How to Decorate a Rental Kitchen
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One of my most asked about makeovers…
My rental kitchen makeover is one of my most asked about makeovers. I can understand why. It was our biggest makeover we did and the one that had the biggest impact. I don’t want to pick favourites with my rental makeovers, but I have to say this is up there on the list at the top. Since showing off my kitchen on Instagram, and also it being featured on Refinery 29, I get a lot of questions about how we achieve it and you can do to achieve something similar. Here are my top tips for decorating a rental kitchen…
CONTACT PAPER.
My absolute number one tip would be to look into using contact paper. It’s temporary, it’s durable and can instantly change up a room. I got my contact paper from Amazon. An investment, but 100% worth it. The counters look so much better and really brighten up our kitchen. The best bit, because it’s temporary, I can take it off at the end of the tenancy (if the landlord want’s me to) and get my deposit back.
RUGS & RUNNERS.
If you don’t have great looking floors in your home, adding a rug or runner when you’re decorating your rental kitchen can make a difference. I got my little runner from Homesense, but other great places to look are H&M Home and La Redoute– the usual places that I love to shop.
ARTWORK.
Artwork can really help to add character to a room. You can choose anything from prints to family photos, anything to inject a bit of personality into your home. For me, I love shopping at Desenio for prints. For our kitchen, I went with an Italian/ seafood feel. One particular print I got because it makes me smile every time I walk into the room (the inspiration for how I wish I looked when I eat pasta). I’m possibly going to change the artwork up in here in the new year, so keep an eye out to see if this comes to play.
MAXIMISE STORAGE WHERE YOU CAN.
Those who rent will know the issues we have with storage. Is it a law that rentals can’t have a lot of storage? When it came to our kitchen, we were really lacking with cupboards and countertops. We decided to add an extra bit of counter above the space where our freezer lives, which has been a total game-changer. Extra space for our coffee/ tea situation.
For more cupboards, we decided to invest in an Ikea Billy bookcase with glass doors. This has given us a bit extra display storage, as well as shelves that can be hidden from sight. So much extra much need space.
PAINTING CABINETS & NEW HARDWARE.
One that may not be possible for all renters, but if your landlord gives you the green light to paint your cabinets, it’s worth doing. Ours were pine and I thank my lucky stars that my landlord is happy for us to do the painting. They look so much better and 100% worth the effort. For the handles, I went for these gorgeous ones from Dowsing & Reynolds. I love brass but silver suits the room much better.
I hope these tips help you create a gorgeous living space in your rental. Just because your house is temporary, doesn’t mean you can’t make your home look as gorgeous as you. Even the smallest of things will make such a difference.
SHOP MY KITCHEN.
