Renters Solutions

Bathroom with clawfoot tub, green wainscoting, white sink, and window.
Before & After: Reviving a Dark & Dated Rental Bathroom
Amy was #blessed with two very crucial elements of a rental makeover success: an apartment with good bones and a generous landlord. She took those gifts and ran with them, turning her bathroom into a totally lovely, stylish and calming sanctuary. From Amy: The first thing I did when I signed my lease was ask my landlord if I could paint the bathroom.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
Sep 28, 2016
Real Life in a Small Space: How This Couple Makes a Tiny Studio Work
Andy, Danielle and two cats share a 325 square foot studio in Chicago. Yes, you read that correctly: 325 tiny square feet. They not only do it stylishly, as evidenced by their house tour, but considering their big smiles (and the fact that they’re still living in the apartment together), they also share it successfully! I love this couple and their home, and had to ask them more questions about how they manage in so little square feet.
Adrienne Breaux
Sep 21, 2016
Home “Alone”: Small Space Hacks for Creating Privacy At Home
We’re all about small space living here at Apartment Therapy, but even we admit that it can be difficult to find privacy in a tiny home. But whether it’s from the other people in your household, occasional guests, your neighbors or even just your own work, separation can be achieved. Read on for some ideas on how to carve a bit of “me space” in your place.
Eleanor Büsing
Aug 31, 2016
Adding Color to Your Rental: 5 Real Renters Share Their Solutions
Color doesn’t have to be permanent…or even on the walls. It also doesn’t have to be super saturated or loud, either. These five renters added soft, subtle color to their homes—in ways that won’t prevent them from getting their security deposit back! From Katie, of Katie’s Shabby Chic St. Paul Apartment: “I am quite proud of my dining room table and chairs.
Adrienne Breaux
Aug 31, 2016
Calling All Renters: Easy & Reversible Ways to Add Style to Your Bathroom (This Weekend!)
Rental bathrooms are notoriously plagued by ugly (or just plain dated) design decisions. The good news is, there are some simple, reversible ways to cover up what you hate most about this room and add your own style to the space. Introducing color and pattern where you can, and choosing attractive storage lets you put your own touch on a temporary home. It may sound obvious, but in a small rental bathroom, the shower curtain is the first thing you should switch out.
Katie Holdefehr
Jul 8, 2016
Real Life Design: 3 Renters Who Made Lemonade Out of “Lemon” Rental Kitchens & Baths
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” The phrase has a contented history, but the expression boils down to this: lemons are harsh and sour – kind of like the dated rental kitchen you can’t stand to cook in – and lemonade is sweet – like these 3 real rooms that made the best of a bad situation.
Taryn Williford
Jun 21, 2016
Mid-Year Rental Check-In: 9 Ways to Make Sure You’re Loving Your “Now” Home Enough
It’s time for a congratulatory toast. We’re halfway through the year! It’s a great time to take a style inventory, get some projects done and tackle a really important topic: Am I going to stay in this apartment? If you know you’re going to renew your lease into 2017 (So far away! That doesn’t even look like a real year, does it?), make sure your summer plans include tackling some updates to make your apartment into a home.
Taryn Williford
Jun 17, 2016
Renters Rejoice: Stylish Solutions to Your Most Common Design Woes
What do you do when you’re a design lover but your rental is less than inspired? Well, you get creative. We tallied up 7 common nuisances experienced by renters and paired them with stylish solutions so you can get your temporary pad feeling more like home. Design Woe: Generic flooring Stylish Solution: Rugs on rugs on rugs It might seem silly to layer a rug over carpet, but the visual effect of a graphic or colorful floor covering really helps to distinguish a space.
Arlyn Hernandez
Jun 13, 2016
Space Saving Smart Furniture Switcheroos
In a small home, every inch counts. If you’re looking for ways to find more space in your home, peruse this list of furniture switcheroo suggestions. They are smart and suitable substitutes for bulkier furniture, and making these switches could give you more space. A small wooden shelf, a repurposed desk drawer or a cube shelf (like above) can drastically reduce the space a nightstand might take up without eliminating a handy bedside surface.
