White walls. Incompatible ceiling fixtures. Wall-to-wall carpeting that begs to be replaced. Furniture arrangement that suits a builder’s preconceived ideas.
Sound familiar? No wonder you feel like a temporary guest in your rental apartment.
Relax. Apartment decor doesn’t have to look like you’re waiting for the moving truck to appear. You can feel at home. All it takes is a new mind-set.
The biggest worry is if you add “character,” your landlord will claim you violated the lease. It’s true you have to be careful and ask questions before you do any major work. Even if the model apartment has a mirrored wall, you may be required to remove your mirror if you try to do the same thing in your rental.
Typically, though, landlords don’t prohibit you from making minor changes such as painting and changing light fixtures as long as you restore the apartment to the original condition when you move.
Tired of living in a home that looks like a rental? Liberate yourself by dispelling some common myths:
Myth 1: Spending money on good furniture is a waste because it won’t work in the house you’ll buy later.
Apartments often look thrown together because renters are afraid the decor won’t be portable.
One of the best ways to devise a portable color scheme is to start with an area rug. The rug gives you the basics for your palette and hides what is often ugly wall-to-wall carpeting.
In a Delray Beach, Fla., apartment, the addition of a Chinese needlepoint rug defined the conversation area and provided a color scheme (greens and golds with a touch of paprika and plum) to select other fabrics and upholstery.
If possible, take the rug with you to select complementary fabrics. Bring several fabric swatches home and see how their appearance changes during different times of the day before you make a decision.
Myth 2: You have to live with white walls or you’ll lose your security deposit.
Painting a wall in a bold color is a good way to add instant drama. When the wall in the dining room in this apartment was white, nothing tied together. Then it was painted using Ralph Lauren’s Aubusson Ivy, which picked up the color of the dining room chairs and the green in the needlepoint rug.
Worried about turning the wall back into apartment white? Don’t. When you are ready to leave, paint the wall first with Kilz, a primer product that covers just about anything. Then paint the walls white.
Myth 3: The sofa must have its back against the longest wall.
Learn to think outside the box. In this apartment, the renters wanted their bookcases to be the focal point on the longest wall–the builder’s designated “sofa spot.”
They placed the sofa facing the window, but never felt comfortable because their backs faced the front door. (The Chinese call this placement very bad feng shui because people can be startled when they can’t see the door.)
The only other wall was taken up with a sliding glass door. The solution: Treat the glass doors as a wall. Because this glass door wasn’t used to get to the patio, the renters allowed just 2 feet between the sofa and the doors; so there’s access to open and close the verticals.
Myth 4: Never waste money on custom cabinetry for an apartment.
This home office with a waterfront view cried out for a corner desk. The first solution was to find an inexpensive desk with corner piece and two wings.
But as the years went by, there wasn’t enough storage so the wings were replaced with two custom pieces that allowed for horizontal and vertical storage.
Because the drawers were deep, the carpenter designed them with the same kind of full extension hardware that is found in kitchen cabinetry. When the renters move on to their own home, the modular pieces can be used in another configuration.
Myth 5: Window treatments are too costly. Go with what the landlord provides or use some cheap curtains on extension rods.
No one wants to spend a lot of money on custom drapery for a rental, but you can get a close-to-custom look without spending a lot of money. If you already have blinds, shades or verticals, it’s easy.
Buy a decorative metal rod that extends to different widths and then find drapes that you can hang at either side of the window. They don’t have to be the perfect width for the window because you won’t have to close them.
For the perfect finishing touch, make a valance out of linen napkins. To make the valance in our example, you’ll need six napkins.
Sew each set of two napkins together and trim with the braid of your choice. Monogram the center napkin to give the valance a focal point. Then drape the napkins over the rod. When you move, the napkins can be moved closer together or farther apart to fit the next window.
Myth 6: You are stuck with the landlord’s lighting.
Rental lighting fixtures don’t always match your decor. In this case, the chandelier was transformed from contemporary to traditional with removal of the glass globes and addition of three gold tassels tied onto the base.
A final touch: Add a dimmer switch so the lights can be softened during dinner.
DECORATING ON A BUDGET
If you are looking for a treasure trove of innovative ideas to decorate your apartment, one of the best sources is “The New Apartment Book” (Crown, $30) by Michele Michael.
Michael, a free-lance home design editor and consultant in New York, does a wonderful job of illustrating how to get an uptown look on a down-home budget. The 208-page paperback also includes step-by-step projects and a shopping guide.
To get you inspired, here are some of her suggestions:
– Love the look of black-and-white photos but can’t afford the prices at a design shop? Buy an art book of your favorite photographer’s work, cut out the pictures you like and frame them in inexpensive black metal or wood frames.
– Flea markets and garage sales are great places to find furniture. Forget the rules about matching. Mix different styles and periods. If you buy what you love, the pieces always end up working together.
– One of the best investments you can make is a good quality sofa. The better the quality, the longer it will last.
– If you like the shape or color of an oil, vinegar or liqueur bottle, soak the label off and use it as a vase.
– Need an extra table? Use two wooden sawhorses, put a board on top and make a fitted slipcover to hide the structure. Use the space underneath to store baskets.
– Don’t pass up those dishes you adore. If they are too expensive to buy all at once, buy just the dinner plates or bowls and mix them with what you already have.
— Sun-Sentinel, South Florida
