It's important, whether renting or buying, that your home feels like your own space. Feeling completely comfortable means you can de-stress and relax much easier. Nobody wants to come home and feel like a stranger.
We've put together 8 different ways you can start to make your rental feel like home. Each one is an affordable and easy solution to help make you excited to step through the door.
A welcoming entryway
Nothing makes you feel more at home than when you first step through your front door. Make sure it feels like your own space by decorating your entryway. Choose items that help you leave the day behind such as a designated place for coats, shoes and keys.
Your entryway should be a place where you shed the outside world and start to relax. It should allow your rental space to feel like a safe haven from the troubles of your day. Something as simple as a cheap side board and some coat hooks can be all it needs.
Relaxing scents
Smells can be powerful when it comes to relaxation, memory recall and stress relief. When you first move into your rental, there might be no smell or a smell that is unfamiliar. By changing up the scents in your home you can instantly start to feel more connected with your space.
You can choose a unique scent, one that you love and can act as your homes signature scent. Or, if this is your first rental, then you may want to choose scents that remind you of the family home. Choose items like reed diffusers or scented candles, both of which you can pick up fairly cheap.
For a more natural scent, pick up scented flowers for your home. Make it a habit to replace them every 1-2 weeks to keep the scent fresh.
Homely house plants
Moving on from scented bouquets, adding more foliage to your rental can help it feel more like home. Those renting apartments usually have little to no outdoor space to work with. Adding house plants to your space not only looks great but can be extremely calming.
Some of the easiest house plants to take care of are:
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Ferns
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Snake plants
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Succulents
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Cactus
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Aloe Vera
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Money Plant
Plants like ferns need only small amounts of light, so they’re a great way to brighten up dark corners. Other plants may need more light so placing them on window ledges or next to good sources of natural light is best.
If you have pets, make sure that any house plants you choose are non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Family photos
Adorn your walls or sideboards with pictures of friends and family. Having familiar faces around your rental can help you feel more at home. Add some nostalgia and surround yourself with positive memories.
This can be especially helpful if this is your first time away from home. Or, if you live far away from loved ones. Your rental should be a place where you feel safe and secure. Having these faces watching over you can be the perfect way to create that feeling.
You can pick up affordable picture frames for your photos to hang on the wall or stand on a surface. You can also look at frames that offer multiple photo spaces. These can be a cheap way to display more of your favourite pictures but take up less wall space.
A space to entertain
One thing we all love to do after a hard day's work is relax on the sofa with our favourite show or movie. This living space is often where we spend most of our down time, so making it as homely as possible is ideal.
Other than the basics - a TV and sofa - you can also invest in a soundbar to give you the very best audio. Whatever you enjoy, gather it all into one entertainment space. This helps make a designated space for decompression. A place where you can go and know that it’s time to switch off and relax.
You can also create an area for entertaining guests. Make it separate from your own personal space so that you can feel in control of both. Add some stylish placemats to your dining area or adorn with aesthetic kitchenware.
Inspiring wall art
Art is a great form of self-expression. Not only does it help to decorate your rental, but it can also serve a myriad of other purposes.
Choose wall art that inspires you, that brings up good memories or that shows off your aesthetic. You don’t have to adorn your walls with bespoke artwork, print or hangings can be just as effective.
Think about what interests you, what inspires you and what gives you that warm homely feeling. Think about creating a gallery wall that you can view and admire every single day.
Cosy furnishings
Arguably the ultimate way to make a rental feel like home. Adding in cosy furnishings like cushions and blankets can add a new level of comfort to your home. Think teddy fleece throws, floor cushions or throw cushions.
There’s something about snuggling down in a nest of soft blankets that really feels like home. They help you feel immersed in your own space and make getting comfy for a relaxed night in easier than ever.
Cushions and throws can be expensive, but explore stores such as Wilko, Dunelm or even IKEA for affordable cosy furnishings.
Warm lighting
Another way to create that cosy feeling is by utilising warm lighting. Harsh blue-toned lights can keep our brains switched on. This is why we’re encouraged to switch our phone screens to a warmer hue when we’re about to go to sleep.
Lower, warmer light can help your brain to start to wind down. Opt for using small side lamps in the evening instead of using the main lights in your home. This can help create an atmosphere well-suited for relaxation and switching off.
Candles can also be a great source of soft warm light. However, not everyone is allowed candles in their rental. If this applies to you, opt for battery-operated candles. Although they're not quite the real thing, they can still offer the same effect.
You don’t have to have a mortgage to make a space your own. With a few clever decor changes and additions it is easy to make your rental feel like home.
All of our furnished rentals take care of the basics so you can focus on the finer details. Add your own touch to our spacious studios or create a cosy space in our studio, 1, 2 and 3 bed apartments. Explore all of our apartments here.
