Renting can make it difficult to feel properly settled. You might have magnolia walls you wouldn’t have chosen (I definitely had this in my old house) furniture that came with the flat and a landlord who isn’t particularly keen on you putting holes in anything. But you’re still going to be living there, possibly for a year or more, so I don’t think there’s much point treating it like a temporary hotel room.
You don’t need to completely redecorate a rental to make it feel like home. A few changes to the lighting, bedding, textiles, smells and things you have around you can make a surprisingly big difference. And, importantly, most of them are things you can take with you when you move.
Here are some of the things that can make a rented London home feel more like your own.
Deal With Any Lingering Smells
One thing that can make a new rental feel strangely unlike your own home is the smell.
It might be old cooking, cleaning products, stale carpet, or just that indefinable smell of someone else. I think all homes have their own smell don’t they? Before reaching for a candle, I’d try to work out where it’s coming from and deal with the source if you can. Although sometimes it’s just evidence of someone having lived there before you.
When I have moved in the past I’ve always opened the windows and cleaned my living space. I find it starts to feel more like my own when I’ve used my cleaning products.
Once you’ve got rid of any lingering smells, scent can make a big difference to how a place feels. A candle, diffuser or room spray can make a rental feel much more like your own, particularly if you choose scents that you already associate with home. If you’re keen to make your home smell summery, read my post on candles that smell like a summer holiday. Or if you’re looking for something more autumnal, read my earthy and cosy home scent recommendations.
Start With the Lighting
Lighting is one of the easiest things to change in a rental, and one of the things you’ll probably notice most in the evening.
A lot of rented homes seem to come with one bright ceiling light and not much else. It might technically light the room, but it doesn’t necessarily make you want to spend time in it. I find main ceiling lights can be a bit harsh.
Rather than relying on one overhead light, try adding a couple of smaller lamps around the room. A floor lamp in the corner, a table lamp on a side table or a warmer bulb can make the room feel completely different once it gets dark.
In a bedroom, consider fairy lights (I have some wound around some bedroom furniture).
If you’re allowed to change the light fitting, you have more options, but you don’t necessarily need to. Lamps are easy to move around and, like most of the suggestions here, they come with you when the tenancy ends.
Use Bedding and Textiles to Change the Room
If you can’t paint the walls or change the flooring, textiles are one of the easiest ways to change how a room feels.
This is particularly useful in a bedroom. Changing the duvet cover, adding a throw or putting a rug over an uninspiring carpet can make the room feel much more like yours without doing anything permanent.
You don’t need to match everything either. I actually think a room feels more personal when you’ve got a mixture of things you like rather than buying an entire matching set.
For autumn, for example, changing to warmer bedding in colours such as rust, burgundy, olive or cream can make a bedroom feel noticeably cosier without redecorating. I’ve put together a duvet edit to easily change the vibe of your room if you want to change the feel of your room without making any permanent changes.
And if you’re renting a room rather than a whole flat, you can get even more ideas in my guide to making a bedroom feel like your own in a flatshare.
Add Some Greenery
Plants are another simple way to make a rental feel lived in. You don’t need to turn your flat into a jungle. One or two plants on a windowsill, a shelf or a side table can be enough to bring some life into a room.
If your rental doesn’t get much natural light, look for varieties that are more forgiving. Snake plants and ZZ plants are all worth considering if you don’t have huge south-facing windows.
And if keeping plants alive isn’t really your thing, flowers can have a similar effect without requiring quite as much commitment. We always make sure we have a fresh bouquet in the kitchen – it’s surprising how much it perks up a room.
Sort Out the Kitchen Properly
The kitchen is often one of the parts of a rental that feels least like yours. You might inherit a collection of mismatched pans, a kettle that’s seen better days and cupboards full of things left behind by previous tenants.
You don’t need to replace everything, but a few things you actually like using can make a difference. Good tea towels, a decent chopping board and glassware you enjoy drinking from are small things, but you’ll notice them every day. One of the things I invested in was a good set of knives. They make cooking more enjoyable and help make the space feel like my own.
It’s also worth thinking about the water. London has hard water, which can affect the taste of tap water and leave limescale around your kettle and taps, so some people choose to use a water filter. You can also get filters for shower heads, which are another option if you’re renting and don’t want to make any permanent changes to the bathroom.
We have a shower filter ourselves, and it’s one of those slightly unglamorous things that you don’t really think about until you’ve lived somewhere with hard water. It definitely makes shampoo and soap easier to lather.
The nice thing about these kinds of changes is that, unlike replacing a kitchen or bathroom, you can simply take them with you when you move.
Put Your Own Things on Display
One of the easiest ways to make a rental feel less temporary is to have your own things around you.
Photos, books, postcards, prints, souvenirs and objects you’ve collected over the years all make a space feel more personal. You don’t need a perfectly styled gallery wall either. A few framed photos on a shelf, a stack of books on the coffee table or a print leaning against the wall can be enough. I like making polaroid buntings and attaching them to mirrors or bookcases.
If you don’t want to put lots of holes in the walls, removable picture-hanging strips and hooks can be useful for lighter artwork and decorations. Just check the weight limit and follow the instructions properly.
The point isn’t to make the rental look like a show home. It’s to make sure you can look around the room and recognise some of your own life in it.
Don’t Forget About Sound
This is a small one, but I think it makes a difference. A silent flat can feel strangely temporary, particularly when you’ve just moved in and don’t have much furniture yet. Having music or the radio on while you’re cooking, reading or getting ready in the morning can make the space feel occupied.
You don’t need a huge surround sound system. A small speaker in the kitchen or living room is enough, or you can just put something on your phone if that’s what you prefer.
I actually quite like having a radio in my room. On a Sunday morning I wake up and listen to a show or two over a cup of tea and it’s a really nice weekend ritual.
It’s another example of something that isn’t really about decorating the room at all. It’s about making it feel like somewhere you actually live.
Don’t Wait Until You Own Somewhere to Make It Home
I think there’s a temptation with renting to treat everything as temporary. You don’t buy decorations because if you move it’s more things to pack away, and you can’t usually paint the walls. But if you’re going to be living there for a year, two years or even longer, that’s a lot of your life to spend on a place that might not feel your own.
You don’t have to spend a fortune or make changes that your landlord won’t allow. A lamp, some bedding you really like, a couple of plants, your favourite books and a room that smells like something you actually enjoy can go a surprisingly long way. That’s the useful thing about making a rental feel like home, most of the things that make the biggest difference aren’t actually part of the property.
How do you inject your personal taste into your living space?
