We’re spending more time at home than ever before, and looking at the same four walls everyday might have you wishing you could make some changes to your space. Decorating a rental can be tricky and while you might feel limited, there are definitely ways to bring your personality to life. We have put together some tips that will really help when it comes to decorating your townhome or apartment space. Exploring new colour palettes, optimizing storage space and using texture to create a cozy atmosphere can help to personalize and stylize your home. Keep reading to learn you can make your mark, even in a rental home!
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Colour Me Neutral
White and light neutral tones are quickly becoming the shade of choice when it comes to painting a room, particularly when the decorator wants that room to have a clean, bright, and open feeling. Many rental apartments and townhomes come with neutral or white painted walls, but don’t let this stop you from adding your own flair! This acts as a blank canvas, allowing accent colours among the decor and furnishings to really pop in a fresh space. If you’re worried about losing out on the warmth of other colours, utilize neutral colours like tan leather or a natural wood for your furniture and pair that with bright pillows or throw rugs to keep that cozy ambiance.
Another benefit of neutral walls is the opportunity to get creative with graphic prints. Pillows, curtains, lampshades, and wall art can all sport exciting, bold colours and prints to add an artistic flair. Take advantage of a light bedroom backdrop by showing off a bold bedspread or patterned pillow shams. The artistic opportunities are seemingly endless!
Embrace Your Green Thumb
Whether you actually have a green thumb or not, plants and greenery are the perfect accent in a modern apartment. For those who can’t manage to keep a plant alive, the selection of artificial greens available these days are so incredible, you’ll never be able to tell the difference!
With such a diverse selection available, you can display your leafy collection of greens in a variety of ways! Some modern designers are even taking plants to the next level by using various types of greenery to create privacy instead of curtains or blinds. Strategically placed plants, whether dangling down or resting on a sill, can be the perfect privacy screen for your modern apartment.
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Try Translucent Furniture
Transparent furniture is becoming more and more popular, particularly in close-quartered apartments. Clear furniture can basically disappear and make the room seem much larger than it actually is. Chairs, end tables, coffee tables, and vanities are being created out of glass, lucite, and acrylic to achieve this transparent look. This makes for a classy, shiny surface with a chic, sleek finish that really adds to the modern design of an apartment.
An advantage to having clear furniture is the ability to pair your bold accent pieces. A transparent end table with a beautiful vase of flowers or an elaborate centerpiece can really spruce up what could have been a dark corner. If your walls are already a bold colour, clear furniture can fill the room without looking too bulky or busy.
Decorate with Trendy Mirrors
Mirrors are a fantastic resource in the interior design world, especially in smaller spaces. Large mirrors can trick your eyes into thinking there’s more space in your apartment, bouncing the natural light around the room and filling up low-light areas. Whether it’s in the bedroom, living room, kitchen or office, mirrors can be a great way to fill wall space while broadening the dimensions of the room.
In hallways, particularly dark hallways or sections whose corners don’t get to see as much natural light, a full-length mirror can make all the difference. Floor mirrors are a great way to make the walls appear taller while adding to the modern design of this section of your home.
Pay Attention to Lighting
In a modern apartment, lighting is everything. The quality and quantity of light in a room can influence not only the appearance of the decor but the actual colour of the walls. The type of light will also change the appearance of a room. Softer white lights will make the walls and decor look surprisingly different than cooler, more artificial lights. The same goes for the shape of a lamp or various fixtures, a globe lamp is going to distribute the light differently than a cone lampshade.
Take In The Natural Light
While on the topic of lighting, take full advantage of any natural light that seeps into the apartment. For some lucky renters, large windows allow a flood of sunlight to wash over a room, brightening up the area and making the room seem open and welcoming. These windows can be a focal point in your decorating. Furniture can be placed conveniently around the windows to provide an airy atmosphere, even if you have limited space.
Many apartment styles are planned to take full advantage of natural light, with an open floor design that allows the light to stream right in and fill the spacious room.
Get Creative With Textures
Soft textiles such as rugs, blankets, and bedding can be placed in multiple layers to create an elegant and extremely cozy setting. Many modern bedrooms use this technique by adding several decorative pillows and end blankets to the bed, adding plenty of texture to create a coherent whole. Plush blankets combined with linens and topped with silky smooth pillow shams create a comfortable and beautiful appearance to a basic bedding set.
In many modern living rooms you’ll find layered textures on the couches and accent chairs to pull the room together. Blankets and pillows sit along the couches, decadent rugs can be found on the floors, and all of these can feel different to the touch. Keeping these decor items within the same colour scheme will pull the whole room together and create a pleasing aesthetic to those who enter the room.
Dining Table? How about the Island!
Plenty of modern apartments are nixing the traditional dining room table. This is done not only to save on space, but to highlight one of the most popular kitchen features: the island. Islands are a wonderful accent piece that not only looks amazing, but is completely practical as well. Along with adding additional cooking and prep space in the kitchen, the right island, complete with comfortable stools, can also double as a fantastic dining table.
To fully utilize the amazing features of an island, you can add storage space in the form of drawers or cupboards set into the furniture. The shape of an island also allows you to tuck away the stools when they are not being used, creating the perfect countertop for prepping dinner or baking. This trendy kitchen feature is one of the best ways to bring the look of the kitchen together while remaining a functional and practical part of the decor.
Make the Most Of Storage Opportunities
One of the best ways to avoid a cluttered-looking room is to take full advantage of furniture that doubles as storage space. Just about everything can be found with built-in storage. For example, when choosing a footrest for your favourite chair, find an ottoman with a removable top to store blankets or other items that you sometimes want, but just don’t want to leave lying around. When you’re searching for the perfect coffee table, look for one with drawers or subtle compartments for television remotes, extra coasters, or puzzle books. These extra storage spaces are vital to keeping your modern apartment looking sleek and tidy.
Storage and design go hand-in-hand, but it’s easy to forget about that when you’re trying to design your perfect modern oasis. Many people associate storage furniture with big, bulky pieces that take up too much room. But really, that convenient ottoman doesn’t take up that much more space and when it can keep the clutter out of sight, it actually gives off the impression of an exceptionally spacious room.
When it comes to renting with Sifton Properties, we take care of suite maintenance and building management so you can focus on creating and enjoying a home that is perfectly suited to your lifestyle. With a wide selection of townhome and apartment rentals in London, Brantford and Guelph, you can be sure that there’s a Sifton community for you. Our neighbourhoods are focused on bringing people together in amenity-rich locations you’ll be happy to call home.