I've been renting homes for the past 8 years; the longest I've ever been in one apartment as an adult was just shy of two and a half years. I actually like the flexibility renting gives us, but decorating and setting up a space with intention that feels like a home is trickier when you live in a home that is, to some extent, temporary by design. Making major changes to the rental is not a possibility, but over the years I've become a lot more creative at finding ways to make our space feel very us with less effort.
Here are some parts of our home that currently bring a lot of joy:
1.) Avi's play space downstairs--I love that she has a space where she is free to crawl around without getting in anyone's way, and where she can reach and access her toys and books independently. I also love the way her toys are displayed on the bookshelf. Knowing that the stacker toys, balls, ribbons, etc. have a home makes it a lot easier to be present with Avi instead of sweating the fact that by midday the area looks like a tornado touched down. I know that the area can be reset in about 5 minutes, so I feel more relaxed working and playing downstairs.
2.)Plants--two very thoughtful families gave me plants at the end of the school year as a thank you gift. I've loved having the pops of green in our house along with a succulent we received as a house warming present. We also bought dried lavender, and have it in vases around the downstairs of our home where there is less natural light because it is partially underground.
3.) Art that connects me to places--Some of my favorite parts of my house are the pieces of art hung up. A few favorites: pieces from a Solvang gallery about thirty minutes from my childhood home, a lithograph of Walden where we got engaged, and prints from the incredible cookbook by Samin Nosrat, Salt Fat Acid Heat with illustrations by Wendy McNaughton. I also love the cork board that came with the house that we filled with postcards and items from various trips we have taken. It makes me remember the trips more frequently, especially because it's next to the rocking chair where I feed Avi and read her stories at bedtime.
4.) Patio Set--I love being able to eat outside in the summertime, especially since we are at home more than usual. We also having a small folding table we cover with a table cloth to create a socially distanced space to invite friends over. When we have guests, we move candles or plants outside to make it feel more like a restaurant or evening out. It helps to make dinner feel more like an event and destination after many months eating almost exclusively at home.
5.) Jar of happy moments from the year: I have a small jar that I've filled this year with post-its of memories. I tried to do this last year, but kept forgetting to add memories. We read the notes at New Years and it was such a fun way to remember smaller moments from the year, but I wished that I had remembered to add to it more. This year, I moved the jar so it's next to my bedroom and there is a pen and stack of sticky notes next to it. When I finish journaling in the morning, it's easy to add in a sticky note. It's already so much fuller this year than last, and I'm excited to revisit the memories at New Years.
What are other ways you've found to make a space feel like home, especially for renters?
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