Happy Monday, friends! Did you have a nice weekend? Ours was a lot less hurricane-y than we thought it would be. It’s not very often that we get better weather than is forecast, so we were thrilled to see the sunshine for a few hours!
In fun home-related news, I was interviewed for a piece in the Sunday Times Property Market section yesterday about how to revamp your rental. Since we’ve managed to do so much with our apartment even though we only rent it, I was excited to be able to share a few of my tips with so many people!
I thought I’d share a few highlights with you today, in case you didn’t pick up the paper yesterday or in case you live in a different country!
First, we’ve managed to make some big changes to our apartment using lots of paint, and approaching your landlord about painting your rental can go a lot more smoothly if you offer to do some of the work yourselves. We asked our (very agreeable!) landlord if he would cover the cost of the paint if we provided the labor. He agreed! It also helps if your walls really need a coat of paint, which ours did after several years of wear.
Second, don’t invest too much in changes or furniture you can’t take with you. We have changed out vanities and mirrors, but we saved the original ones in our shed so we can put them back up when we leave.
Finally, get creative with temporary solutions. I can’t wait to show you how I covered the off-white kitchen tile that just wasn’t my taste with a $3 roll of white contact paper. Removable and affordable!
Do you have any tips that have helped make a rental more homey? I’d love to hear your ideas, especially since we’re not quite finished with our makeover! Also, if you’re in Ireland and have a chance to borrow a copy of the Property supplement in yesterday’s Sunday Times, it’s a really thorough and well put together resource from my friend and colleague Dara Flynn.
2 Comments
Nice move with supplying the labor on the paint idea- I may have to find the nerve to do that with our landlord! Wish I could pick up the paper to read the article but.. atlas living in New Mexico makes it hard to get the Dublin Sunday Times- how exciting for you though and a great feature. One of the biggest things we have done in our rental is decorate with Ikea and or World Market furnature/decor -things that are still stylish and nice but not something we will take with us into our someday home that we will own. It makes for an eclectic style but I’m totally fine with that!
I was delighted to see this as I opened yesterday’s paper over my Sunday brunch; well done!