4 Rental Decorating Mistakes to Avoid

By Dawn M. Smith for MilitaryByOwner

 

With all the stress a PCS can bring, the silver lining of a military move is the opportunity to create a new home in your next rental, whether it’s a property on or off the installation. The excitement often starts from afar, while staring at online photos from the home advertisement and virtually planning furniture placement and accurate window covering sizes. 

Unfortunately, even with the prep work, walking into a rental home can be overwhelming as you try to picture all of your personal belongings working within an unknown floorplan. There’s rarely a perfect fit! Ceilings are too high or too low, there isn’t enough lighting, or the flooring is dated. The peculiarities are endless. This is why so many rental home decorating mistakes are made. Let’s take a look at a few common ones and how you can avoid them to create the homiest space you can, whether in a rental or installation housing:

1. Bare, Bland Walls 

 They’re intimidating and seemingly oppressive. To increase the cozy factor, renters feel like the only way to cover them (other than paint) is with artwork. While this is a natural inclination, the size and height of the artwork tends to be the problem. 

Have you ever seen an 8×10 family photograph floating on a beige wall, an island alone unto itself, or, in an intense operation to cover every square inch, a haphazard collection of posters, framed pictures, and canvas prints that are flung about hoping to land in an organized way?

It happens, but the key to structured art placement has a bit of math involved. Here’s what Martha Stewart says,

 “A good rule of thumb is to hang art so that its midpoint is between 57 and 60 inches from the floor. Aim for the lower end of the range if most members of your household are on the short side; in rooms with ceilings higher than eight feet, artwork can be hung a little higher than 60 inches off the floor.” 

Just don’t overdo the collection. Preplan the design on the floor with tracings of shapes of the artwork, or take the process a step further and hang the shapes with painter’s tape. This helps to envision how the group shows on the wall. Gallery walls are best served with this technique, but oversized pictures that typically hang above the sofa or bed also benefit. Plus, you’re guaranteed less mistakes and nail holes along the way. 

2. The Wrong Rug Size

It’s rare that a rug is ever too big. If it blocks a doorway or impedes foot traffic, that’s a problem, but more often than not, renters buy a rug that is too small, likely because they didn’t take the time to measure or they’re stopped by the cost of a rug that is a 9×10 or 10×12 in size. 

In the perfect world of decorating, the ideal rug situation allows for all four feet of the sofa, chair, or table to stand comfortably on the rug. This is the best spatial and functional measurement, but not always possible. The second best suggestion is to have at least two feet of the furniture on the rug. This keeps the rug from moving out of position. Because high quality rugs are cost prohibitive, your next best option is to use a large, neutral, but inexpensive (possibly indoor/outdoor material) rug and layer on top a comfortable and colorful, smaller sized rug. This layered effect provides the utilitarian aspect, as well as a significant design feature of the room. 

A third option is to pair smaller rugs side by side, but this is troublesome if a foot traffic route passes through. Always use rug-to-bare floor or rug-to-rug pads to protect the existing flooring and rugs from color bleed and skidding.  

3. Not Enough or Too Much Lighting

 Older homes tend to be dark, while new homes have garish overhead lighting. Both are irksome when planning the overall room’s design. Perfecting the lighting scheme in a home usually takes on a layered approach. 

In the case of inadequate lighting, renters will have to get creative with temporary lighting sources. Depending on your DIY level, you can change a lighting fixture to add brightness, even if it’s just the covering. Use plug-in sconces for ambient light in dark corners, as well as to flank bedside tables. The use of table top and floor lamps round out the lighting collection to brighten up the space. 

For recessed lightning that is overwhelming, consider a dimmer switch. Or, check online stores including Amazon for decorative recessed lighting covers. There’s a variety of styles and some help to quiet the intensity of the overall light source. And last, check to see if there’s the option to change out the bulbs to a set that uses less wattage. 

4) Ignoring the Entryway

Regardless of size, the entryway of the house is the first impression and initial look as to what lies beyond the threshold. Renters often ignore this space, considering it a simple pass-through to dump miscellaneous items. To correct this common mistake, make the space functional and eye-catching.

Look for items that pull double duty, such as a bench for storage and a place to sit for shoes. Tight corners are perfect for a coat rack or a series of hooks. An entryway rug helps remove dirt before tracking debris throughout the house and establishes a color palette for the rest of the home. Decorative items such as baskets, bins, or buckets provide visual interest through texture but also store unsightly items such as dog gear and winter hats and gloves. 

 

Don’t let your next rental intimidate your decorating style! Use these techniques to infuse the personality of your family into the space and to quickly turn a rental house into a home.