Renters Solutions

With IKEA’s annual Democratic Design Days happening in Sweden last week, information on all the new collections and collaborations are rolling out quicker than this robot can assemble an IKEA chair. The Scandinavian retailer has good news for folks who are constantly on the move: RÅVAROR, a new line of items that briskly transforms small spaces into smart spaces, and packs up just as easily.

Uh-oh. Has that baby of mine really worked out how to get in the refrigerator? Already? And the cabinets? Time to baby proof our rental. But how, when there is so little we can change? Here are a few of the challenges we renters face when baby-proofing, and the simple steps we can take to overcome them. If you can, start at the very beginning. When looking at a property, speak to the landlord about any safety concerns you have about the space.

No doubt you’ve heard of white noise, the sounds that can help you block loud or distracting noises in order to sleep or concentrate. Well, it turns out that, depending on the type of noise you’re trying to avoid, you may want to try some colored noise instead.  We’re not talking ocean waves or thunderstorms, although those can also be quite soothing.

I know exactly how many stairs there are to our apartment. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve counted—through tantrums, while carrying strollers or sleds in the dead of winter. We’ve lived here four years now, they were babies, they were just-learning to walk, I even had one C-section. Friends who live large on the ground floor tell me they’d never go back. So…how do we do it? How do we make life work with kids in a walk up? 1.

Many aspects of a rental home are transformable, yet the rental bathroom tends to be a ‘you-get-what-you-get-and-you-don’t-get-upset’ zone because there typically isn’t a lot of literal or metaphorical wiggle room. But even with less-than-ideal rental bathrooms, and even when living with roommates or significant others—we can still elevate the style and add functional beauty. Check out 10 rental bathrooms from our house tours that do this in spades.

When it comes to dressing your windows, draperies and curtains often seem to steal all of the attention, while blinds, their more structured cousin, always seem to play second fiddle. So we’re calling out one blind brand that’s rewriting the rules when it comes window coverings: Bloc Blinds. Based in Northern Ireland, Bloc Blinds is the innovative design house that, since their inception, has continually shattered everything we thought we knew about the conventional world of blinds.

Nothing is a bigger style bummer than dingy wall-to-wall carpeting. Don’t get me wrong—I love that cushy, soft feeling underfoot as much as the next girl. But when carpeting starts to look worse for wear, it becomes a bit of a design dilemma, especially if you’re in a rental and can’t just rip it up. First things first, spring for a professional carpet cleaning or ask your landlord for one.

Consider this the gallery wall 2.0.

Earlier this week, we published an article that shared six stylish solutions for those (kind of awful) vertical blinds you so often see in rental apartments. Of course, they are incredibly practical, and if you’re all about privacy and so-so about aesthetics, then keep on keepin’ on I suppose. But me? I can’t stand them. They look so… institutional and devoid of any personality.

Imagine when you moved into your apartment, you knew you were going to be out of there in about a year, two at most. Same for the next place, and same for the place after that. For members of the military and their families, that’s often the reality. Moving around so frequently has its downfalls, but it also can serve as a kind of design bootcamp.

Think of Command products as your personal elves, which do the job, then magically disappear after the holidays are over.

Artist Alina Fassakhova, her husband Artem, and their cat, Usha, live in an NYC apartment filled with plant life, artwork, and three different wall colors. And they do it all quite beautifully in only 400 square feet AND as renters. Not only have they made their home look and feel much larger than it is, but they’ve found ways to design around the things they can’t change… and make huge visual impacts in the ways they can.

A stud finder is more than a dad joke. This helpful little tool is an essential part of the serious DIYers arsenal—especially if you don’t want to risk ruining all your shelves and expensive electronics (not to mention the walls) because they weren’t properly secured. For most casual decorators, a stud finder isn’t a must-buy.