The New Year is just around the corner. Many people are now taking the time to switch things up and redecorate their homes to signify the start of a brand new year. This can also be a way to change their fortunes or, at least, the look of their house. If you’re renting a unit, check out these DIY rental-friendly upgrades, to give your rental apartment a New Year makeover.
1. Use removable wallpaper
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Renting a unit means you can't change the colors of the walls permanently (unless otherwise allowed by your building Administration). Here's a workaround: Why not use removable wallpaper when you start your DIY rental apartment decorating?
2. Brighten your walls with washi tape
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Another DIY rental home decor tip you can do to liven up your walls is to use washi tape. What is washi tape? It’s a type of decorative adhesive tape similar to a paper adhesive tape. Washi tape is available in various widths, textures, patterns, and colors.
What makes washi tape a good DIY hack to decorate a tall wall in the living room or anywhere else is that it doesn’t leave a sticky residue, unlike other types of strong adhesive tapes. It’s the ideal DIY rental decor, especially if you love redecorating your walls DIY-style.
3. Paint your own artwork
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If washi tape doesn’t tickle your fancy, then why not paint your artwork on a canvass and hang it on the wall?
If you do have artistic talent, ask your landlord if you can paint graffiti on the wall. It can be a right wall decorating idea for the bedroom or any special wall in your unit.
4. Change cabinet and/or doorknobs
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If you’re wondering how to make an old rental house look beautiful, sometimes it can be as simple as changing the cabinet or doorknobs. This subtle DIY rental-friendly upgrade doesn’t just make your home more secure, but it can also make your unit look more classy or daring, whichever theme you shoot for with your cabinet or doorknobs. Still, it would be better to ask your landlord about this upgrade before buying and installing the knobs. Changing knobs is one of the basic condo repairs you can do by yourself.
5. Change your lighting fixtures
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Another way to redecorate an old apartment is by changing the lighting fixtures. Replace your regular lights with lightweight chandeliers or hanging lights, to change the indoor lighting condition—only if your building Admin allows it.
Anything too heavy can damage the wiring and the socket. Meanwhile, larger lighting fixtures may need construction, which is the rental-friendly upgrade you aren’t aiming for since it can cost you a lot.
6. Grow indoor plants
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Updating a rental property can also be as simple and as affordable as growing indoor plants. Not only are indoor plants great and affordable alternatives for DIY decoration, but it’s also good for you.
How exactly? Based on the results of plant research conducted by the National Aeronautic Space Administration (NASA), house plants can remove up to 87%of air toxins within 24 hours.
7. Create a DIY printed wall
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A DIY printed wall clock is a great way to liven up an empty wall. If you have pets, you can use a picture of your fur babies or your favorite landscape photo as the face of the clock. You can blow up the image if you want to decorate the blank wall behind your furniture.
8. Build a ladder for hanging and for reaching high things
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Want to learn how to maximize space in a small bedroom? Build or buy a short ladder on which you can hang items you usually use, like a jacket, sunglasses, a towel, etc. And because it takes little real estate to prop up, it does save space.
9. DIY side tables and shelves
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If you are leaning toward practical decorations, then a DIY side table or shelf may be an option. It’s the ideal storage solution for renters looking to spruce up their unit. As the saying goes, “Hit two birds with one stone.”
You can use industrial steel for shelves, which you could by at a local hardware store. Alternatively, you can use wood and unleash your creativity and carpentry skills if you want to fill the empty floor space in the living room.
10. Hang curtains
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How do you decorate a large wall behind a couch? By hanging curtains. You can buy a textile that matches your overall theme and build a frame that you can put behind the couch on which to hang the textile, like a curtain.
Redecorating a rental unit shouldn’t be an expensive job. These creative DIY tips should help you redecorate in time for 2020, without getting into trouble with your landlord.
