I’m a renter – here’s how I transformed my dull, grey flat without risking my deposit

Decorating a flat, particularly a rented property, comes with a host of challenges. You shouldn’t drill holes or change the wallpaper, and new paint colours need to be approved. Meanwhile, you’re spending just under half your wages on a flat you don’t like the look of.

It’s becoming more of a problem, as the number of renting households in England and Wales has doubled since 2001, and people are staying in rental properties for longer. As of July, the average tenancy lasted almost three years, up six months from 2024. Renters are now staying almost 40 per cent longer in the same property than they were four years ago.

On top of this, many are staying in these properties in fear of losing their deposits if they make any changes. In April, almost a quarter of tenants experienced deposit reductions they thought were unreasonable, according to Letting Agent Today. The most common reasons for a deposit being withheld included cleaning, redecorating costs and damage to fixtures.

I first moved into a rented property in 2023, when I was 20, but I had a flexible landlord and the place was empty. I had a lot of freedom. I moved into my current flat at the end of last year, and it came fully decorated, which, on the surface, sounded great until I realised that absolutely everything was grey, dark, and looked like it got lost in 2018. The sofa was well-loved. So much so that every time I sat on it, the middle caved. I was almost sitting on the floor every evening.

I’ve wanted to redecorate so that my home feels more like me. I spend most of my time here, either working remotely or relaxing on the weekends and I want to feel comfortable. But, like many others, I’ve been limited by only being able to make temporary changes – decorating that would cause no damage, and working around the furniture that didn’t belong to me.

I asked Jordana Ashkenazi, founder and design director of Element One House in London, how renters like me could redecorate their homes without breaking the bank or risking their deposit. Then I put it to the test.

Curtains and rugs are high impact fixes

If curtain poles are already drilled, changing the colour of the existing curtains is a great way to change the style of the room, and they’re removable. Ashkenazi’s favourite is a sheer, weaved fabric that looks “absolutely gorgeous and instantly elevating”. She highly recommends speaking to landlords about adding curtain rails if there are not any up.

Also, know that rugs can cover bad flooring, and add texture and drama “and give off that designer look”.

What I did:

Before (left) and after (right) the decoration work in Kia’s lounge

When Ashkenazi saw my lounge, she had many thoughts on brightening it. “The aim is to move the flat away from a heavy grey palette into a lighter, warmer scheme by layering soft beiges, creams and natural textures,” she told me. “Bigger rugs instantly make a place feel more high-end,” she said. So I swapped my B&M wool rug for a larger, patterned one.

Our broken sofa was taken away and replaced with a more neutral one from the Oak Furniture Land sale. Artwork from Desenio also replaced the dark three-piece set our landlord had left. Ashkenazi recommended oak frames to match the wood already in the flat, and beige and neutral themes in the prints to brighten the room. On the sofa, I layered different textured blankets from Tesco and cushions from Dunelm.

To avoid permanent damage to my wall, the wall panelling from B&Q is leaning, and I added a neutral set of drawers from B&M and a coffee table from La Redoute to make the space feel less bare. The plant is also from B&Q (but I’m still learning to take care of it).

Layer your lighting

This is one of the quickest ways to change the mood of a room. Ashkenazi advised replacing lampshades and light fittings, and keeping the original ones safe to reinstate them at the end of a tenancy.

“Floor lamps and side lamps elevate a space and make it look more expensive,” she says. “It’s a really nice way of changing things and modernising a house. You can add different moods and it feels like a new look.”

What I did:

A tall, striped Dunelm floor lamp was added to the mix

I tend to prefer using smaller lights rather than overhead lighting, as they make a room more cosy. To elevate the space in the lounge, a tall, striped Dunelm floor lamp was welcomed into the mix to inject some subtle pattern.

Mirrors can transform small spaces

“Mirrors are like having extra windows,” explained Ashkenazi, who often works with customers in small London flats that can be very dark. As well as adding more light and depth to a room, with a nice enough frame, they’re a form of decor in their own right – and are often cheaper than artwork.

“Lean mirrors add more light and make a space look bigger and more expensive. They open everything up. A big lean mirror makes a huge difference, and you don’t have to drill or hang anything.”

