As a renter, you know that every decorating and organizing challenge comes with an additional one – making sure you get your security deposit back when you move out.
Free-standing solutions and no-holes ways to hang art on your wall stop even the pickiest landlord from complaining. Feel confident investing a bit of time and effort knowing your choices will make the trip with you to your next home.
Look for Free-Standing Furniture that Double-Duties as Storage
Free-standing pieces let you plan ahead for move-out. Serving as extensions of your counter, closet, or storage space, they’ll nonetheless come with you to your next rental. A bonus – they serve more than one purpose, making them worth the cost.
Use the surface of a rolling kitchen cart as an extension of your counter space. Prepare food on top and store bowls, pantry items, or small appliances on the shelves below. For entertaining time, roll your cart out to serve drinks or appetizers.
A stand-alone wardrobe with a hanging rack – plus shelves or drawers – augments your existing closet or creates one if needed. When you build a capsule wardrobe from the clothes you currently own, the limited color palette means your wardrobe doubles as boutique-style decor. Stack bins out of reach on the top shelf for out-of-season storage. Look into bamboo for an eco-conscious, modern find.
Make sure your coffee table includes storage under its surface. Different style approaches feature shelves, drawers, or a large space when you lift up the top. Use the extra room to store blankets or pillows for the next family member who crashes on your couch.
Make Your Studio Apartment Guest Friendly with a Daybed
Looking for the perfect double-duty piece of furniture for your small space? Whether you’re planning to make your home-office into a guest room, your only room into a living room, or just need a couch comfortable enough for an occasional overnight guest, a daybed may be the answer.
Make sure to think through your main intended usage. Some daybeds function primarily as couches, except when a friend comes to stay. Look for thick, comfortable backs and arms, and slip covers to make them sitting-friendly. Others come designed to convert easily for daily sleeping, with deeper mattresses in a standard size so you can use twin sheets. Get more detail here.
Hang Almost Anything Without Making a Hole
Command strips allow you to attach things to your rental wall without making any holes, making them renter friendly. Follow 3M’s directions closely. Study the weight limit on each – combine the amounts with multiple strips for heavier items. Don’t forget rubbing alcohol to clean the wall surface first, and pay attention to how long you need to press adhesives in place and wait before using. The payoff comes in a secure hanging system that detaches cleanly with no damage when you’re ready to move out.
Start simply, with Command strips, hooks and picture hangers. Rows of the same sized Command hook, horizontal or vertical, look intentional and designed. Try a horizontal row of kitchen accessories. Or make a necklace, belt, or hat row in your bedroom.
Beyond these, you’ll find gobs of additional organizational items. Look for a Command broom gripper, Command spray bottle hanger, and Command cabinet caddy to hang cleaning supplies on a wall or on the door of a cabinet.
Research even more clever product ideas – a Command towel bar, Command soap dish, and Command squeegee with a hook all turn your bathroom or shower walls into a clean, modern-looking storage space.
Go Vertical to Maximize the Use of Your Floor Space
The square footage of your rental only includes the length and width of your floors. Gain more by maximizing your usage of the three-dimensional area between your floor and your ceiling. Go vertical using tall, skinny bookshelves.
Find an over-the sink drying rack and some over-the-toilet shelves to place items right where you need them. Consider behind-the-door storage on the insides of closet, bathroom, or bedroom doors.
Find the Best Spot in Your Apartment for Your Cat’s Litterbox
Room with a cuddly feline friend? Keep your small space fresh smelling when you make changing the litter easy to accomplish. Think through the right spot for the litterbox. Look for a quiet, out of the way area that your cat has free access to at all times. Consider adding a small curtain or room divider to remove it from sight. Put something flat, washable, and waterproof underneath it if you have carpet. Consider these clever spots.
Hang the Perfect Shower Curtain in Your Apartment
Your bathroom’s likely small, so look to the shower curtain to add style and functionality.
You’ve probably noticed curved shower curtains in hotels when you travel. If you’re able to replace your mounted shower rod, look for one of these. It’ll pleasantly expand the inside space of your shower. Make sure to measure the actual length of the rod when buying a curtain.
Heavy vinyl shower curtains might be a bit more transparent than a cloth curtain with a thin liner, so think through how important this is to you before choosing. Read up on different shower curtain options and how to hang them.
Create a Welcoming Entryway Launchpad
Turn your entryway into a launchpad that helps you unload when you come home and get out the door again feeling calm and organized. Store a pair or two of current season shoes, include a surface to set your bag, and hang hooks for a jacket, keys, and a dog leash. Set a small bench with bins underneath, tuck a tall bookcase, or hide a short chest of drawers next to the door where you usually come in and out.
Think Before You Shop and Organize Mindfully
“Store it at the store,” writes Shira Gill in her book, “Organized Living,” quoting professional organizer Claudia Torre. If you don’t buy something, you won’t need to find a place for it in your home, or the money for it in your account. Read my recent article for more tips on mindful organization for small spaces.
Gift Yourself a Clean Kitchen Tomorrow Morning
One great last renter friendly idea to make your space appealing and liveable? Do the dishes before you go to bed each night. When you get up to a clean home, all of the organizational time you’ve invested will shine. Small spaces look messy more quickly, but also take far less time to clean. Do yourself a favor and develop a wake-up-to-a-clean-kitchen rule. Find 56 more renter friendly ideas here.
