As a renter, you probably look forward to decorating your apartment. Before you purchase that purple paint, be sure you know the decorating “rules” for your apartment. These rules are likely spelled out in your lease.
Many apartment leases prohibit the painting of walls. If your landlord maintains a neutral color scheme throughout your apartment building, chances are he will not approve you painting your living room blue. Some leases allow for pale or light pastel colors that can be easily painted over, at your expense, when you vacate your apartment. If you are not sure, always get your landlord’s approval on paint colors. This will save you future hassle and expense.
If your apartment is a fully furnished apartment, do not even think about repainting or redecorating. Your lease likely strictly prohibits both. You are renting the apartment in its entirety, rather than just the space. You have basically rented it as is.
Generally speaking, wallpapering apartments is usually prohibited. Wallpapering is time intensive and more costly than painting. Also, the likelihood that the next tenant will have the same taste as the current tenant is slim. Most renters are not interested in the effort and expense needed to re-wallpaper the apartment.
Once you have settled on a paint color, with your landlord’s approval if necessary, you are ready to start adding your personal touch to your apartment. Carefully protect your carpet before you start to paint. Be sure to ventilate your apartment while you paint so you do not become ill from the paint fumes.
After the wall paint dries, you are ready to start setting up each room. Begin with your furniture. Place your furniture exactly where you want in each room. Then add your smaller items, such as lamps, books, and knick knacks. Never block vents with furniture. Use standing book shelves instead of wall shelves. Standing book shelves cause less damage than wall shelves. If you decide to put up wall shelves, make sure you do not place heavy items on them. They should really be for decorative purposes only.
If you want additional color in your apartment, consider fancy blinds and curtains. You can also add decorative pillows, floor pillows, and throws in each room. Decorative pillows are made with an assortment of materials in various styles. Area rugs are also nice additions to rooms. These are all decorating ideas your landlord will love!
Because you are working with limited space, work around your furniture. Leave your wall hangings for last. You will have a better sense of the available wall space after all furniture has been situated. Before you put one hole in the wall, know what your lease says about wall hangings. Hopefully your lease is generic enough that you are not limited to the number of wall hangings you can have as long as you fill the holes when you vacate your apartment.
However, some landlords do limit the number of wall hangings per wall or per room. This is usually because previous renters placed nail holes in close proximity to another other, creating actual holes in the wall plaster. This becomes more than a fill job – it becomes a patch job for maintenance.
You will not be allowed to construct additional walls to divide space. You can get the same effect with a room divider. Screens are wonderful room dividers and very stylish. You can even get screens with built-in picture frames.
You will have a better relationship with your landlord if you follow his “rules” for decorating as outlined in your lease. You can still add personal touches and make the apartment yours. You do not need to violate the terms of your lease to have a nicely decorated apartment.
For other apartment tips visit Memphis Apartment Living at www.MemphisApartmentstv.com
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Title: Apartment Decorating “Rules”: What You Need to Know
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