How To Decorate Your Home When You Can't Paint

When it comes to renting homes, there are a lot of things you don't have to worry about because the landlord will be one phone call away from fixing all your problems (well, you hope). While there are a lot of decor ideas to make your home look stylish, unfortunately, there are a few things that some stern landlords won't budge on. For my boyfriend and I, our landlord won't let us have a puppy (seriously, what gives?). But for other renters, painting the walls isn't allowed.

White walls are beautiful on their own, though. Depending on how you look at the situation, it can be an open canvas for you to explore. Plus, repainting everything when you move is a huge bitch and I don't wish that on anybody. Instead of sulking over not having the ability to paint your walls whatever color you want, you can decorate those pearly whites with other decorating techniques. Below are seven ways you can easily DIY to change the whole basic, white wall into something you actually love looking at.

1. Add Color Through Furniture

Velvet Willoughby Sofa, $1998, Anthropologie

When your landlord won’t budge with the painting, you can still add a bunch of color by using your wall decor and furniture. By contrasting and complementing each item in your house with bright colors, your walls will recede into the back and the furniture will make everything pop. Not too bad for things you probably already have in your house, huh?

2. Add Decals

Hexagon Wall-Pattern Decal, $20, Etsy

Instead of hanging things up, go buy some decals and design them on a wall in a cool, intricate pattern. These gold hexagon decals add an elegant yet edgy touch to the wall without overcrowding it.

3. Cover With Drawings

Debbie Carlos Black and White Flowers Art Print, $24-$239, Urban Outfitters

Create your own mood board by covering a white wall with drawings from your artist friends. All you need is a little bit of tape and a few different sizes of art to mix and match to make a collage. Keep it all monochromatic for a seamless feel, or brighten up a room by adding colors and dimension.

4. Decorate With Your Clothes

RIGGA Clothes Rack, $13, Ikea

If you don’t have a lot of closet space as it is, try and create an external closet in your room. This will bring life to the bare, white walls by showing a lot of your own personality through your clothes and accessories. Add length to the room by building a shelf high above the rack of clothes and add some green by putting a small plant on top of a stool close near by.

5. Add A Large Picture Frame

Framed Handmade Paper Wall Art, $349, West Elm

Nothing is better than when you have a work of art that you are proud of. Let it be a stand alone piece on a white wall so all of the focus is on the art. If you are dressing the wall, which also happens to be over a mantel, add a few items that are all vertically different. It will add volume in all the right areas.

6. Use A Bookshelf

Kalmar 10-Tier Shelf, $1,298, Anthropologie

When your walls are bare but you have a lot of books, use a bookshelf that can cover the whole wall. The books will give the room the right amount of color. Also add plants and pictures of loved ones to bring a little extra something to the wall as well.

7. Use White On White

Porcupine Large White Hanging, $80, CB2

Even when you can’t paint the walls, you can complement them by decorating with more white. It gives it a seamless, refined look and adds a hint of dimension to an already blank canvas.

And there you have it, beautiful walls, and a unique apartment that's all your own without painting anything.

Images: Pexels