What I did:

Adding a lean mirror can ‘make a space look bigger and more expensive’

I added a lean mirror and freestanding shelves, dressed up with ornaments and greenery.

Let beds and sofas make a statement

They’re often the biggest things in a room and can be dressed up easily. If you’d like to change the colour or pattern of a sofa or bed, headboard and sofa covers are a great option, although Ashkenazi says only some may benefit. “Sofa covers can be difficult, you need to match the shape and you can always tell it’s a cover. If your sofa is less structured, it can be super effective and it’s a nice refresh, but for a modern sofa, it may not work.”

When it comes to bedding, Ashkenazi recommends starting basic with a white base and cushions. “Then, I love to lay out scatter cushions that are different textures, maybe add some tassels or fringing to them. Then I use neutral-coloured throws to add depth and dress up the bed. That’s really important.”

If you have a specific colour theme in the room, she recommends layering a patterned or coloured blanket on top of the neutral to bring the room together.

What I did:

Before (left) and after (right) decoration works in Kia’s bedroom

As instructed, I make the bed a statement. I layered the bed with linen throws and cushions, found in Tesco and Dunelm, and used white covers as my base. To cover the grey headboard, I used an old linen curtain, tucked in, to give the illusion of a beige bed, and a huge throw to cover the base.

The flat is small, and storage is limited, especially for two adults and a dog with its own wardrobe. Our shelving units, owned by the landlord, left our jackets and shoes exposed, and the solution was finding drawers or wicker baskets that could keep them out of eyesight. Our landlord took back his shelving units and a set of four drawers from JYSK (£70) and baskets from La Redoute did the trick.

Ornaments can be functional

As well as soft furnishings, diffusers and candles are multi-purpose and not to be overlooked – they look and smell great. “They all add those layering textures that give a design feel.”

Shelving and plants are also on her list of easy ways to update a space. “Greenery can really elevate a space, especially floor plants.” Her favourite is a faux olive tree in a big pot, and she recommends Dunelm for budget-friendly homeware like this that looks pricey and holds up well. As for where to store these things, freestanding shelves are a no-brainer.

Use artwork to your advantage

Ashkenazi is a huge fan of oversized art as it can be the focal point in a room, adding drama. With mirrors, she thinks they have one of the biggest impacts. To avoid damage, she loves leaning big pieces of art on the floor or using adhesives to put them on the wall, as they cause minimal damage.

What I did:

Fun in the kitchen and white and green prints

In the bedroom, I added white and green prints to the wall, from About Wall Art, to offset and brighten the three dark ones above the bed. Command strips were used to put them up so no holes had to be drilled.

In the kitchen, I asked ChatGPT to create AI images of my dog making coffee, which, in my opinion, are cute and amusing, and purchased cheap Oak frames from Tesco to put them in. It’s a fun and non-expensive way to add some artwork.

Stick-on tiles aren’t always safe

There are multiple “no-damage” ways to redecorate on the market, including stick-on floor tiles and sticky-back worktop covers. Ashkenazi is wary of them: “They technically shouldn’t damage but it can peel the paint. Some brands do less damage than others but it’s risky.”

Instead of completely covering a space, she recommends adding layers to change the colour and vibe, through ornaments, throws, or in the kitchen decor that covers surfaces you want to change.

What I did

The kitchen was my biggest struggle, given the grey that Ashkenazi pointed out “feels cold”. I brought in neutral tones to the grey worktop by using wooden chopping boards I already had as decor, faux flowers, and neutral runners.

Result

Ashkenazi pointed out “grey is out now” and, unluckily for me, that was what I was working with. Although she’d instantly had ideas on how to make my rooms more neutral and give them a brighter look, I was sceptical.

But without drilling a single hole or causing any damage, I managed to change the vibe and colour scheme of the flat. My biggest concern was the lack of storage we have, but furniture that looked great and had its own space solved the problem.

The bedroom upgrade cost less than £350, and besides the sofa (which I’d have covered up if it were not so worn out), the living area cost around £700. The kitchen cost less than £50.