Renovation Ideas for Renters
If you’re a renter, it can be tough to be constantly bombarded with unique and interesting home renovation ideas all while thinking to yourself I’m a renter, I can’t renovate. Well we hear you, loud and clear, so we’ve gathered together a few renovation ideas you can do without permanently changing your home. It’s a win-win; you make your place that much better and it’s all reversible by the time you have to move out.
1.) Add free standing storage. Just because you don’t have enough storage doesn’t mean you have to live that way. Get creative with your storage options. There are many places where you can purchase custom designed storage units that are easy to disassemble and take with you when you move out. This will allow you to take advantage of every square inch of space in your current apartment.
2.) Use dividers. Adding dividers to your place will help you create privacy where you need it as well as separate your home into rooms. Many people choose studios and open concept rentals because they come with cheaper rent (no bedrooms) and seem much less cramped. However, after a while people start wishing they had a little more privacy. A divider gives you the feeling of a one bedroom apartment without the cost.
3.) Take advantage of temporary “wallpaper.” Not all landlords are cool with painting or adding wallpaper to your residence, but that doesn’t include wall decals. Nevermind the large, obnoxious look that wall decals used to give, it’s the 21st century! There is an incredible selection of beautiful wall decals for a very affordable price. Whether you’re looking for something clean and sophisticated (like a subtle striped pattern) or something that makes a statement (like a bold colored, ornately detailed option), there are plenty of possibilities to fit what you’re looking for.
4.) Add an area rug. Two of the biggest complaints made my renters are about dingy carpet that the landlord refuses to remove, and people complaining about them and the amount of noise they make. Area rugs help solve both these issues. They cover up nasty carpet that you’d rather just forget about, and they help insulate your apartment from letting out sound to others. That means you can have friends over without having to worry someone calling your landlord over a heated poker game or about the giant stain in the middle of the living room.
5.) Updated hardware. Can’t stand your shower head? Replace it! You can very easily put the old shower head back on when you move out. The same goes for other hardware items, like kitchen and bathroom faucets. If all it takes is a screwdriver and a few minutes to make your life much easier, by all means, go for it!
Time for spring cleaning?
Now that spring cleaning has arrived it’s the perfect time to get organized. Our Industrial Loft Organization Set Magazine Rack is the most stylish way we can think of to clean up all those magazines you have laying around on your desk and nightstand (yes, even the dirty ones).
Personalize Your Home For Cheap
No one wants to feel like they’re living in a hotel, but personalizing your home can often rack up quite the price tag. After all, interior designers don’t come cheap, and if you’re planning on making your home look like something out of a magazine you should probably start building up your savings account. Of course if you’ve stumbled upon this article, you’ll find a few tips that will leave your house feeling much more like home without having to take out another loan.
1.) Add color. Color is unique to each individual. Think about it; if you were to describe some of your closest friends by choosing colors that fit them, it probably wouldn’t be a difficult task. So what color would match your personality? Are you bright and lively, like an orange or yellow, or are you moody and introspective like a dark blue and purple. Maybe you’re sophisticated and modern (shades of gray, black and white) or quirky and off-beat (unexpected color combinations, like green, orange and purple).
2.) Think vertical as well as horizontal. People often make the mistake of placing everything at eye-level. Don’t do this. Instead, decorate in a way that brings the eye around your apartment. Place bath soaps and towels on a pedestal and use tall floor to ceiling lamps. This creates something different that not only draws attention, but also brings the eye all the way from the floor to the ceiling.
3.) Show your interests. Have you been to Thailand eight times? Show some of your stuff! Frame a collection of all your plane tickets as wall art. Put out a picture book of the country on your coffee table as a conversation starter. Are you into music? Swap that travel book out for a documentary on one of your favorite artists. Anything that interests you can be a form of decoration.
4.) Find something with a story. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to be unique. My grandma has an old piano at her house that she bought from yard sale for $25. At some point it was stored at a local high school and engravings from young lovers all over it. It seems junky, but it’s really quite amazing. So scour your local garage sales and thrift stores; you never know when you might find a gem hiding amongst the pebbles.