Adrienne Breaux
Mar 18, 2016
Before & After: A Den Full of Hollywood Glam
Who couldn’t use a little glam in their life, right? Okay, so maybe it takes a certain type of person to pull off a really glam look at home, but Tim from Design Maze and the resident of this apartment were the perfect team to pull off this eye-popping den with a modern take on Hollywood glamour. I think it will make even the most minimalist design lover feel a little glam-envy. The best part? This is a rental apartment so everything is temporary.
Melissa DiRenzo
Mar 16, 2016
Ideas for Making a Dark (or Totally Windowless) Room Less Depressing
Good light can make or break a space, and unfortunately natural lighting is probably the one thing about a room that’s hardest to change. So when you’re faced with a space that has very few windows (or none at all), how do you cope? We’ve got some ideas. Multiply the light you do have. If you have a window, use translucent shades or sheer curtains for privacy, instead of blocking it with heavy window treatments.
Nancy Mitchell
Mar 14, 2016
Fabian & David’s Sleek Remodeled Rental
Name: Fabian & David Location: New Haven, Connecticut We are Fabian from Germany and David from the United States, two doctoral students at Yale University, and we turned our student rental into a modern, minimalist apartment. Both of us work in the social sciences but also have a casual interest in architecture and interior design.
Nora Taylor
Mar 13, 2016
Real Small-Space Closet Solutions: How To Hang Your Clothes Out in the Open Without it Looking Like a Mess
No closet? No problem. You know how Edward Sharpe says “Home is wherever I’m with you”? Here’s your new motto: My closet is wherever I keep my clothes. Let’s just grab a sturdy garment rack (or make one from scratch) and set up shop in the living room or bedroom. It can look great, with the right inspiration. Flank a garment rack with a dresser on each side, like shown above in Jeanette & Mikul’s Airy, Sunny and Minimal One-Room East Bay Loft.
Taryn Williford
Feb 25, 2016
5 Real-Life Wardrobe Storage Solutions From Apartments with No Closets
Take inspiration from these five real-life apartments, whose residents found smart ways to store everything with no closet in sight.
Nancy Mitchell
Feb 5, 2016
Lighting Problems Renters Can Relate To (And What To Do About Them)
Rental apartments aren’t known for crystal chandeliers and beautiful statement lighting. Instead you get (almost always) awful and (frequently) unflattering light with shadows that turn even the prettiest people into Bela Lugosi — not to mention dated fixtures desperately in need of an aesthetic upgrade. Learn how to improve your lighting situation with one of these solutions.
Dabney Frake
Jan 29, 2016
Before & After: A Small Change, Big Impact Rental Kitchen Upgrade
I will never get tired of seeing real life, totally attainable home updates, especially when they’re renter friendly. Kevin’s flawless execution of some classic kitchen updates is absolutely worth a gander and may inspire some updating of your own. From Kevin: When I started thinking about giving our little kitchen a refresh, I immediately thought of what a big impact some color could have in our kitchen.
Nora Taylor
Jan 23, 2016
Before & After: The “Embrace it Loft-Style” Kitchen
Shehzeen was faced with an all too familiar problem, a rental kitchen that just didn’t work. The color was off, the placement wasn’t ideal, but she made apartment lemons into very cute lemonade. From Shehzeen: I live in a rental so doing any kind of a permanent overhaul to the kitchen or its appliances is out of the question. Also, my kitchen was extremely open plan and was sitting right there in the living room.
Nora Taylor
Dec 1, 2015
Before & After: A Quick Rental Floor Fix, For Under $200
Jess and Ryan moved into their apartment six years ago, drawn to the multi-floor layout that allowed them to create two defined areas: one for entertaining and lounging, the other for sleeping and working. While they were in love with the apartment itself, the floors throughout the kitchen, dining, and living rooms left a bit to be desired. The old, yellowed, scratched linoleum caused the downstairs to feel cold and uninviting.
Emily Billings
Nov 4, 2015
I Bought a Dishwasher for My Rental Apartment: Was it Worth It?
This past winter I fell on ice and broke my wrist. As you can imagine, this made many things more difficult, including housekeeping. My husband and I (and now our two kids) have lived in the same rental apartment sans dishwasher for eight years. My husband had been campaigning for one for years, but I had resisted for two reasons: 1) why invest money in a rental apartment and 2) why give up valuable cabinet space in our already small kitchen.
