Rental properties are great for people who have just moved out for the first time or don’t want the commitment of a mortgage or their own home.
There is one major disadvantage, though. You are usually stuck with the decoration choices of your landlord. Think gross furniture, ugly feature walls, and strange choices in curtain material. This usually results in rental properties not feeling much like a home.
Tenants are also restricted by the fact that they can’t make any changes to the property without asking permission first. As a result, decorating the place to match your taste can be a real challenge. Fortunately, you can work your way around these obstacles and make a standard rental property feel more like your home. So, here are some of our top decorating tips and tricks for renters in Malaysia:
Removing What You Can
Before anything else, let’s start with removing what you can from your rental property. Usually, landlords are receptive to having a few things removed, so long as you ask their permission and are responsible for what happens next.
There is the option to disassemble furniture, too. This helps to create some extra space in the property, allowing you more freedom, without actually throwing anything away that the landlord hasn’t permitted. You can place the disassembled parts in storage, then put them back together when the time finally comes for you to move out.
Alternatively, you could choose an unfurnished or semi-furnished place, like the ones found on this list of rumah sewa shah alam. Once you have managed to sort out all the unwanted furnishings into your rental property, you can start decorating properly!
Decorating the Walls
Most landlords allow you to paint the walls in their properties, as long as you aren’t too outlandish or promise to return everything back to normal once you move out. Temporary wallpaper is also an option. As any interior design guru knows, the colour of your walls can make a massive difference to the overall aesthetic appeal of your home.
Usually, going for natural or neutral tones is best. These do a fantastic job at reflecting the light, making your rooms look much bigger and brighter. This also gives you more freedom with the overall colour scheme. Of course, if you want to be bolder, there’s nothing wrong with that!
In addition to painting the walls of your rental property, you can hang things up. Once again, renters will need to ask their landlords for permission before drilling any holes in the walls. But this might not actually be necessary. Adhesive strips and hooks have become popular among renters because they allow you to hang up paintings, posters, and more without the need for drilling. This is a great way to decorate your walls, transforming a rental property from bland to tasteful!
Cushions, Throws, and Rugs
An inexpensive but effective way to decorate your rental property is to add some nice cushions, throws, and rugs. Cushions are a nice accent for living rooms especially. They enhance the colours of the room whilst bringing some additional comfort. What’s more, cushions are a great way to show off your character – either through bold colours, floral patterns, or bohemian covers.
Alongside your cushions, putting down a sofa throw is a nice touch. Once again, these can accent the colours in the room. During colder months, they are also nice to snuggle underneath. If you have an ugly sofa in your rental property, you can cover everything with the throw, too.
Last but not least, we have rugs! These are perfect for properties with uncarpeted floors, adding some warmth and comfort. Rugs can also inject a pop of colour into the room, transforming its overall appearance. All these furnishings make a small but significant difference in a rental property.
Adding Some Houseplants
Recently, it has become quite trendy to use houseplants to decorate your home. This is a great option for renters because plants can breathe life into any room, add some lovely colour, and move around with you! There are loads of different houseplants, from cacti and succulents to monstera and yucca.
Keeping some flowers in vases throughout your rental property is another great idea. Of course, try to avoid going overboard with the plants. You can easily have too much of a good thing, especially with rapidly growing shrubs that are sprawling out of their pots. Limit yourself to 2 or 3 plants per room, depending on their size. You’ll also need to properly maintain your houseplants if you want them to make your rental property look nice. Having a windowsill crowded with withering brown plants isn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing.
These are some of our top tips for decorating your rental property. Hopefully you have a couple more ideas and feel inspired to start transforming the place from dull to delightful!