Design Vogue

After a year of sublets and crashing with my sister, I'm bordering on desperate to make my newly rented apartment feel like home. I have a limited set of tools, a passion for reading instructions thoroughly, and the confidence of a general contractor with decades of experience.

Here are all of the changes my roommate and I have decided to make to our space to make it truly feel like home, regardless of the fact that we're only renting.

Wall-Mounted Curtain Rods

Gone are the days of tension rods; enter the era of adult curtains. This was one of the first things I mentioned to my roommate after we signed our new lease, and we were immediately on the same page. Nothing says "I'm a grownup" like grownup curtains.

For the living room we're sticking to some sheer, tan curtains with frogs on them (no one said everything had to be adult) that will still let the light in. For my bedroom, however, I'm going all in: Double rods that will accommodate both a decorative curtain, and a functional light-blocking one.

Want more design inspiration? Sign up for our free daily newsletter for the latest decor ideas, designer tips, and more!

Anything but Renter-White Walls

If you're trying to eradicate the renter feel from your rented apartment, the first thing that's got to go are the stock white walls and landlord specials (painted-over bugs and screws).

Though we haven't yet landed on a treatment—whether it should be paint, wallpaper, or some combination of the two—my roommate and I are certainly agreed that it should happen, and soon. We've already picked out the walls we want to customize: one in the entryway, one in the living room, and one in each bedroom.

Peel-and-Stick Flooring

I won't lie to you, my roommate and I hit the jackpot with our original hardwood floor apartment. Aside from the tile in the bathroom, the only room without hardwood flooring is the kitchen.

Instead, it has Millennial grey laminate floors that seem both new and also inexplicably permanently stained. Honestly? It's a mood killer.

So, we've decided to cover it up with a more colorful peel-and-stick vinyl floor tile that will make the space feel more homey and also tie it in better with the living room decor.

Drilled Holes for Everything

While it does serve as the perfect excuse to put my new power drill to work (and my DIY reno skills to the test), my roommate and I agreed on permanently mounting things to the wall long before I bought my new tools.

Sorry to anyone who has their TV on a console table, that's just not for me. A wall-mounted TV, curtains, art, and lighting will surely make our space feel more adult and much more like home.

Actually Chic Overhead Lighting

Our rented apartment naturally comes with harsh, unfashionable overhead lighting. And while we'd love to stick to secondary lighting sources like lamps, it's just not feasible in certain areas like the entryway and hall.

Instead, we're changing the bulbs to a nice yellow and adding different coverings to soften the light and add visual interest to these small spaces.

Ornamental Moulding

Wallpaper and a fresh coat of paint can only take you so far when you're looking to zhuzh walls. And, unfortunately, the hall between our living area and bedrooms is too narrow to employ either of these—it'll just end up feeling overwhelming and visually exhausting.

Enter: peel-and-stick moulding. This decorative bandaid will add texture and character to our walkway without over-saturating the space. It'll be both of our first times applying this, so if it goes successfully, we're excited about the idea of putting it in other spaces, too.

Customized Bedrooms

The first thing I did when we got the keys to our new apartment, even before we deep cleaned the space, was remove the closet doors in my bedroom. They were sliding doors that made my already-small room feel claustrophobic, and left no room for a dresser either inside the closet or in the room.

Now, with them out of the way, I can comfortably fit my dresser inside the closet area. I bought a set of linen curtains that match the ones going on my window, and will mount them to the wall to serve as a barrier between the closet and bedroom.

Speaking of mounting things on the wall, my roommate and I both have already put up shelves in our rooms, and I added a wall-mounted lamp in mine as well. I'm considering an additional ceiling-mounted lighting fixture for my room as well, but I will probably have to call real professionals to get that one done.