Carrie McBride
Oct 29, 2015
Our Best Tips & Inspiration for Dealing with Low Ceilings
A lot of the spaces that we feature on Apartment Therapy have gorgeous, soaring ceilings. “Sure,” I hear you say, “it’s easy to make a space look good when your ceiling are 14 feet tall.” But what if your living space is a little humbler, with ceilings no higher than the standard eight feet? There are still things you can do to make your home look fantastic — and spacious to boot. Here are four ideas, with plenty of (low-ceilinged) examples to inspire. 1.
Nancy Mitchell
Aug 30, 2015
Before & After: Fireplace Gets a Quick Renter-Friendly Makeover
Jess’ rental had a beat up fireplace that was a bit of an eyesore in the middle of her living room. She found the perfect low-cost way to give it some glamour, with a classic renter’s trick that we love: Contact paper!! From Jess: The main materials are contact paper and an exacto (or utility) knife. Prior to doing anything to your fireplace make sure you give it a good wipe down so that the contact paper will stick to the fireplace surround.
Tara Bellucci
Aug 28, 2015
No Doorman? No Problem: 5 Ways to Get Your Packages on Your Own Schedule
Some fortunate folks out there have the luxury of a doorman at their apartment building; someone to accept packages on their behalf while they’re away at work or on vacation. The rest of us just come home to “missed package” slips stuck to our doors. Until now. Here are 5 services popping up in some big cities that let you get home deliveries on your time.
Taryn Williford
Aug 27, 2015
Safe and Smart: How To Sub-Lease Your Apartment The Right Way
Need to be away for a while but don’t want to eat a chunk of rent? You might be in the market for a sub-leaser. Letting someone in your home comes with plenty of issues so let’s wade through them together. Read on. You have a set of guidelines for your tenancy; it’s your lease. Check it to see the rules for sub-leasing. In the event that it’s not addressed, you really need to bring it up with your landlord.
Jennifer Hunter
Aug 20, 2015
How to Love a Temporary Living Situation (Even Through It’s Not Forever)
If you’re languishing in a dorm room, sublet or any other type of temporary housing, you’re probably facing a particular kind of decor dilemma. On one hand, you’re living there so you want it to be nice. On the other, the idea of putting tons of time into fixing up a place where you won’t be for very long is exhausting. What to do? Read this. If you know you’re gonna be on the move again soonish, it’s worth it to figure out how to weed your belongings down.
Jennifer Hunter
Aug 16, 2015
Rental Red Flags: Watch Out For These 5 Bad Landlord Warning Signs
Even a great rental will be hell if you’re stuck with a bad landlord. Don’t be blindsided by a dud. Heed these warning signs before you commit to a lease and it’s too late. Even if the apartment you tour looks immaculate, be wary if the rest of the building seems surprisingly run down in comparison. What about the landscaping outside, the lounge or the laundry room?
Jennifer Hunter
Aug 5, 2015
The 10 Commandments of Decorating Your Rental
Decorating a rental home can often seem like a minefield of decisions, forcing you to weigh the financial risk and aesthetic payoff at every turn. How much time and money to invest in a temporary home? Which areas to focus on and which to learn to live with? Read on for 10 Commandments to decorating your rental home. 1. Thou Shalt Decorate First things first- you should actually decorate your rental, even if it’s in small, temporary ways.
Eleanor Büsing
Jun 29, 2015
These Studios Prove That One Room Living Can Be Super Stylish
In most of the glamorous homes you see on decorating websites, the living room, dining room, kitchen, and bedroom are all separate spaces. So what are you to do when you’ve living in an apartment that is really just a single room with a stove and a sink on one end? Take inspiration from this collection of super stylish studio apartments. As these spaces prove, living in one room doesn’t have to mean sacrificing style.
Nancy Mitchell
Jun 21, 2015
Temporary Decorating Ideas Every Renter Should Know
Just because you're only in your place for a year or two doesn't mean you can't make it a home.
