Room partition

One of the obvious ways to divide a room in half is to build a wall. If you do not own your home, you may think this option is not open to you. However, it’s always worth speaking to your landlord and asking if this is a possibility. If not, there are plenty of other ways you can create the same effect without structural change.

One creative option for any bookworms is to use several bookcases to section of a fragment of a room. This is a very cheap and fast way to get the partition you desire.

Another option is to purchase a decorative screen and position it in an area which you would like to separate. This method of partition has been popular for centuries.

Lucky enough to have a large living room but missing a dining room? You could add a curtain attached to wire across the ceiling, or you could drape fabric to section off an area.

Revamping your tired kitchen

In a rental property it isn’t usually possible to rip out the kitchen cabinets and install a brand new kitchen, but an old fashioned kitchen that needs some updating doesn’t need to be pulled apart to look modern.

Don’t like the doors on your cupboards? There’s no need to replace them, painting them to coordinate with your colour scheme will do the trick just as well. You could even add transfers to your cupboards that replicate the wooden, glossy finish you always wanted.

If the kitchen suite isn’t what you fantasised about, you can always add a little quirkiness and funk with brightly coloured utensils and accessories. The bright colours will instantly lift the dullness!

Ugly, greying tiles above the worktops? Try some cheap tile paint or stick-on decals to make them look more contemporary.

Creating an eye-catching ceiling

So, your dreams of living in a grand mansion are some years off and you’ve settled for a home with a plain ceiling. Your ideas of a majestic home don’t need to end here; there are plenty of ways to catch attention without having a new ceiling built in.

Adding a chandelier or fancy lampshade to the single fixed lighting you have can really make a difference to the overall look of a room. You could shop around to find a budget-friendly ceiling piece that brings your household to life.

Some residents might even take pleasure in looking up to a collection of posters, transfers or photographs. Anyone with a creative streak could find a collection of pictures that interest them and create a collage for the celling. This is bound to get people talking!

These ideas are just a sample of how renting shouldn’t mean you have to compromise on style.

Don’t forget though – any changes you make that can be reversed should be acceptable in your household. Before you decorate, consider the ease of changing things back to how it was originally. It’s a good idea to consult your landlord before introducing any radical decoration to your home.