When it comes to renovating your NYC rental, don’t think that top interior design styles aren’t for you. Millions of people rent in New York City, many of them for years at a time. The high cost of real estate, as well as the fact that you need to come armed with a large deposit in order to buy a place, make it difficult for many people to purchase a home right away; so, in the meantime, they rent. Many renters feel that they can’t do much to make an apartment feel more like a home, or they may be afraid to make changes that they can’t take with them. The following tips bridge those dilemmas.
Add Temporary Details
If you’ve got a blank, cookie-cutter style apartment, wipe away the boring by adding in temporary detail. One awesome, instantly transforming option is to add faux wood beams. Made out of styrofoam that’s been treated and painted to look remarkably like wood, faux wooden beams are easy to install, usually using adhesive. They can turn a boring living room into a cozy Swiss chalet, or they can turn a sleep-inducing kitchen into a chef’s retreat. They’re easy to remove as well, so when you leave you can just take them down and take them with you. Another temporary detail that could breathe life into your rental is temporary flooring. Made from materials like vinyl or laminate, you’ll be able to cover up hideous and ugly flooring in rentals where aesthetics take last place to function.
Light It Up
Lighting designers are some of the most important people on film sets, and for good reason. Bad lighting can make a beautiful space look ugly, and good lighting can make a simple space look warm and inviting. Filmmakers spend a good portion of their budget on lighting. Think the same way when it comes to your rental lighting. Invest in a few good pieces of lighting, whether it’s chandeliers, floor, or table lamps. Imagine an average square-shaped living room with average windows and maybe some brow furniture. Snore. Now imagine that same room with a gorgeous Stilnovo chandelier casting brilliant beams from the center. Suddenly, you’re in the middle of an exhibit. The best part is, you get to take all of your lighting with you. Just remember to remove and carefully store the existing lighting so that it’s easy to re-install when you move. Other temporary details you can add to your rental include things like ceiling medallions, moulding, and trim.
Paint
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times: Paint is one of the easiest ways to transform a dreary rental. People tend to forget how transformative paint is until they give a space a fresh coat. If you’ve got beautiful art, you may want to choose a bright gallery-style white. If you’ve fallen in love with moody neutrals, black and grey paint can lighten up your day. Experiment and find out which colors lift your mood and the room.
Apartment Jewelry
What is that, you say? Apartment jewelry encompasses all the bits and bobs that make an apartment shimmer and shine. A gorgeous chrome faucet can replace an old, dull one (remember to put the old one back in place when you leave). Something as simple as switching out old doorknobs for jeweled ones and replacing dingy cabinet handles with higher-end models can make your rental feel exquisite and truly special. Think of apartment jewelry as the finishing touch to interior design styles.
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