Personalising the look and feel of a rented house, flat or apartment can often feel like an impossible job. Many people go years living in rented homes believing they can’t personalise anything until they buy – but that’s wrong. Just because you aren’t able to fully redecorate a home, doesn’t mean you can’t be décor savvy and transform your rented home on a budget, while maintaining the condition of your walls.
So if you’re searching for ways to display wall art in your rental home without choosing between your décor and your deposit, look no further…
1. Leave the nails out of it
There are plenty of alternatives to using screws or nails when hanging wall art at home. Nails can often be quite damaging to paint, wallpaper and walls, so if you wish to hang prints and art directly onto a wall, it’s often advised to search for nail alternatives. I suggest ordering things like washi tape, command strips and hooks to use instead. Remember to always check the label, though, and ensure they are designed to leave no marks on the walls. I personally use command strips in my rented flat and have had no peeled paint so far!
2. Lean back
If you have a large wall art collection, and find you don’t have enough wall space to hang it – consider leaning larger pieces of art up against the wall. This may sound silly initially, but some of the best interior designers actually use this method to give an antique impact in bedrooms and living rooms. Consider leaning large photography prints or some of your favourite painted artworks either on shelves, tables, or in the corner of a room for an artsy feel.
3. Show off your art on a shelf
Many people overlook this, but quite often the best place to display art in a rented accommodation is a shelf. Look around your apartment or house today, and we’re sure you will find alternative places to hang wall art around the home that isn’t just a blank wall. You could place food or drink themed art on kitchen shelves for a homely feel, or your favourite painted artwork on a living room shelf to act as a focal point. Remember to choose small and medium prints to add texture to your shelves, and to ensure it isn’t too crowded.
4. Noticeboards
Another clever way to display your art is on a cork board, noticeboard, or a peg board. You can purchase these from almost anywhere, and you don’t even have to nail the noticeboard to the wall if you don’t wish to. Simply prop it up against a desk or shelf, and get adventurous with a range of print and art layout displays.
5. Pick a pretty picture ledge
If your landlord is happy for you to use nails at home to hang a very small number of art prints, but you have too many you wish to display – opt for a picture ledge, instead. You only need a few screws to hang up a single picture ledge, and once up, they can hold dozens of frames and wall art displays (depending on the size). This is a great way to transform a blank wall and reduce the number of holes in a wall created by nails, while still ensuring your artwork and framed prints are a focal-point within your home.
For some of the best prints for rentals, explore the full wall art and prints collection. I'm is always on-hand too for any questions you may have about our prints, too!