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4 Design Tricks to Help You Spice Up a Boring Rental Kitchen (And Still Get Your Deposit Back

rental kitchen

Use these ideas to give your rental kitchen new life. Image: MadeComfy

Decorating a rental can be a delicate process. On the one hand, you want your space to feel as homey as possible while you’re living there, so it should reflect a little bit of your personality. However, on the other, if you want to get your deposit back, the amount of personalization you can do will have its limits.

With that in mind, let us help you find the perfect compromise. We’ve put together a list of ways to help you infuse your sense of style into your rental kitchen. Take a look at these suggestions and pick the ones that make the most sense for you. With any luck, you’ll have the kitchen feeling like your own in no time at all.

color scheme

Tie your design elements together with a cohesive color scheme. Image: Torie Jayne

Coordinate Your Color Scheme

Creating a cohesive color scheme is one of the easiest ways to tie a room together. While we’d typically advise building one around the paint color, in this case, it might be best to stick to your personal items. However, as you can see in the photo above, that’s entirely possible. Everything from the stool to the baking tools and the dish sponge does double-duty by lending aesthetic value to the space.

Here, creating contrast is key. You’ll want to look closely at the hues that are already built-in to your kitchen and add in colors that will pop off of those existing ones. You’ll notice that not everything has to match exactly. You can mix and similar shades to give your design an even deeper sense of complexity.

eye-catching furniture

Make sure your furniture is appropriately eye-catching. Image: Golden Design

Keep Furniture Interesting

Unless your rental comes fully furnished, you’re going to need to bring in a few of your own pieces into the space, anyway. Why not make sure that they add some visual interest into your design? If you feel like going bold and making a statement, consider using some colorful chairs like in the photo above. They could easily become the focal point for any kitchen.

If, however, those hues don’t quite fit in with your aesthetic, there is a subtler route that you can take. Play around with shape. Rather than sticking to a boxy, rectangular table and straight-backed chairs, look for pieces that feature shapely curves and elegant angles.

area rug

Ground the space with a great area rug. Image: KMH Interiors

Add in a Rug

You’ve probably heard of a rug being used to ground a seating area in a living room or your bed. However, you can also do the same in a galley kitchen or beneath a dining table. In this case, the rug will serve the dual purpose of adding to the room’s aesthetic and providing an extra layer of protection for your rental floors.

Picking out rugs is all about the proper sizing. For this, you’ll want to remember the golden ratio, or a 2/3 proportion. Generally, you’ll want dining tables to take up 2/3 the length of the rug that sits underneath it. If you’re dealing with a runner, you’ll want to shoot for one that’s 2/3 as wide as the length of the aisle that it covers.

wall art

Include wall art that reflects your personal tastes. Image: PlaidFox Studio

Don’t Forget Wall Art

Lastly, wall art will always help infuse personality into a room. The kitchen is no exception. Here, the type of art you choose is entirely a matter of personal taste. However, we do recommend that you choose pieces that work nicely within your larger color scheme.

If you want to avoid nail holes, don’t worry. There are plenty of alternatives to hanging art available. Consider sticking to removable wall decals, stringing up  tapestry, or utilizing existing shelving to create a loose take of a gallery wall.

rental kitchen

Use our advice to help bring your personality into your rental kitchen. Image: Alexandra Crafton

Decorating rental spaces is all about striking a compromise. If you’re paying rent to be there, you’ll obviously want to be able to make the space feel like your own. But, if you’re hoping to get your security deposit back at the end of your lease, you’ll also need to make sure that any design decisions you make are easily reversible. Luckily, that’s where we come in. Use these tips to help make your kitchen feel like your very own space.

What do you think of these rental kitchen design ideas? Do you have any of your own to add? Share them with us in the comments below.

The post 4 Design Tricks to Help You Spice Up a Boring Rental Kitchen (And Still Get Your Deposit Back appeared first on Freshome.com.

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