Dear Alice | Make a Rental Feel like a Home

This week’s episode is about how to make your rental feel cozy and chic! It’s no secret that renting can be restrictive but that’s no excuse to not make it a beautiful home. This week’s episode can be found on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcast.

Renting is a fantastic time to start your collections- the longer you live in a rental, the more you’ll know about what you want in a home and what speaks to you.

Some landlords might not let you hang art because of holes in the wall but it’s important to have art up. OOK has brass hooks to hold artwork with tiny nails that are easy to fill. You need to go big in your scale- nothing feels more awkward than a small piece of artwork on an empty wall.

Invest in those rugs because you can hide the rental carpet and hardwood. Rugs can be expensive but you’ll take them into your new home and have them around for years.

Drapery rods (not Romans) are something to invest in- you might need to get new drapes when moving to your home to fit the space but you can take rods anywhere. You can use sheers to hide an ugly view while still letting the sun come through. Unclip those vertical drapes, hide them in a closet and put up some chic drapery- it’ll make the room 20 years younger.

You might be able to paint or replace hardware- talk with your landlord and let them know you’re trying to update the space by giving them a vision board. Replacing hardware can make a kitchen feel more authentic to you and give it character but make sure to measure correctly so you don’t end up needing to redrill.

No Ikea furniture unless you can’t afford anything else. Cheap furniture can make your entire place look dated and you might as well get the pieces you’ll be putting into your home without having to purchase two sets and donating or tossing the first set.

Get ride of that boob light (flush mount) as soon as you can; get great lamps that are at least 30” tall that you’ll take to your home! Get them in pairs and don’t get the daylight bulbs because you’ll look blue.

Bring in the green! We want a big ‘ole tree- not a little baby succulent. You can go to a nursery or to places like Lowes or Home Depot. We love that they soften corners, are sculptural while being asymmetrical and brings the eye up. We love olives, fiddle leafs, palms, and birds of paradise. If you put a tree, you’ll get an endless amount of compliments. You could also do cute branches or dried florals.

Sconces are great to put around a staircase, near a piano, or on your side of the bed if you don’t have a night stand.

When you’ve got interesting things to look at, all the things you don’t like about the rental will float away. We just want you to live in your spaces to the fullest and to remember that just because your rental may not be “a house you bought” doesn’t mean it’s not a home. Any questions or podcast ideas? Email us at dearalice@alicelanehome.com