Focus on portable layers that you can take with you when you move: rugs, cushions, curtains, lamps, art and small furniture. These are your best tools in a rental where walls and floors might be fixed or boring. A big rug can cover an ugly tile pattern, cushions bring in colour, and warm lamps soften harsh ceiling lights.
Use removable hooks or strips to hang art and photos without drilling. A gallery wall of frames or a single large print instantly changes the mood without upsetting the landlord. Houseplants add life and are completely non-permanent.
You can also upgrade small hardware that’s easy to swap back later – shower heads, cabinet knobs, even light switch covers. Keep the originals safely stored. When you leave, pop them back on.
The idea is to treat the rental like a base and layer your story on top of it. That way, every place you live starts to feel like “yours,” even if the walls and floors technically belong to someone else.