Top Ten Tips for Personalizing a Rental Home

1. Paint everything back to white to provide a clean slate. Benjamin Moore Cloud White is always a good bet.

2. Change the main light fixtures to something that you love and that speaks to your sense of style. You can always swap them back later.

3. And while you have that electrician in the place, update the electricity plates and light switches and put them on dimmers if they aren’t already. Mood lighting makes a space your own.

4. You may not have picked the kitchen cupboards, but you can pick the hardware! A simple, cost effective way to update them. And your drawer pulls too. We even swapped out towel racks for something more sleek and modern. Room In Order is a great local resource.

5. The landlord’s or strata’s choice of potted red geraniums on the walkway might not be your style, but you can create your own #jungalow inside with potted bird of paradise plants and succulents in macarame plant hangers.

6. Wallpaper is probably not advisable, but what about peel-and-stick wall decals? They’re not just for kid’s rooms anymore.

7. If your kitchen is small and you like to cook, add chef-type stainless steel rack system for hanging ladles and holding spices, and magnetic knife racks on the backsplash.

8. Large, overdyed area rugs are a great way to cover up less-than perfect flooring, and can always move with you.

9. Art is maybe an obvious idea, but it can be expensive. Local photographer Janis Nicolay sells gorgeous large-format photographs that fit into IKEA poster frames, and local print-maker Banquet Workshop makes stylish, modern screenprints that suit any space.

10. How about a new doormat? You should be welcomed into your home by something that you love and makes you smile.

— Sarah Bancroft @thesarahfile

Photos: Janis Nicolay