For some of us who actually dig decorating and living in style, living in a Toronto rental apartment can seem pretty sucky. You can’t paint walls (most of the time) and you’re still locked into the location for the foreseeable future.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to make your living space more vibrant and beautiful! It’s all about the little things in an apartment, and here’s a list of things you can try to really bring your personality out into your home

First: always actually decorate

For most people, this doesn’t need to be said, but for some it’s vitally important – the days of the bare dorm room are long gone and nothing is worse than stepping into someone’s apartment for the first time and be greeted with blank walls and bare furniture. There needs to be some kind of decoration or it starts to look like a morgue, and absolutely no one ever wants that. Even if it’s band posters you had when you were 18, put something on those walls! Anything is better than nothing!

Versatility is king

Being able to use things in multiple ways is a great way to save on space and establish a style in your apartment. Choosing versatile pieces is great, because the nature of renting almost necessitates a kind of nomadic lifestyle – from year to year, you may not know where you’ll be living, so utilizing furniture in a way that’s conducive to any space, anywhere, is useful and practical. Not to mention great looking!

Upgrade the lighting

A super easy fix that’s cheap and effective, by giving your personal flair to your light fixtures and bulbs, you can easily convert the mood of your new pad to anything you might be interested in. Lighting is a great upgrade because you can take fixtures and bulbs with you when you leave and simply replace the old ones with the originals. You don’t need to tie yourself down to good design choices!

Blinds and curtains are your playground

Following in theme with lighting, changing curtains and blinds is just as easy and just as personally rewarding when you design your apartment – simply keep all the old ones in a closet and hang up whatever resonates with you! It’s your space and you live in it, so modify it to suit your needs!