Vanessa Vance, Area Lettings Manager of Nicholas Estates says:
“Renting a property gives young people the opportunity to ‘try before they buy,’ and the standard initial letting is for around 6-12 months. The rise in utility bills and interest rates for mortgages will see many tenants staying in rented accommodation for longer periods of time due to it being harder to save for a deposit but to meet the affordability for mortgage lenders."
With this in mind, we want to help the Tap Warehouse community discover ways to style their rental bathroom without making any permanent changes.
Check with Your Landlord
It’s worth asking your landlord if you have any leniency to style the space more to your liking, as you never know what they may be comfortable with you swapping and changing. It may be a case of your landlord being happy for you to paint over the walls, install a few shelves here and there or even install a new tap at your own expense. You have nothing to lose by asking!
Rental Bathroom Accessories
Freestanding accessories are a rental bathroom’s best friend. To give your bathroom an upgrade, you can hang prints and frames to the walls with adhesive hooks that won’t mark the wall, and add hero items like candles, vases and ornaments on existing window sills or shelves.
Adding plants is also a great way to incorporate more colour into your bathroom, and these can be easily moved around to suit your space. You can also switch out the shower curtain, add tasteful towels and bath mats to incorporate pops of colour and modernise your rented bathroom.
Temporary Bathroom Flooring
If you’re not the biggest fan of your bathroom floor choice but don’t have the opportunity to change it, vinyl floor cloths can provide a refreshing alternative and are super easy to place down and remove from your bathroom floor. Self-adhesive vinyl floor decals are available from a number of retailers and can look as authentic as tiles and stone for a fraction of the cost.
Rental Bathroom Storage
The key to generating more storage in your bathroom without changing the furniture is to opt for freestanding storage cabinets that can easily be moved around the space. You can store bathroom products that you'd rather keep out of sight in these areas, such as toilet rolls, make-up products and shampoo bottles.
For more shower storage, shower caddies are a great way to prevent a cluttered shower area and allow easy access to your bathroom essentials. Caddies and bath racks are great for rental bathrooms as they're removable, therefore can be and can be taken with you from property to property. Top tip: opt for stainless steel shower baskets as this material resists rust and staining.
Rental Bathroom Lighting
Portable LED lights that are either battery powered or rechargeable can be placed around your suite to create a luxury spa bathroom aesthetic, without you having to worry about changing the light fittings.
If the bathroom has a pendant light, you will also have the freedom to change the lightbulb to a cooler or warmer colour, depending on your preference, which will enable more vibrancy to flow through the space. You may even be able to upgrade your mirror to a larger alternative to bounce the available light around the room - just check with your landlord before making any design changes.
Keep Your Bathroom Decluttered
A cluttered bathroom can make for a busy and uninviting space, so it's best to keep things simple and stripped back to avoid mess. Place bathroom essentials such as toilet roll, cosmetic pads and soap refills tucked away in baskets to give a cleaner finish. If you're limited on space, invest in freestanding ladder shelves to place your bathroom products on to prevent them being visible on areas such as window sills. Ladder shelves are also a great way to make use of the height of your room if floor space is tight.
Just because you have a rental property, it doesn’t mean that you have to stick with the design it came with; there are plenty of ways to make the space more luxurious and modern. If you’re looking for more design inspiration, our guide on small cloakroom ideas has an array of helpful tips to help you save space in a small bathroom without blowing the budget.
