Renters Solutions

When muralist Maggie's rent was going to increase $1200 a month, she knew it was time to move. After looking everywhere, she found an affordable spot in Greenpoint, spending the past six months adding tons of color AND creating her own closet storage.

Gretchen's superpower is finding amazing pieces for her home on a budget. Through thrifting and DIY, she's been able to find stylish items AND make incredible additions to complete her trendy Portland one-bedroom apartment.

When Senaida first moved into this rental apartment, it was really bland. But she used renter-friendly hacks and black paint and tape to transform her home into "moody modern minimalism."

The changes that renters make to their rentals can be worth the happiness it brings them, even if it means painting it back to white at the end of the lease.

Katherine is an organizer by trade but an artist at heart, and this rental apartment is an homage to her colorful Latin roots, with a DIY stenciled colorful dining room wall, a living room mural, and more.

The best decorating advice artist Ben Cuevas ever received came from Amy Sedaris. "...[S]he says that she viewed her rental deposit as her design fee — which I think is just brilliant. If you’re renting, but plan to stay put for a while and want to really make your space your own, consider your deposit the fee you pay for being able to live in a space you truly love and can call your own."

When Katelyn Sailor and her husband, Kyle, decided to try living in New York City a year ago, they arrived with only their clothes, a bed, kitchen items, and some basic decor. 

Mural artist and content creator Champagne shares this large rental home with two roommates, a cat named Pony, and a dog named Ted. She loves mixing modern pieces with vintage elements. "I’d call it a colorful eclectic mix of happiness."

Rich textures like plush velvet, supple leather, and woven jacquard cotton, plus saturated jewel-tones of malachite and azurite, all helped give Ben the sensory dose of dopamine they needed to get through lockdown.

Megan Zietz is a content creator and designer, and shares this small NYC rental apartment with her husband, three kids, and two cats.

Rini has made this teeny studio apartment into a beautiful, functional home she's rented for 17 years.

Reed Van Dyck used her time in the pandemic to turn her apartment into a sanctuary for a peaceful night in with her cat and dog. She mixes thrifted and new items to create a space that feels truly hers.

Tessa started Tessa Ariane Design, which focuses on affordable design work, in "response to how out of touch the interior design industry can be with what most folks actually need. We are all impacted by our environments, and I really believe we need to prioritize providing solutions for renters, folks in small spaces, and within realistic budgets that don’t leave anyone behind," she says.

Meg Quinn, author of "THE CHEESE BOARD DECK" and the popular website, "Ain't Too Proud to Meg," rented this LA apartment for 10 years.

Content creator and small studio renter, Imani Keal, is on a mission to get people with small spaces to paint them black.

Content creator, blogger, style lover, YouTuber, and Instagram strategist Marikah shares this one-bedroom apartment with her husbae and their baby. The apartment has lots of clever organizing tip and renter-friendly decor ideas, including a very cute nursery nook in the bedroom.

Emma says the first room she focused on when she moved into this rental apartment was the kitchen, where she added contact paper to the counters, and used baskets to create highly organized kitchen cabinets.

When interior designer and artist Sophia E. Aguiñaga realized she'd be moving out of her Oakland rental apartment, she took the opportunity to pare down and refresh the home's style. She re-homed almost everything and used minimalism, ease, and traveling light as a style guide.

The only thing that came in Julie Gordon's rental studio apartment was a small stove, fridge, and three cabinets. But after some major TLC, a few great peel and stick finds, and lots of patience, she's turned this shoebox-sized into a cozy, beautiful, and organized home.

Kristina's apartment is packed with rental-friendly ideas and secondhand finds — almost nothing in her home was bought brand new.

From vibrant textiles to bold graphic art, these rooms show that white walls are the perfect canvas for color.

Thanks to collaborating and facetiming with her bestfriend everyday, Christine was able to DIY furniture, create an enviable bed loft/home office setup, give an ugly kitchen a renter-friendly facelift, and create a stunning home that feels much bigger and more expensive than it actually is.

Celia runs a YouTube channel and founded the decor shop Sticki Icki, and shares this 760-square-foot apartment with her partner, Sean, and their baby son, Cassius.

Nicole, also known as "The Cuban Carrie" on Instagram, transformed her entire 600-square-foot rental apartment, including turning a tiny loft into a very chic dressing room, home office, and yoga area.

Sarah Norman has transformed her small NYC rental apartment, including turning the living room as a home office, instead.

Vincent's Halloween-ready house is like an "Edwardian-era vampire meets a 1960s ghost hunter meets a modern day maximalist."

A few words to describe this one-bedroom apartment? Maximalist, Eclectic, Graphic, and Neon. And the best part is that all of the added details are renter-friendly. (You've probably never seen such creative uses for washi tape or such colorful cabinet upcycles!)