#AskNextDoor: Decorating A 22-sqm Bare Rental Studio Condo? Here Are 6 Tips To Get You Started!
rental studio condos, you have plenty of room to decorate yourself, but there are some things you can never do: put holes on the walls, change the structure of the unit, re-paint the space, etc. Basically, you can’t really do much—or that’s what most people think.
“How can I best decorate a rented 22-sqm studio condo unit that is bare?” asks @haikuandramblings on CondoLiving’s Instagram page.
When decorating a bare rental studio condo, you have to review your contract first. What did you and your landlord say about decorating the space? Did he or she specify whether you can do paint jobs, put on wallpaper on the walls, or drill holes for your portraits? When it’s cleared, we can now get down to business.
1 Define Your Style
Decorating is easy when you have a specific design style in mind. Are you feeling the Scandinavian or the Mid-Century Modern? Do you want to go Industrial or Rustic? Or do you prefer something Modern or Eclectic? Whichever you opt for, you can start from there and then find inspiration from your travels, magazines or books, or online. If you can’t decide on a style yet, you can always ask for the experts’ help. We’ve shared some condo units that were DIY-ed, while others are a collaboration between the owners and their designers and decorators.
A safe choice for a bare rental studio condo is to retain most of the existing structure of the unit and show the style more on the accessories and furniture.
Read More: How To Style A Condo From Scratch With Pinterest
2 Swap What You Can
While this will depend on the provisions in your contract, the usual items you can change are: light fixtures, faucet and shower head, cabinet handles, knobs or pulls, toilet seat, window treatments, and other small details. You can also hide what you can’t change. For instance, if the unit was previously rented and has marks you really can’t remove or change, you can use area rugs, fabric, artworks, furniture, and even plants to keep them out of sight.
Read More: Lighting 101: The 3 Types of Lighting Fixtures and Where Best to Use Them
3 Opt For Adhesive and Temporary
Since you can’t really do drastic changes in a bare rental studio condo, you just have to live with the layout or the structure, and the furnishing it already has. Renting a bare unit actually has its perks, because you won’t have to change much. Just add whatever you need and want in your rented space.
Choose those that you can easily remove once you move out. Invest in adhesive hooks, washi tapes and other peel-and-stick options. Everything adhesive and temporary will be your best friend. In terms of storage, it depends on how ‘bare’ your unit is. Some bare rental studio condo units have the basics—under or overhead storage in the kitchen or the bathroom, and a built-in closet. If you have these three, you can decorate them with any peel-and-stick option or, if your landlord allows you to paint, you can do so. However, if you don’t have them, you can be more creative by using baskets, stylish boxes, or by bringing your own closet and other furniture.
Read More: 5 Open Storage Tricks To Try If You Want to Display Your Stuff
4 Play With Your Furniture Layout
Some things might be permanent in your unit, but your furniture pieces are not. Furniture layout is easier to do if you’re renting a bare rental studio condo unit because most of the built-in pieces (if there are any) are laid out along the walls. And the good thing about a studio condo, is that you have more room to experiment with its open floor layout.
Elevate one space for your bedroom, or use your cabinet to separate the living area from the kitchen. You can also position your sofa facing away from your bed so you can still have a sense of separation between the sleeping and living area.
Read More: 10 Ways To Divide Your Tiny Condo Without Installing Walls
5 Use Double-Duty Pieces
Given your tiny space, you can only put in what is space-saving, functional, and at the same time stylish. If you are buying new furniture pieces for your unit, look at how many things it can do in your space: Can your coffee table double as a study or a dining table? Can your sofa turn into a bed for when guests come over? Can your bed store seasonal and bulky items? This also applies on your accessories. There are accessories that double as additional storage space or holders.
Read More: 3 Sofa Beds That Make Couch Surfing Super Luxe and Stylish
6 Accessorize With Your Favorites
Let us emphasize “favorites” here. Decorate with only your favored pieces so you can minimize the details in your small space. The thing about small areas is they easily look cramped and cluttered when there are too many things going on in terms of decoration.
Carefully pick those that really matter to you. For instance, you are a bookworm, you can display your collection of best-sellers. But if you aren’t, maybe you can make your collection photographs or artworks your unit’s focal point. Or, if you love plants more than anything else, they can be your unifying decor in your unit. For those who don’t really like accessories, you can experiment with your favorite color. Whichever your favorite is, start accessorizing from there.
Read More: 4 Stylish Ways to Store Your Books When You’re Done Reading Them
ASK NEXT DOOR
Renovating your condo? Wondering which paint to choose for your bedroom? Condoliving.OneMega.com is open to answer your questions! Comment on our posts or hit our inboxes with issues about your condo—from cleaning advice to how to deal with that annoying neighbor—we’ll give you the best design and lifestyle advice from interior designers and home experts! Comment your issues away, we’re just a door away! ?
