Renting and the Benefits of it

While renting is not a great long term plan, many find themselves in a season where it’s necessary. If that’s you, I hope these takeaways give encouragement and perspective.

Renting taught me to be creative

Being in the season of renting can feel like a cramp in your style at first but there’s a surprising silver lining to it! Being confined with what you can and can’t do in a rental can result in blossoming creativity. Have an ugly panel box? Try hanging a tapestry over it with tacks. An outdated kitchen with glaring yellow outlets? Stack your wooden cutting boards to cover it.

It took years of trial and error, rearranging and trying new things before I felt like our home reflected us. I’m grateful for that time because it taught me to think more creatively when my hands were a bit tied.

Renting taught me to appreciate aesthetics that weren’t my preference

We lived our first year of marriage in a basement apartment of dear friends of ours in Colorado. It was sweet and cozy and fully furnished which was a blessing to our tight budget! There were aspects that didn’t fully reflect our style but we enjoyed our cozy spot for a year.

We then moved into a three bedroom ranch and eventually welcomed four children while living there. It was also a fully furnished situation. Being built in the 90’s, it had a dated style with lots of creams and beiges happening. The landlords changed a lot for us over the years which helped tremendously. Bedroom furniture sets we didn’t use were removed, stenciled flowers painted over, appliances updated and new flooring in place of the outdated linoleum.

The first few years we were at our ranch, I was really captivated by the farmhouse aesthetic. Joanna Gains was front and center at that time and come on, admit it, we all wanted her designs in our homes! I desperately wished for a white washed fireplace, open shelving, subway tile in my kitchen and gray walls. I had to die to that dream in our renting situation but I learned several things

Trends will come and go

I’m glad I didn’t spend thousands of dollars renovating my home to look a certain way that I know I would have regretted later. Having lived the renting life for a longer span of time, it gave me time to see how quickly home decor and home style trends can change. As well as giving me time to mature in my taste and keep learning what I like. I have had time to find my style preferences, notice what is more trendy and observe what is timeless.

Not every home can achieve the aesthetic you desire – work with the house!

It would have taken major design changes and lots of money in order to make our rental ranch fit the farmhouse aesthetic. Over time, I came to understand there has to be a certain level of respect and consideration given toward a house and what its style is.

A home has its own personality and it will look disjointed if you don’t consider that. To some degree, you have to work with the house in what its own style actually is. Once I began to lean into the age and quirks of our home, I was able to choose decor that felt like it fit the house and gave it a more complete look. But more importantly, I felt less dissatisfied with it and could appreciate the home’s unique characteristics.

I learned what my design style actually is

After watching the design scene for the past seven years, I’ve learned a lot more about my preferences but also I’ve grown in my appreciation of other styles – French country, midcentury modern, boho, victorian, Scandinavian, etc… And I think I could happily live in and decorate any of those homes.

We are now less than a month away from signing on our first home(!), and I’m feeling grateful for the lessons I learned from renting. I’m slowly and intentionally looking for and purchasing thrifted items to add to our home and I’m excited to see the end result.

Renting taught me that the feeling of home does not come from decor

The last point I want to touch on is that you can make home anywhere. From outdated 90’s ranch to a season of living with your in-laws, to a tiny cabin in the woods, you can make your living situation feel like home.

I used to think the feeling of home came from a well arranged, organized and lovely room. And while that has some definite merit, it’s not the main ingredient. I’ve found that my lack of ability to pull off a perfect aesthetic hasn’t been detrimental. In fact, in my lack I’ve found the answer.

Our attitudes adorn our homes more than beautiful trim work

Heart posture/attitude is something that will either grace or disgrace your home. It is the first decor item that settles into every room and therefore it matters. Having a grateful and welcoming heart posture makes home feel like the safe haven it’s meant to be. More than any beautiful couch, expensive floor lamp or rug, it was my contentment that made our home beautiful.

I longed for some of those items thinking that would do the trick but in the meantime, I found that our home was full of love and life. Though it wasn’t perfectly decorated, I was told by many that it was so welcoming. I did spend plenty of time cleaning, organizing, and rearranging furniture pieces and wall art, etc. but my attitude did more than the thrifted vase.

My encouragement to you…

If you’re in a season of renting, I want to encourage you to make it home-like. Bring in the cozy lighting and take care to clear the clutter (see my post on decluttering). Arrange your kitchen counters in a functional and beautiful way. Organize closets and drawers and your heart. Remember that it is worthwhile to bring beauty and order to a space even if it’s for a short span of time.

Would love to hear in the comments if any of this encourages you or what you would add to this list!