Renter-Friendly

Window painting is the best kind of seasonal decorating for a rental. It costs very little, takes an hour, leaves no marks when you do it right, and it can switch to snowflakes the weekend after Thanksgiving. Here’s what to draw, and what to draw with. What to use Liquid chalk markers for grown-up designs. The Bandle B. liquid chalk markers (on Amazon) come in 24 colors and are water-based. The maker says they wipe off non-porous surfaces like glass with a damp cloth. They also say never to use them on a chalkboard, so keep them on the window. ...

The window over the sink is the one spot in a small kitchen you look at every single day. It’s also the one place where decorations have to stay out of the way of water, steam and a dish rack. Here’s how I’d dress it. What’s in this post A wreath that doesn’t need a nail Candles that turn on by themselves Greenery across the top What to leave off the sill A wreath that doesn’t need a nail A small wreath centered in the glass is the classic look, and it’s the easiest to do in a rental. A suction wreath hanger (on Amazon) holds it from the inside of the window. Wipe the glass with rubbing alcohol first so the cup grips. ...

Patterned wallpaper behind a tree does something no garland can. The whole corner looks finished, even when the tree is small. The catch for most of us is the lease. So this is about Christmas walls you can peel off on January 2 without a fight with the landlord. Start with one panel, not a room A full wall of holiday print gets loud fast, and it’s a lot of rolls to remove later. One or two vertical strips behind the tree, the bar cart or the bed are enough. Think of it as a backdrop the size of whatever stands in front of it. ...

A tension rod lets you put garland across a doorway, window recess or shelf nook without drilling. It only works in the right spot, though, and with a strand light enough for the rod you chose. What’s in this post Where a tension rod actually works A lightweight rod for a paper strand A wide rod for a wide opening Heavier pine, only after weighing it Ties that attach, not support Test it low before it goes high Where a tension rod actually works A tension rod needs two solid, opposite faces to push against: the inside of a door frame, a window recess, or the side walls of an alcove. Both ends have to wedge into the recess. A flat wall or a mantel with no side returns gives it nothing to press on. Skip loose trim, glass, and the sides of fragile cabinets, which can crack or shift under steady pressure. ...

Dorm rules usually look like this: no drilling, almost no floor space, and often a ban on open flames or extra plug-in loads. Decor still works if it hangs with adhesive, runs on batteries, or sits on the desk. This list is for students decorating a room and for parents packing a December care package. What’s in this post Lights that do not need an outlet race Hooks that come off in January A cluster that fits a desk corner Glass that peels clean A wreath that hangs on the door Lights that do not need an outlet race Battery fairy lights are the dorm default for a reason. The innotree 6-pack LED fairy string lights (on Amazon) are warm white, 10 feet each with 30 LEDs, copper wire, and a timer (6 hours on, 18 off). Each strand needs 2 AA batteries (not included). Wind one along a headboard, through a bookshelf, or inside a clear jar. Six strands cover a roommate pair without fighting for one wall outlet. ...

“Christmas fireplace decor” is one of the top home searches on Pinterest this month, which is a bit unkind to the many of us who live in apartments without one. A fireplace gives a room a focus: somewhere for stockings, garland and a glow. You can build most of that feeling without a real fireplace. Here are the options, from the biggest to the smallest. An electric fireplace with a mantel The full version. An electric fireplace with a mantel surround (on Amazon) is a piece of furniture with a heater and a fake flame in the middle. It plugs into a normal outlet. You get a real mantel to decorate, a flickering glow, and some heat on cold evenings. ...

We already covered small bathroom storage. This one is about the other half: how a small bathroom looks. Rental bathrooms tend to come with white tile, a builder mirror and not much else, and because they’re small, every item in there counts for a lot. These are the changes that make the most difference, roughly in order. The shower curtain is the biggest thing in the room In a bathroom with a tub, the curtain is often the largest surface you can change. Choose it first and plan around it. ...

Around the end of October the living room starts to feel wrong. Nothing changed in the room. The light did. It’s dark by six, the overhead light is suddenly doing all the work, and a room that felt airy in July feels bare. You don’t need new furniture to fix that. Most of what makes a room feel right in winter is light, texture and where things sit. Here’s the order I’d tackle it in, over one weekend. ...

Plenty of apartments have no dining room, just a kitchen and a living room, and you end up eating on the sofa. It works, but a real place to sit down and eat, even a tiny one, changes how the apartment feels. Somewhere to have breakfast, work in the afternoon, and have a friend over for dinner. Here’s how to carve one out of very little space. Find the spot Look for a corner or an end of the living room near the kitchen. Other good spots: ...

Rental bathrooms are usually small and almost never have enough storage: a sink with a cabinet under it if you’re lucky, a mirror that may or may not open, and one towel bar. Everything else ends up on the edge of the tub or the back of the toilet. The fix is to use the parts of the room that are empty: the wall above the toilet, the corner of the shower, the back of the door and the dead space around the pipes. ...