5.) Make your own art. Have a plan glass vase sitting around: superglue ribbon to the rim and a silk flower to one side. Glue colorful shoelaces together side by side on a picture frame. Paint your own abstract painting using some of your favorite colors on a large piece of canvas. Instead of paying a couple hundred dollars for the finished painting, you’ll only pay for the canvas.
What happens when you don’t have a strainer for your pasta? You use this thing. #poor #college #student
Well, here’s to abstract thinking and problem solving :)
One of the coolest clocks ever?
There is something insanely awesome about a clock with exposed gears, which makes our Desk Gear Clock, well, insanely awesome.
Light it up, no?
Our Pink Flower Leaf Dorm String Lights are the perfect way to add a little charm to your dorm :).
Should I stay or should I go?
Sometimes you’re in the mood for company, and sometimes you’d rather everyone just leave you the hell alone. Well now with our Reversible Door Mat you can let them know before they even knock on your door :).
Thoughts?
Secrets to Decorating Any Living Room
If there’s one thing about living in a dorm that proves to be a bit challenging, it’s this; you’re often presented with a space that seems to have limited options when it comes to decorating. Maybe there’s only one area where your sofa will fit, or perhaps you need to keep your windows easily accessible since they’re your only source of air conditioning. Either way, we’ve got a few ways to ensure that your living room space turns out fabulous and intentional, not like you just threw your stuff where you think it would fit.
1.) Have furniture that’s the appropriate size for the room. If you have a tiny living room, an oversized sofa is going to seem like a huge mess, just as smaller furniture would be completely lost in a larger room. Smaller rooms needs smaller furniture and vice versa.
2.) Position it correctly. As mentioned above, sometimes it can be difficult to ‘position’ your furniture when you believe there is really only one place it could fit, but if you downsize to smaller furniture, you’ll find this problem virtually takes care of itself. Then, it’s best to have the largest seating area facing the door, either angled or along a wall. This makes your home instantly more inviting the second someone walks in.
3.) Create a focal point. Every living room needs something everyone can focus on, and it should not be the television. Think about it, televisions are giant black boxes in the middle of the room. Instead, play up your fireplace, if you have one, or hang a beautiful piece of art or a stunning light fixture in plain sight. Even a window with a gorgeous view can be a focal point.
4.) Define the space with a rug. Ever find yourself sitting in the middle of a well-decorated room and think to yourself, “It’s nice, but something is missing…” That ‘something’ is a rug. Rugs are a great way to define a space and bring a little bit of color into a room without making it seem obvious. A soft, plush rug is also a great way to warm up a colder area full of windows or hard surfaces.
5.) Bring the eye up. People often decorate only what they can see in front of them, leaving the room looking a little boring or one-note. So don’t forget about the vertical aspect; have floor to ceiling plants or window dressings, bring in tall wall art and lamps and mix a few high-back chairs in with the rest of your lower level furniture.
6.) Soften it up. No one wants to walk into a cold room and sit on a cold, hard surface. You might as well head straight to the doctor’s office if that’s what you’re looking for. So be sure to bring in plenty of soft, welcoming textures, like pillows, rugs, throws and blankets.
7.) Light it up. The right lighting does wonders for how a space turns out. Don’t rely on one giant light in the middle of the room; instead, incorporate plenty of floor, table and hanging lamps in with your general overhead lighting.
And remember, for all your dorm decorating needs, don’t forget to visit our store at www.thegoodlifeoncampus.com!
Got any tips to add?
Need something to hang on your walls? How about our Destination Board.
Where would you remind yourself to go?
We swear sometimes this is EXACTLY what we want to do to our dorm room.
You?
Free Shipping on ALL ORDERS!
And right when we got all our bedding options in too…
How lucky can you be!?
One Question Dorm Survey
Tumblr we need your help. If you live in a dorm room, we’d love it if you took our one question survey (yes literally, one question). It’s completely anonymous, and we can’t tell you the reason for this specific question right now, but trust us, it’s going to be put to very, very good use in the future (which you will no doubt benefit from).
And in the meantime, if you’re in the mood to make your dorm a little more appealing and a little more you, check out our site at www.thegoodlifeoncampus.com.
Got anything to add to the survey question we already asked? Message us or comment below, we’d love to hear from you!
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Creative Decorating
It’s just Christmas lights, clothespins and pictures, but we think it’s a pretty damn good idea.
What do you guys think?
