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Rental living room makeover: 8 changes without painting

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A rental living room changes most with textiles and light: a large rug, floor-length curtains, a slipcover and warm lamps or plug-in sconces. A picture ledge and a leaning mirror replace a gallery wall's many holes. Keep everything reversible, tidy plug-in cords with covers, and secure leaning mirrors so they cannot slide or tip.

  1. A large cream and sage patterned rug over beige carpet, under the front legs of a grey sofa and a sage armchair, with a wooden coffee table and plant; a bookcase, floor lamp, three framed prints, a curtained window and a baseboard heater.

    A large rug over the dated carpet

    A big rug hides a lot of carpet.

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    Why it works

    A rug large enough for the front legs of the sofa and chairs, as in the picture, covers much of a dated carpet and pulls the seating together.

    Materials and furniture

    • Large rug
    • Rug-to-carpet gripper

    Check first

    • A rug-to-carpet gripper stops it creeping.
    • Edges flat, no curling.
    • Keep heaters clear; the picture does not show the rug's material or slip resistance.
  2. Two cream curtains on a track just below the ceiling either side of a window, their hems at the carpet, in a narrow living room with a cream sofa, a wooden coffee table, an armchair, plants, a bookcase and framed prints.

    Floor-length curtains hung high

    Long curtains from just below the ceiling soften the room.

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    Why it works

    Curtains hung from just below the ceiling and down to the floor soften a plain rental room and frame the window. How they are fixed, and whether they darken or quieten the room, the picture does not show.

    Materials and furniture

    • Curtain track or pole
    • Floor-length curtains

    Check first

    • Drilling may need the landlord's permission; existing rails or a tension rod between solid walls avoid it.
    • Curtains clear of radiators and heaters.
    • Keep the window operable.
  3. Two lit brass-look wall lights above a cream sofa, their cords running down the wall in white covers, the left one to a visible socket, the right one disappearing behind the sofa; three framed prints between them, a bookcase and a coffee table.

    Plug-in wall sconces

    Wall lights that plug in, cords in covers.

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    Why it works

    Plug-in sconces add warm light at eye level; their cords run down the wall in covers to a socket. In the picture only the left plug is visible.

    Materials and furniture

    • Plug-in wall sconces
    • Cord covers
    • Small fixings as the maker specifies

    Check first

    • Plug directly into wall sockets; keep cords out of the walkway.
    • Bulbs within the sconce's rating.
    • The sconces themselves are screwed to the wall: ask your landlord about the holes. Hard-wired lights need an electrician.
  4. A white picture ledge above a cream sofa holding four overlapping framed abstract prints in sage, beige and brown, with cushions, a knitted throw, a round wooden coffee table, a table lamp and a rug.

    A picture-ledge gallery

    Change the art, not the holes.

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    Why it works

    A picture ledge above the sofa holds a changing arrangement of prints, so swapping art needs no new nails. Four overlapping frames lean on the one in the picture.

    Materials and furniture

    • Picture ledge
    • Light frames
    • Removable putty

    Check first

    • Fix the ledge with fixings that suit the wall; the picture shows no tested fixing.
    • Light frames over the sofa; the ledge's lip must stop them slipping.
    • Fill the holes before moving out.
  5. A cream sofa in a loose skirted cover with two sage cushions and a rust throw over the arm, a wooden side table with a lamp and books, a framed print, a curtained window and a potted plant on cream carpet.

    A slipcover on the sofa

    A different-looking sofa without buying a new one.

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    Why it works

    A fitted slipcover changes the colour and feel of a sofa you inherited or don't love. Whether a cover fits, can be removed and washed depends on the product; a picture cannot show it.

    Materials and furniture

    • Fitted slipcover for your sofa model or size

    Check first

    • Measure the sofa carefully.
    • Check the care label for washing.
    • Tuck it in well so it stays neat.
  6. A tall arched wooden-framed mirror standing almost upright against a white wall, held by two straps at its upper shoulders, reflecting a window with curtains and a baseboard heater; a side table with a plant and a sofa with a sage throw.

    A leaning mirror, strapped at the top

    A tall mirror, held at the top by two straps.

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    Why it works

    A large mirror facing the window reflects it into the room. Leaning mirrors can slide or tip, so the one in the picture is held at the top by two straps; the picture does not show how they are fixed.

    Materials and furniture

    • Large floor mirror
    • Anti-tip straps or brackets suited to the mirror's weight
    • Felt or anti-slip pads

    Check first

    • Always secure leaning mirrors at the top; fixings may need the landlord's permission.
    • Anti-slip pads stop the base sliding.
    • Not in a walkway or door swing.
  7. Three potted plants in front of a large window, the middle one raised on a wooden stand, all with saucers, beside a cream sofa, a wooden coffee table and a rug; a baseboard heater runs under the window behind the plants.

    Plants grouped by the window

    One green corner beats ten scattered pots.

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    Why it works

    Grouping plants of different heights by the window makes more impact than pots spread around the room; a stand lifts the middle one.

    Materials and furniture

    • Plants in different heights
    • Saucers
    • Plant stand

    Check first

    • Saucers protect the floor.
    • Keep pots off and away from heaters; in the picture a heater runs under the window behind them.
    • Choose plants for your light and check whether they are safe for your pets.
  8. A pleated cream pendant shade and a matching table lamp, both lit, in a narrow living room at dusk, the table-lamp cord running down to a wall socket and looping on the carpet; a cream sofa, a coffee table with books and a bookcase with plants.

    New lampshades

    Matching pleated shades, warm in the evening.

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    Why it works

    Replacing a bare bulb or dated shade with a pleated or fabric shade changes the light and the look of the room. Keep the landlord's shades to put back.

    Materials and furniture

    • New shades that fit the fittings
    • Warm-white bulbs within the rating

    Check first

    • Power off before changing ceiling shades.
    • Shade and bulb within the fitting's rating.
    • Keep lamp cords along the wall, not looped across the floor as in the picture.

Textiles first

Most rentals come with neutral walls and a floor you didn't choose. The biggest changes without paint come from textiles: a rug large enough for the front legs of the sofa and chairs, curtains hung high and wide, and a slipcover or throw for a sofa you don't love.

Light without an electrician

Plug-in wall sconces and floor and table lamps add warm, low light without touching the wiring. Run cords in a cord cover painted or chosen to match the wall, and plug into wall sockets rather than chains of extension leads.

Fewer holes

A picture ledge holds a changing gallery with two or three fixings instead of twenty nails. A large mirror can lean against the wall, but it must be secured at the top so it cannot slide or tip. Our explainer on what renter-friendly really means covers which changes typically need the landlord's permission.

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Das Hauskonzept editorial team

Editorial team

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