Dabney Frake
May 17, 2015
How To Talk to Your Landlord (and Get What You Want)
The landlord v. tenant relationship can be a tricky one to master; there are so many minefields to step around when dealing with your home and his property. But going into any discussion with the right knowledge and attitude can significantly improve your chances of request success. Here’s where to start. The number one secret to getting extra-good service from your landlord? Be the kind of tenant your landlord wants to keep around.
Jennifer Hunter
May 10, 2015
Dear Landlord: Dos and Don’ts for Rental Remodels
Dear Landlord, I’m your future tenant and, I get it, your priorities are a little different than mine. You want things to be durable, long-lasting and, usually, cheap. I, on the other hand, would really love them to look nice. I heard you’re doing a little work on the place before I move in so I wanted to share some do’s and don’ts, my wish list and no-no list. Some of them come at a cost, but others won’t cost you a penny.
Carrie McBride
Mar 24, 2015
Before & After: An Easy, Colorful & Affordable Rental-Friendly Backsplash
Andrea’s rental kitchen was lacking a backsplash… and personality. Enter Etsy with a colorful (and temporary!) solution that complements her space. From Andrea: I had been looking for an answer to my rental kitchen woes for over a year when I found these removable wall/tile decals by Bleucoin on Etsy. I was instantly inspired to refresh my dark and boring galley kitchen with them.
Tara Bellucci
Feb 18, 2015
10 Things to Look For On Your Next Apartment Hunt (That You Haven’t Thought Of Yet)
Of the many things you might be on the lookout for when searching for your next apartment to live in — hardwood floors, big windows, a lot of space — don’t neglect the odd but useful items on this list. They might save you a lot of future pain and make sure you enjoy your next home! We spotted these ideas from a thread on Reddit asking for what to look out for and what to asking when looking for an apartment.
Adrienne Breaux
Jan 20, 2015
8 Bathroom Bettering Ideas You Can Do (When You Can’t Renovate Your Rental)
Staring all day at photos of enviable bathrooms full of bold tile floors, brand new fixtures, dreamy cabinets and claw foot tubs made for soaking in, it can be easy to get discouraged and focus on what you can’t do when you rent (or if you own but don’t have a huge budget for renovations). But just because you can’t tear everything out and start over doesn’t mean you can’t make your bathroom more beautiful.
Adrienne Breaux
Nov 9, 2014
Soundproof Your Rental Bedroom in Under 10 Minutes for $40
If you’re in a rental apartment, the last thing you want to do is pay a lot of money to make it livable. Perhaps the only thing worse is pissing off your roommate(s) while you’re having loud — ahem — relations, or blasting Gregorian chants from your bedroom on Sunday mornings. Which means you need to find an easy, reversible and affordable solution for privacy, while respecting thy neighbors.
Dabney Frake
Oct 29, 2014
How To Make the Most of Typical Rental Features: The Only Bathroom is Through the Bedroom
Once upon a time, I was flat-hunting in London and found an adorable one. The location was convenient and the space bright and sunny. The problem? The bathroom was located off the bedroom, meaning that guests would have to go past my bed in order to use it. Here’s how to make the most of this sometimes awkward layout: Though I immediately discounted that flat, I’ve since discovered that this layout isn’t as ridiculous (or rare) as I once thought.
Eleanor Büsing
Jul 25, 2014
Nobody Wants to Be the Noisy Neighbor: Tips for Keeping Your Sound Down
If there’s anything worse than having a noisy neighbor, it’s realizing that you are the noisy neighbor. Nobody goes around intending to be overheard by strangers, but then one day a neighbor knocks on your door and complains about the sound of your footsteps on his ceiling or says he can hear you singing to your cat, and then there’s nothing to do but tiptoe around in socks and worry that all your neighbors hate you.
Elizabeth Licata
Jul 22, 2014
13 Temporary & Removable Adhesive Products All Renters Should Know About
Because renters like nice things too!
Dabney Frake
Jul 21, 2014
Working With White Walls: 6 Ideas From Bold Bedrooms of Real-Life Rentals
You don’t need a bold wall paint color to turn the tide on a bland bedroom. These six bedrooms — despite their white walls — are real-life examples from our house tours of rooms that wow. And they are full of bold ideas to borrow for your own bedroom (in case it’s feeling a little too white and boring). Pictured above: Can’t do color on the walls? Do texture instead! And then also put texture on the bed, too, just for good measure.
