New rental? How to turn a bland space into a personal haven

Even though she was moving into a rental apartment, Alexa d’Argence was eager to put her personal stamp on it.

“Loving my space is more important to me than my security deposit. So I just went for it with paint, shelves, window treatments and upgrading the medicine cabinet,” says d’Argence, who as a senior designer at BAR Architects in San Francisco knows something about creating a stylish space.

“My landlord actually appreciated the improvements. I’d say, consider changes that add value, and that wouldn’t be removed if you moved out,” she says.

Non-designers might not feel as comfortable doing that, since most rental agreements stipulate that you can’t permanently change anything. Another approach: Strike up a conversation with your landlord to talk about potential changes, and perhaps even offer to foot the bill.

Or, just make some temporary tweaks, little personal touches that can turn bland and basic into hip