When you’re living in a rented property it can be hard to make it feel like home. You haven’t had any say in the bathroom or kitchen fittings, the floors or the colour scheme. And when you move your things in they can look a bit out of place. Actually, you yourself can feel out of place.

Due to the current housing market and because younger people are changing their lifestyles, renting is more and more common. This means that we might be living in a rented home for a lot longer than our parents ever did. And it can take us longer to save up for our own place if that’s something that we want too.

Just because you’re renting doesn’t mean that you won’t want to make your rented home feel like your own! You still want to find ways to add your personal touch and make it feel homely. Without making any serious changes to the property, of course.

In theory, this sounds fun. But in reality, it’s actually quite difficult to make something your own without changing much.

As someone who has lived in rented properties since uni. I feel like I’m pretty experienced in this. I’ve been living in my current place for over three years now and it feels so much like my home because of all of the tiny personal touches I have added.

Here are my 4 simple, tried and tested ways of making your rented property feel like a real home…

Put Some Prints Up

Wall art can make so much difference to a room. Many rented places can feel dull, plain and lifeless, but wall art is a personal way to make a space look pretty and feel like your own. Choose something that reflects your own style. I adore Desenio for my prints. I’ve had quite a few of them from Desenio and they’ve all looked really impressive. The style looks waaaay more expensive than it is, and they have a great selection to choose from, so there’s something for everyone. One day, I hope to cover most of my walls in prints since I prefer very simple colours and furnishings, so I have to liven things up some way! Plus, if you get bored of one print, you can always put it away and choose a different one to replace it – the possibilities are endless!

Tip: Use these Command Narrow Picture Strips to stick your prints to the wall. This means no nails so you won’t be altering your the property’s wall. Plus they’re super easy to use and can hold a good amount of weight. I could even do it myself!

Rugs, Rugs, Rugs

Most rented properties have hard flooring, and this isn’t really a negative, but at times it can make your home feel more like an office space or public place. Sometimes, we just want to feel cosy, so tie your room together with something pretty. A rug is the answer! No matter what size, colour, or style you go for, a rug will make your space 100% cosier. The floors in my house are oak toned, which counteracts with my white/grey colour scheme. But when I add a nice light rug over the top everything feels so much more homely. It’s nice to feel something comfortable under your feet in the morning, or if you’re settling down to watch some TV in the evening. It’s a comfort. The fluffier, the better IMO.

Plants, Everywhere!

If you’ve watched my vlogs or stalked my Instagram Stories recently, you have probably guessed that I am crazy about plants. We have plants/flowers in the kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom and of course, outdoors. Plus, you can’t beat treating yourself to a lovely bunch of flowers every once in a while – I highly recommend Freddie’s Flowers!

Plants add personality to a room. And the types of plants you choose can reflect your personal style too. The flowers you use could remind you of someone, or just simply make you smile. Don’t forget to water them though, you don’t want any unexpected deaths! But, if you can’t keep many plants alive, you could always go for fake ones. You can get some realistic looking ones these days that are hassle-free.

Oh, and plant pot shopping is a wonderful experience too. 

Using Scent

I apologise if you think I’m obsessed with scents and smells. I’m not, I just think they’re overlooked by many of us! As we have all probably experienced, smells can remind us of places, situations and events and trigger certain emotions. So, if there’s a smell you connect with a bad memory, you’re not going to want that in your house. But, if there’s a smell that reminds you of a family member’s home or someone’s perfume then that’s something that can make your rented property feel familiar and welcoming. I use wall plug ins in my home, as well as diffusers, essential oils and incense, and all of them comfort me in some way or another. I use different smells at different times of day too. For example, I use lavender at night time, geranium when I need a pick me up and frankincense when I want to feel comforted.

Maybe it’s time you went scent shopping?

Where to buy essential oils / how to use essential oils

I thought I would add a little mini-section here to talk about essential oils, since I get a lot of questions from you guys about them.

I use an essential oil diffuser first of all (get it on Amazon) and fill that with water before adding in some drops of oil. How much I add depends on how I’m feeling. If you’re new I would recommend starting with 5-10 drops and seeing how you like the smell. Some oils are stronger than others so you may need to experiment a little bit with what you prefer.

For purchasing my oils, I use my local trusty Holland and Barrett store. Whenever I go in there I can’t resist having a little look at them. Plus, they usually have some good offers on too. The brand that I buy is Miaroma. Just make sure you choose the oils that say 100% essential oil on the front, so you know that they’re pure and haven’t got any additional ingredients. Oh, and watch out for your skin too, sometimes they can be a little strong and cause irritation.