on new furniture whenever we get the urge to renovate our rental space but sprucing up existing pieces with modern throw pillows and blankets is always a fun, viable alternative. Throw pillows are the perfect vehicles for experimentation with bold colors or eclectic prints and materials, without going hog wild with costly furniture or larger fixtures that are more complicated to change.

Try Painting or (Removable) Wallpaper

Painting the walls of your rental might seem like a daunting task, but what’s 2 day’s worth of labor in the grand scheme of a yearlong (or more) lease? Assuming you’ve gotten clearance from your landlord, you’ll be glad you took the time to bring color to your space once it’s done. Besides, if you really don’t feel like painting, you can always go for a renter-friendly peel-and-stick wallpaper.

Wiggle Room Wallpaper by Tempaper

Tempaper’s peel-and-stick wallpaper lets you bring fun, graphic patterns to your space without sacrificing the wall underneath. They’ve got tons of handy tutorials on how to apply and remove their temporary wallpaper with ease, and a spectrum of modern wallpaper selections to choose from. The Wiggle Room pattern, from their collection in collaboration with friend of Design Milk Bobby Berk, is a personal favorite due to its bold, black brush strokes and playful modern curves.

$125

Hang Some Art

Aside from art’s obvious aesthetic appeal, having it on your walls immediately makes your rental look “lived in” and feel more like home. So, treat yourself to those new modern art prints you’ve been eyeing and know that you can in fact hang them up without making holes in the wall (thanks command strips!).

Southern Ocean Sunset by Carley Rudd

If your rental could do with a little dose of nature, having a visual representation on your walls in the form of Carley Rudd’s Southern Ocean Sunset print, will certainly do the trick. Fun fact: incorporating natural imagery into your interior is a key part of biophilic design (one of our favorite design trends for 2022!). The soft pastel color palette in Rudd’s print and the seamless gradient of the horizon line are bound to soothe at first sight, and help renters reconnect to mother nature with every glance.

$54+

Go for Stylish Storage

If you’re a renter living in a space with little to no storage, you’re going to want to invest in modern storage solutions that keep clutter out of sight and are stylish enough to act as decorative accents on their own – elevating your rental’s overall aesthetic.

Medium Storage Bins - Set of 2 by Open Spaces

A new to Design Milk favorite, Open Spaces’ Medium Storage Bins are the perfect marriage of fashion and function. Whether you use them in the bathroom, living space, or bedroom, these chic multipurpose bins keep your space tidy, while offering a clean, modern aesthetic in the process. They can even be stacked for added storage possibilities! Mix and match between their lid and colorways for a personalized look.

$72+

Rubber and Brass Baskets in Speckled Black by Slash Objects

These Rubber and Brass Baskets by Slash Objects are a masterclass in how to artfully combine unconventional materials and textures. The recycled rubber material is a modern and unexpected twist on traditional storage bins while the glossy brass details give the baskets a touch of luxe and glamor. We love that the set includes multiple, nesting sizes to accommodate storage needs across the house, and the low maintenance design that’s easy to clean and made to last.

$175

Add Shelving

If you’re really hurting for storage, adding shelving is the way to go. Now we know this involves actually puncturing your walls, but to that we say – that’s what spackle is for! If you’re mindful about placement and make the shelves you mount truly count, sealing the holes on moving day is a small and totally worthwhile price to pay, in our humble opinion.

Merkled Shook Shelf 16” by Merkled Studio

When it comes to shelves that do the most, few work quite as hard as the Merkled Shook. The shelf and wall hook hybrid delivers ample space for all of your essentials, and offers plenty of spots to hang keys, towels, hats, coats, and other essentials for added convenience. The powder-coated aluminum shelves come in a variety of colors like ultra-minimal black and white, to their best-selling (and eye-catching) mint green that adds a pop of color to your rental’s walls.

$101

Spot anything you like on this list? Show us how you renovate your rental and tag us for a chance to be featured on the @designmilk Instagram!

Alexa is commerce editor at Design Milk. She lives in Miami, Florida with her fiancé Alex and retired greyhound, Phoebe. A longtime art and design enthusiast, Alexa’s first stops in any new city are the art museums. When she’s not writing about her favorite DM shop picks, she might be buried in a book, binging reality tv or adventuring around her city with her partner and pup.

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