We’ve all been there—staring down the drab state of our bedroom in a rented house and having no idea how to liven it up without getting slapped in the face by our tenancy agreement. No permanent fixtures, no ability to change anything structural—how on Earth do we do it?
Never fear, the answer is here. Contrary to popular belief (and to the untrained eye), there are actually several things you can do to make your bedroom a living, breathing and beautiful sanctuary, and you don’t have to pick up a drill to get there. With some time, some elbow grease, and the resolve to transform your space, you can have the bedroom of your dreams!
Maximise Your Space
First thing’s first, you’re gonna need to execute a big Marie Kondo and remove anything in your room that doesn’t “spark joy”. A big trick that I learned is to minimise the number of flat surfaces in your room as it discourages you from cluttering up your space. We all have a tendency to chuck items on the nearest table or chair. Instead, you’ll be forced to put your stuff away—which is so much better for your room and your mental health! 🧘
Now that you’ve got that out of the way, you should have a lot more space to work with when you’re decorating. Floating shelves on the walls (attached with Command hooks, of course) work to display your precious items without taking up valuable floor space, and they draw the eye upward which makes the room appear larger. You can also hang up long canvases featuring artwork that gels with your colour scheme to achieve a similar effect!
Colour is Key
Speaking of colour schemes, pick one. Never go for more than two colours. And choose an accent metal works to bring the whole room together!
For example, pastel pink and white pair well with plain gold fixings. (Ugh, we live!) In fact, accents are what can really bring a room together. Mixing textures and materials with a similar colour palette is also a fantastic way to make it interesting for the eye without edging towards overwhelming. Try for some neutrals to balance out any bright colours, and you’ll be golden.
Bring Life Indoors
Trust me when I say that bringing a little bit of the outdoors in with you is the best possible thing to make your space that much better. Bring plants inside, make room for that big bay window to shine light in, use floral or tropical prints… Basically, make the inside feel like the outside.
Several studies have been done about workspaces, and all of them reveal that people are happier when they are in view of plant life, natural light, and the outdoors. The same applies to your living space! All these factors give your mental health a boost and starts your day on a good note. And if you feel like you can’t handle the responsibility of being a plant parent, read our plant-rearing guide here!
Change What You Can
Even though you can’t nail things to the walls or repaint the doors, there are a lot of non-permanent methods out there that cater to the budding rental-bound interior designer such as yourself.
Think peel-and-stick wallpaper for a feature wall to make the room seem bigger. Think rugs for the floor that cover the carpet you’re not too fond of. Think cushions, paintings, really anything that you want. Like temporary tattoos, these will give you the aesthetic you want without pissing your mother (read: landlord) off. Trust me.
Personalise, Don’t Improvise
The final step is to bring elements of your life and loves back into the room. What do you love? Surround yourself with it. Bring joy into your life every time you open your eyes in the morning.
If you’re a family person, put up framed family photos in your room! Are you a collector? Chuck some coordinated shelves on the wall to proudly display your hard-won collectables. Love the ocean? Sea-themed art deco are a-plenty! Or maybe you’re an enthusiast about something a little odder… like owls. I personally have at least twelve owl-related things in my room, because they bring me joy!
Make the space yours, and you’ll probably never want to leave.
Want more guides like this one?
Follow Zizacious writers on their journey through topics about life, about love, and about everything else under the sun. Subscribe to the newsletter today!
