When my family moved into our rental a couple years ago it was like moving into a dungeon. It was dirty, dark, and covered in wallpaper. Once we moved into our rental, aka a diamond in a rough, I needed to figure out how to brighten it up without removing the wallpaper or painting** the walls. I compiled a list of things that I have done to make my rental feel more like a home while being on a tight budget. 

1. Paint The Trim Work WHITE- Most trim work in houses are already white so touching up on it will not hurt and most landlords will not mind such an easy touchup. The one thing I love to do whenever I visit a home improvement store is to buy mistint paint colors or stock up on sample paints. Sometimes they have more than just a satin finish in white in the mistint and if you purchase more than one can or a bundle a handful of sample paint from the mistint area you can always ask if they can lower the price if you buy all of them...OR if you already have white paint on hand you can always use that, it really does not take much to paint the trim and baseboards in a house. 

All I can say is...Thank goodness the trim work in my rental, according to my landlady, was already white (it was actually the exact same color as the wall, cream with a yellow undertone). 

2. Hang Curtains- Most people that I know who rent do not feel the need to beautify their rental because it is just a temporary home. Although, that is true, the one thing I do in every rental is hang curtains. Curtains add privacy, color, and if you are into patterns, it can add another element to the room so that it does not feel bland. I personally view curtains as a large form of art that covers your window...it all depends on the curtain you choose. 

Since a rental, is indeed a temporary home, some people do not feel the need to splurge on nice curtains for their rental. Some ways to save money on curtains are to purchase them from Ikea, the thrift store, Craigslist, or just make them. Sheets and drop cloths are a good source of material at fairly inexpensive price that can provide length to cover the whole window, function, and durability. 

Another money saving tip when it comes to hanging curtains is using electrical conduit as a curtain rod instead of premade curtain rods. You can buy a 12' long electrical conduit and cut it down to size and the extra rods can be used on other windows around the house. 

3. Switch Up the Cabinet Handles- Now this can make a huge difference, especially if the finish compliments the cabinet. The cool thing about switching up the cabinet hardware to something that suites your style is that once your lease is up or you decide to move you can always take your new hardware with you and put the old ones back on the cabinet. 

My go to spot for cool inexpensive hardware is Ebay, The Habitat for Humanity Resale Store, or clearance section at Anthropology or Hobby Lobby. 

4. Lay Some Area Rugs Down- Like hanging up curtains, area rugs can add that extra element that makes a room feel complete and homey. Some rentals have wall to wall carpeting while others have flooring through out. Either way, you can still lay an area rug over it.

One of my favorite thing to do with an area rug is to layer it and add extra dimension to the space. Decent priced area rugs can be found literally anywhere and they can purchased in multiple styles and sizes to fit the space it is needed in. 

5. Hang Some Art Up- Art is art whether it is bought at a store or made with your own hands. Art can add so much to a space and can bring that extra oomph of what a home feels like. Art completes  a home. You can do all the tips listed above, but if art is not present in the space, the space will feel incomplete and boring to the eye.