Renting has its advantages and disadvantages like most things in life. It’s flexible as it doesn’t tie you down to one place for years. It’s somewhat convenient so if something goes wrong it’s on the landlord to fix it. It’s also the only option many people have if buying a house is more than their bank account can handle.

I’ve been renting for years. Not being able to afford a deposit aside, I do have a set of very itchy feet.  I, like many others out there, enjoy the flexibility. I would probably be great to own a place but where? For how long? What if I can’t sell it if I’m bored with the place?

See what I mean?

In the last 10 years I have moved more than I’d like to admit. Out of a student house, into a shared house, to another shared house, my first single flat, with a boyfriend, with a boyfriend but the other side of the country… It’s cost me (and then ‘us’) a fortune and many scratches on my favourite pieces of furniture but as exhausting as moving can be there’s something very exciting about walking into an empty room and instantly trying to figure out how to add personality and style into yet another set of magnolia walls.

Challenge is definitely always accepted and if you’re anything like me, you can understand how frustrating but also extremely satisfying it can be to express yourself through interior decorating in a rented property.

So how did Decoranted come about?

Browsing Pinterest is one of my favourite activities. Whatever inspiration I need, I type in my keywords and ta dah! Thousands of relevant hits appear – pictures, tutorials, before and afters. There are endless creative ideas on how to make your home a better place (visually, of course).

The problem I often have is that as much as I’d love a vibrant green feature wall, beautiful dark wooden floor panels or funky tiles in a bathroom, my walls are ivory, I have chocolate brown carpets and the tiles are the plainest white imaginable… Something that unfortunately in most cases, I can’t do anything about. I can’t hang shelves, replace an old fashioned hanging lamp or a tacky curtain rails.

I just always wished there were more ideas for tenants (we’d love to have a beautiful home too, you know?!). First of all, ideas on how to match colours,  furniture, soft furnishings and accessories. Second of all, ideas on how to save space, how to cover up the features of your rented property you don’t like without drilling holes and losing your security deposit. Third of all, how not to spend an absolute fortune. Knowing that you’ll move out sooner or later prevents you from buying expensive stuff that might get damaged in transit or you might have to sell or abandon if it doesn’t look good in your next home.

I created this blog to share ideas, tips and inspiration. Decorating your rented space might be a challenge but you can certainly make it your own. Hope that you find Decorented useful!