How to decorate a rented property...

I feel like I haven't done a lifestyle post in ages so today I'm going to write about how to make your rented flat/house look pretty without upsetting your landlord!

Hubby and I have lived in a few different places in our town all of which have been rental properties and each time they are kitted out with the same boring magnolia walls and beige carpets. Obviously whilst it's good to make sure that rental properties suitable for all kinds of tenants it's nice to be able to put your own little stamp on the place so it feels a little bit more like home.

So here are a few idea's I have come up with to make your place a little more homely...

Buy a new bedspread

We have recently done this and were so surprised as to how different the room looked after changing the colour. Bedspread are surprisingly cheap these days too, Primark have a fairly good selection as do most supermarket home sections, also remember that places like Homebase also allow you to spend Nectar points so if you have some saved up you could take them off the total.

 Spruce up your sofa with cushions 

I love cushions, I love cuddling one whilst I watch TV or hide behind it if I'm watching something scary! Cushions are also quite cheap which means you can swap them around. If you just buy the outer covers you could use the same inner pads. It's sometimes cheaper to buy the cover without the inner. When I've changed mine around I put the ones I'm not using into a vacuum bag and hide them in our ottoman so no one can see them!

Radiator Covers

I personally love these but Hubby hates them as he says they stop the heat from coming out properly but if you hate the sight of radiators these are a great way of disguising them, you could even paint the white ones to match your living room or bedroom accessory colour scheme.

Temporarily upgrade fixtures

In one flat we rented we bought a new loo seat as it suited the colours of the bathroom and added our own personal touch and then when we left we just replaced it with the old one we had hidden in a cupboard! We have also changed shower heads which come with us to every property as there's nothing better than a good shower! When we move to a new place we always replace the lightshades too, we have a cream shell chandelier in the lounge and a purple one in the bedroom which were bought for under £10 from Wilkinsons.

Buy a rug

Buying a coloured or patterned rug will instantly bring colour into a room. Try visiting places like The Range or Dunelm as they usually have lots of different colours and styles. Ebay is another place to look if you want to try and find one quite cheaply as some rugs can set you back around £60!

Have you tried any of these techniques in your property?

*this post is in no way sponsored - just something I wanted to share :) all photos are from Pinterest