Renter-friendly makeover: feel at home and keep your deposit

A rental can feel like a waiting room: someone else's floors, someone else's lights, white walls you are not allowed to touch. The good news is that most of what makes a room feel like home has nothing to do with walls. It comes from light, textiles, layout and a few pieces you choose yourself, and all of those come with you when you move.

Before you start, read your contract. Most say you must return the flat as you found it, apart from normal wear. Some allow small nail holes, others ask you to get the landlord's agreement for anything fixed. If in doubt, ask by email so you have the answer in writing.

Start with what costs nothing

1. Rearrange. Move the sofa off the wall, face seating towards the window and keep one clear path through the room. In small rentals this often makes the biggest difference.
2. Hide what you can't change. A tired floor disappears under a big rug. A dated cupboard can sit behind a curtain on a tension rod.
3. Edit. Rentals fill up fast because there is less storage. Take a third of the small things off surfaces and keep what you love.

Light it like a home, not an office

Most rentals come with one cold ceiling light. You can leave it alone and still change everything:

• Warm bulbs (2,700 K) in every fitting you can reach. A few euros, and you take them with you.
• A floor lamp next to the sofa and a table lamp on a shelf or sideboard. Two or three low lights make evenings feel calm.
• Plug-in wall lights with a cable cover give you a reading light by the bed with no electrician.

Textiles do the work of paint

You can't paint, but you can bring colour in with fabric:

• Curtains hung as high as the existing rail allows, in a colour that warms the walls.
• A rug big enough for the front legs of the sofa and chairs to sit on it. Too small is the most common mistake.
• Cushions and a throw in one main colour and one accent.
• Bedding in natural fabrics. It is the largest piece of colour in a bedroom.

Hanging things without holes

• Removable hooks and strips hold light frames, but test one first on a hidden spot: on some paints they peel the surface when removed.
• Lean art on a shelf, a sideboard or a picture ledge that stands on furniture.
• A large mirror leaning against the wall makes a small room look bigger and needs no fixing.
• Plants fill corners and soften hard edges. One large plant does more than five small ones.

An example plan for about €300

• Rearranging and editing: €0
• Warm bulbs for the whole flat: €20
• Floor lamp: €60
• Rug, 160 × 230 cm: €90
• Curtains: €45
• Two cushion covers and a throw: €45
• One large plant with a pot: €40

Total: €300, and every piece moves with you.

If you would like a plan made for your own rental, with what to buy and where it goes, Gaudi plans it around your budget and what you can't change.