Adrienne Breaux
Jul 20, 2014
Our Best Tips for Life Without a Dishwasher
Not having a dishwasher certainly isn’t the worst problem you can have. But if you’re used to having one, switching to only hand-washing can seem like a major inconvenience. Following are some ways to make life without a dishwasher as painless as possible. Soak. To make hand-washing less of a scrub-fest, make every effort to keep food from drying on dishes and pots and pans. If you can’t wash something right away, at least submerge it in or fill it with warm soapy water.
Shifrah Combiths
Jul 17, 2014
The Neighbors are Noisy as S#*!: How to Cope When You Love Your Home But Hate Your Neighbors
I’m having a love affair with my neighborhood. The industrial Westside of Atlanta has been experiencing a total resurgence lately, something my boyfriend and I have been lucky to witness for the four years we’ve lived in our 1100-square-foot 2-bedroom apartment — the one with the tiny kitchen but a great view of the city skyline.
Taryn Williford
Jul 16, 2014
The 10 Worst Things About Renting (And How to Deal with Them)
I just got the chance to see a friend’s new house, and the conversation during the visit turned to owning vs. renting. True to the “grass is greener” maxim, we each had bad things to say about our current situation.
Taryn Williford
Jul 15, 2014
3 Tips for Refreshing Old Carpet
Carpet is a bit like upholstered furniture: it tends to hold on to dust, stains, and other marks of wear and tear. (Even after a professional cleaning, undesirables tend to resurface.) And those signs of other tenants’ lives are something you probably prefer to live without. Following are some tips for refreshing carpet that’s seen better days. Fluff Dents with an Ice Cube.
Shifrah Combiths
Jul 14, 2014
The 10 Commandments of Keeping a Small Space Organized
Living in a compact (read: tiny) one bedroom with my fiancé and our two dogs sometimes resembles a giant game of Tetris. When it comes to cramming our lives, complete with hobbies, home cooking and my photography business, into 450 square feet organization is key. Here are a few of the ways that we manage. 1. Build upwards.
Kim Lucian
Apr 15, 2014
Real Room Inspiration: Wall Hangings
If you aren’t allowed to paint your walls or you simply don’t want to commit, and if the though of hanging even removable wallpaper gives you hives, we should be friends. Also, you should consider brightening up your standard-issue walls with a lovely wall hanging. A few tiny tacks is all it takes.. TOP ROW: Jesse & Lucas’ Simply Stylish Home + Studio: A vintage Egyptian tapestry livens up the white walls in their son’s room.
Tess Wilson
Mar 28, 2014
No Nightstand, No Problem: 12 Unusual Things to Use Instead
What is a nightstand, anyway? Of course we all know what the pieces identified as nightstands at the furniture store look like: little tables, usually with a drawer or shelf. But all a nightstand really is, at its most basic, is a place to put the stuff you may want immediately before you go to bed or right after you get up, so you don’t have to lean over awkwardly and pick up your iPhone from the floor.
Nancy Mitchell
Feb 14, 2014
How Much Rent Can You Really Afford?
Knowing what you want in a rental apartment is pretty easy: space, location, storage, beautiful floors, light, etc. Finding all of those things within your budget can be a bit more difficult. But before you even start contemplating your rental possibilities, you should probably know what your budget is, and fortunately, this step isn’t all that difficult.
Carolyn Purnell
Mar 20, 2013
If Only I Hadn’t Already Signed the Lease: 10 Things To Always Check Moving Into an Apartment
Everyone has moving horror stories, but there are just some things you don’t think to check until you’ve already signed a lease. Here’s 10 things that should be on everyone’s “must-check” list. 1. Hallway/Doorway Size: Sometimes it’s easy to get carried away with great architecture lines of square footage, but sometimes (Even if you buy small furniture) things simply don’t fit in awkward hallways.
Sarah Rae Smith
Mar 20, 2012
Easy & Temporary Ways to Dress Up a Rental Like You Own It
Just because you don't own your apartment doesn't mean you can't dress it up.
Arlyn Hernandez
Mar 10, 2012
How To Do Your Laundry Like An Adult
How To Do Your Laundry Like An Adult
Sep 6, 2016