3 Quick Art Projects to Refresh Your Rental Apartment

We all need a place to call our own. That feeling of belonging, of leaving a mark onto a space and bringing it closer to being “home sweet home” is quite satisfying. Generally, rental apartments leave most of the interior design tasks to you and your creative skills. If you’re like most renters, you don’t want to pour loads of money into a remodeling project, it is after all a temporary residence, so how do we make the best of both worlds? A unique feature that most often contributes to making a place your own is wall art and the best part about it: there are ways you can do it yourself for less.

Here are a few ideas on how to add a personal touch to an interior without having to dig too deep into your pockets.

1. Spruce up the walls with ingenious items

If you have dear memories reminding you of the good old school days and want to add an ingenious character to your quarters, you can use those happy times as inspiration and mount a blackboard on a wall in your living room or kitchen. Use it to jot down new recipes, make a list of daily chores, or leave a note to your partner for when he gets home.

2. Decorate with frames

For under $5, you can turn your passion for photography into a marvelous design scheme. Check out your photo inventory and pick some of your best pictures. Then head online to CanvasPop, have them printed out on quality paper and expertly fitted with a wood frame, and finally mount them on a wall. That’s one short route from drab to fab.

3. Spice up the space with creative DIY wall art

You could even try your hand at something more spectacular that will clearly make a statement. Take two simple glass vases and mount them inside an old picture frame hung on the wall. Besides being very pretty, such an arrangement will give your home a distinctive note, one that speaks originality and sweetness.

By using a stencil, either pressed flowers, leaves or a shape that you’ve cropped yourself, spray paint and a piece of canvas, you can create magnificent wall art. And brag about it later to your guests as it will surely be unique.

The procedure is quite easy, but it can get rather messy so make sure you dress your work surface in old magazines or newspapers for protection. Paint canvas one color, let dry, then lay leaf down and spray paint metallic color all over the canvas. Peel back leaf and there you have it: your original masterpiece ready to be unveiled to the world!

Looking for more design ideas? Check out these great tips on how to decorate your home on a budget.