We are living in an apartment and loving it. I think I am just really loving living back in Utah and being near my family and friends. Our apartment is great too, pleasantly surprised because we didn’t seen it in person before we got the lease. The kids really like that there is a heated pool and a playground.
As you can imagine, I can’t help myself, I have to decorate it. Some might think it is a waste to put effort into a space that we will be in for such a short period (thinking around 4 months). But I say, why not? You really can do simple things, for not a lot of money, to make your space feel like home and reflect your personality.
Honestly after spending a couple days styling our apartment I can say I am happier in this space. My kids have commented how much they like the little changes.
We went through a rental company that furnishes apartments, so the main pieces were here when we moved in. I didn’t want to have to move our stuff two times. So happy with that choice after moving our clothes and a few small things up 4 flights of stairs!
Five Ways to add Personality to your Apartment or Any Rental
#1- Paint an accent wall-
Make sure to check your rental agreement before making major changes. In most cases it is fine to make changes, knowing that before you move out you will need to make sure it looks like it did the day you moved in. Paint is an easy and inexpensive thing to do and you can easily paint it back to the original color. We have one wall in our family room that is painted in Rocky River from Sherwin Williams.
It really cozies it up! Personally, I like to paint the entire room, it feels more complete. BUT in an apartment or rental it makes perfect sense.
I did swap out the rug that was in here when we moved in, for this green rug we had in our living room in CT. Rug and paint instantly add interest.
#2- Add Peel and Stick, Removable Wallpaper-
You can use peel and stick wallpaper as a backsplash in a kitchen or wallpaper just an accent wall. I have wallpapered a lot of walls with peel and stick wallpaper, which means I have removed it a couple of times too. I have never had issues with it damaging walls.
I wallpapered the wall our sliding glass door is on. I picked that wall because it wasn’t too large and it had a start and stopping point in the same room. Some walls in apartments carry over into the kitchen or down a hall, which ends up being a large space and costing a lot.
The peel and stick wallpaper I went with is from my new collection with Tempaper, the Ditsy Floral. I love this wallpaper pattern because it is subtle and so charming. A little gold flower feels very retro and eclectic.
#3- Window Treatments-
I try to avoid ever saying I don’t like an item or style, I never want to hurt anyone’s feelings. At the end of the day, all that matters is if YOU like it! But I don’t think many will say they “love” vertical blinds. If you have vertical blinds, it is probably because it is hard to figure out what to do on sliding doors! Well, I have an idea for you…
Replace vertical shades with curtain panels! We used this long curtain rod and gold panels. I did two curtain panels on either side of this window. It really makes the room feel “grand” and also functional for privacy.
In an apartment (or any kind of rental) you can get brackets that go directly on the existing brackets to hang a curtain rod. They are called “Nono brackets“. I decided against using them because I felt the curtain panels would be too low. We will probably just leave the curtain rods when we move, they were under $20 each. Or if they want them removed we can do that and fill the holes.
#4- Let there be LIGHT! Add accent lighting-
I rarely like to turn on overhead lights, with the exception of a kitchen. It just sets a nice mood to have lamps in a room. Plus in some apartments you only have windows on one side of the space, making it dark on half of your apartment.
We added this floor lamp, rather than doing a lamp on the side table. It frees-up the small side table for other things.
This side table is awesome for layering accessories, plants, books and enough space for a larger lamp, that won’t easily fall off a small side table.
Also, over our dining table there wasn’t any sort of light! It felt really dark in this space. I went and got our floor lamp out of storage and used it as a type of chandelier. I had seen my friend, Inspired by Charm do this and I thought it was such a great idea.
I couldn’t find the lamp shade to the floor lamp, which ended up being a good thing! I grabbed this pendant shade from IKEA, and used it rather than a lampshade. I like that you can’t see the lightbulb from underneath and it feels more like a chandelier.
Another tip for adding personality to an apartment would be to add furniture that has some color. As you can see the wood floor is brown, and the cabinets are brown. This dining table was here when we moved in, along with the matching brown chairs. We put the brown chairs in the storage space on the deck and brought over these pink chairs we already had.
And… I created a new favorite hack! The pendant lights over our island were very modern, and felt too small. To make it work, we took out the light bulb and the original light fixture, slid these basket shades on and then replaced the original fixture back, basically layered over top! I LOVE it!!!
#5- Bring on the plants-
I mean, this is a given right?? I basically have only plants as my accessories. They instantly add life to any home rental. Plants are a must. The bathrooms don’t have any windows in our apartment, and neither does the kitchen, so I kept the plants in the rooms where they can get some sun.
I brought this Cylindrical Snake Plant from CT in our RV (I bought it at Terrain, it was pricey for that size)! It is doing awesome. I put it in this extra large basket, same basket I put our Christmas tree in. Rubber tree plant is new, I potted it in this floor planter.
Queen of the Night and Rope Plant look great on our coffee table. I potted them in these pots (they have drainage holes).
We did bring over our swivel chairs from storage for extra seating. The TV was here when we moved in from the rental company. I just added the console table (more space for plants), and stools. The TV is a little too high from the console, to make it feel connected I layered the plants and leaned a piece of art on the table.
The art is just this digital download of sheep, I printed from home. Framed it in this slim wood frame.
Smaller plant is a Dolphin Tale (harder to find, I found a grocery store, Harmons) and the taller one is a ZZ plant!
By adding the fur rug, I was able to break up the similar color and texture on the console and stools. I finished off the room with my favorite diffuser, which is a really safe option for a rental and any home!
- See how we updates Ella’s Teen Bedroom in our Apartment HERE
- Check out mine and Kevin’s Bedroom HERE
- We even added wallpaper to our Apartment Kitchen HERE
Love to hear if you are in a rental and any tips you have!
Hannah says
I absolutely love the lamp hack over the table!!! ❤️❤️❤️ This whole space looks incredible!!!
[email protected] says
Thank you!!!
Kathy says
You are so right about vertical blinds. I don’t like them but didn’t know what else to do! Your solution looks great! Thanks for all the great ideas. You have a beautiful “temporary” home!
Fiona Johnson says
Your new house is amazing. That wallpaper think it was in the bathroom or bedroom. The pink floral. Now that was a blast from the past. 🤭.
[email protected] says
Ha! Isn’t that wallpaper so fun! I love that they were so bold!!! But it needs to come down now:)
Kim says
Looks great. A lot of good ideas.
Katie says
Love it so much! So much inspiration! Do you have a. Source for the lamp on the crate and barrel side table?
[email protected] says
I wish I had a source for the lamp! Sorry!
Abby says
Great post, Brooke! I get so excited when I see a new article from you to read! Thanks for all your hard work! And the apartment looks great. Way to make the most of your temporary home.
Tracy says
That kitchen lamp hack is next-level genius! Looks so cute!
Dusty says
Your apartment looks great! I love all the details you added.. I spy the ice machine!! 😀
Ruth says
Your apartment is decorated so beautifully!! I love all your ideas. Your place looks so comfortable to live in while you’re getting your home ready
Marissa says
Looks so good!! Question about the color of the curtain panels, the link takes you to yellow – do you have Yellow or is there a Gold that may be out of stock online? The picture looks really bright on Ikea.
[email protected] says
I think it just looks really yellow on IKEAS website. It is more mustard in person
Rubi says
Your apartment looks so good! Thanks for sharing all the tips.
Brooke R says
I love this! I knew you would do fun things in your apartment space! You and your family have such great attitudes, I really admire that.
Jena says
I am loving all of these idea! As a military family we move into rental properties often and these are easy ways to keep the same homey feel from place to place. Thank you!