How to style the exterior of your home for the best sales result
Given that most landlords don’t really want too many picture hooks going up, are wary of you painting a home to suit your personal taste or knocking out walls and ripping up gardens it can seem difficult to decorate when you’re renting a property. But with a bit of savvy styling, tips and hints you can transform your home to include your personal stamp in no time at all.
Wall Art: Instead of a lot of small pictures all over the walls, go for a statement piece. One really large piece of artwork will look absolutely amazing, ever so stylish and can also give the illusion of space to a small area. If you don’t like the wall paint and your landlord has refused your offer to paint, you can instead purchase hanging screens. Buying them in squares and joining them to whatever size you require can mean that you can custom design a hanging wallpaper, transforming a wall quickly and economically. Of course, you can also purchase standing divider screens too. With the many designs and colours available you can create a cover-up for anything you don’t particularly wish to be seen or divide space to create separate rooms in a large area.
Stylish Furniture: is a key element to transforming a space. There is so much available today, with large retail outlets selling the most gorgeous modern or antique-style furniture at incredibly reasonable prices. A focal piece such as a lovely shabby chic or designer armchair can be what you base the rest of the room’s décor around. Use the one piece and build the room’s style around it. And let’s not forget just because you don’t own the property, it doesn’t mean you can’t employ a stylist to ensure your home looks amazing. Stylists really are worth their weight in gold, they are naturally talented as well as trained in interior design and know just how to place the right pieces in your home to create a dynamic look and a great flow.
Icky Carpet: If your carpet is less than desirable or you don’t like the colour, buy rugs to cover the majority or all of it. Ugly shagpile carpet or outdated 70’s orange can be quickly tamed with a quality rug of your choice. There is an incredible range of styles and colours available at a great price. You could buy patterns or just have a plain one that looks exactly like carpet but in your desired colour. I suggest you always purchase thick rugs, rather than throw down mats to ensure that they are not slip or trip hazards. If you are placing a rug over a slippery surface such as tiles or concrete place some rubber stabilizers under each corner of the base of the rug for safety.
Lighting: Statement light fittings can make a huge difference to a room’s appearance. One nice big centrepiece light fitting can look incredible. Modern or classic, make it just one statement item as multiple fittings can appear to clutter a room. Lamps whether tall or small will highlight dark corners or create reading nooks. Personally, I just adore a glamorous chandelier. Each of our offices features a stunning statement piece chandelier and everybody loves them. It’s usually the first thing they comment upon entering our offices. Ensure all light bulbs are fitted and working and depending on the mood you wish to display will depend on the brightness you choose. In the garden, solar lighting is pretty amazing and readily available these days. It can pretty up your garden, verandahs and courtyards so simply, cheaply and in quickly. Fairy lights in a garden always look magical.
Gardens: can be transformed with outdoor furniture, decorative pieces and potted plants. All of which are easily transportable, so that if you do have to move to another property you can just pick them up and leave. You can also purchase some wonderful outdoor wall art for reasonable prices too. If you have a dull brick wall in your garden one of these will smarten it up. Potted plants come in all different shapes and sizes, from small flowers to topiary trees, whatever style you like. I particularly love succulents, they are so versatile, there are so many different shapes, colours and sizes and they are easy peasy and cheap to grow. Just snap off a leaf and place in some potting mix and away they go. I’ve seen them grown as wreaths, as wall hangings, in wheelbarrows and picture frames! Super attractive, usually in soft greys and greens with flourishes of burgundy – divine!
So what are you waiting for? Go decorate that rental property!
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