Real you in small spaces

Thu., Aug. 11, 2005

Cheryl-Anne Millsap Cheryl-annem@spokesman.com

Tips for renters

•Ask what you can do. Ask your landlord or apartment manager if there are ways to improve or accent your apartment. Changes that aren't permanent include removable wallpaper borders and fabric.

•Find what works. If you have a favorite color, and painting your apartment isn't an option, use it in accessories. Silk flower arrangements, curtains and throw blankets all bring a shot of color to a neutral room.

•Take it down and put it back. If an apartment comes with bulky vertical blinds or heavy draperies, some landlords will allow renters to remove them as long as they are replaced when the lease expires.

•Throw in a little sweat equity. If your apartment needs improvement, offer to make them. The trade-off for a little hard work might be the freedom to choose what comes in the apartment. Example: Peel-and-stick tiles update a kitchen floor and come in myriad patterns and colors.

•Make the best of what you have. If you can't find a way to make significant changes to your rental space, fill it with personality. Frame family photos to hang on the walls, keep souvenirs and mementoes on display and scent the air with your favorite cologne.

Turn a blank canvas into your own masterpiece.

Apartment renters Jennifer Bradley and Marjorie Holcomb offer these tips for taking an empty, neutral, apartment and infusing it with your own personality:

Holcomb likes to shop garage sales for accessories. “I bought most of the pictures and prints on the wall that way,” she said. “I don’t spend a lot, but I always find something that works.”

Holcomb also makes regular trips to the thrift stores. “I hit Value Village on Monday morning, when they have things on sale for 99 cents,” she said. “I know what colors I like, so that’s what catches my eye.”

Another tip for finding unique items comes from Bradley. “Look at what has been passed over, what hasn’t sold,” she said. “A lot of the time it is just a little something that you need to change to make it wonderful.”

Most apartments can’t be painted or changed in dramatic ways. But Bradley says that there are exceptions to the rule: “If the paint is ‘tired,’ ask if you can repaint in the same color, or if you can add just a bit more color. If they trust you and know you’ll do a good job, you can do some improving.”

Holcomb makes the point that there is more to decorating, even in apartments, than just making things pretty. “It makes a difference in how you feel wherever you are,” she said. “Living in an apartment is no excuse for not making things beautiful.”