The apartment had good bones - high ceilings, original woodwork, abundant light - and its location was unbeatable.
But when Alice Danino moved into her two-bedroom place, it felt empty and dull. Kitchen cabinets, walls, countertops were all white. There wasn't a hint of embellishment anywhere. So she put her creativity to work, making the place feel homey. She bought selfsticking silver decals in the shape of cutlery for the kitchen cabinets and quotations in calligraphic font for the hallway walls. There are plants in every room now, and generous splashes of colour in the small appliances, dishes, sofa cushions and accessories that Danino and her current roommate, Vanessa Tobin, have brought home.
"I would love to have painted the walls purple, but then they would have had to be returned to the original white when we left," Danino said. "Instead, we found more temporary ways of bringing in personality."
Rentals can be boring or dreary, with monotone cabinetry and floors and countertops that have seen better days.
Usually, rentals are outfitted in neutral colours and surfaces chosen more for durability and mass appeal than beauty. Many landlords forbid anything but cosmetic changes. Besides, who wants to invest a lot of money in a place they don't own? But there are ways to make inexpensive, temporary improvements.
We asked two interior designers, Nicola Marc and Anita Conidaris, for their suggestions when it comes to injecting warmth and character into a rented apartment. They find their inspiration in all kinds of places, from house and home magazines, museum gift shops, flea markets, decor boutiques and hardware stores to Winners and IKEA.
Conidaris is an artist, decorator and garden designer. Her interiors are classic - a mix of textures and styles. Here are a few of her ideas:
LIGHTING Good lighting doesn't just brighten a room; it also adds mood. Make sure to provide light from different sources, including table lamps, floor lamps and ceiling lamps. Even homes with well lit rooms wired with recessed ceiling lights need to be "layered" with light from different heights.
PAINT Most landlords insist tenants leave the walls as they found them, or repaint before leaving. Painting one "accent wall" in a living room or bedroom in a deep, bold colour adds instant drama, Conidaris says, and takes less effort to repaint than a whole room when it is time to move.
MIX & MATCH Don't worry about matching furniture. "I'm not into sets; they don't lend personality to a room," she says. Indeed, Conidaris says juxtaposing furniture in different styles adds personality. For example, pair a mid-century coffee table with a more traditional sofa. Or a reclaimed wood table in greyish tones with whitepainted antique chairs for a clean, spare, slightly rustic Scandinavian feel. She also likes the visual "tension" created when different textures are combined: shiny with dull, silk with linen, raw wood with painted surfaces.
CREATE GROUPINGS To avoid the appearance of clutter, group items as "collections." For a pleasing composition, Conidaris recommends the "triangle method" in which taller, larger objects are placed in the centre of an arrangement, with shorter items around.
