If you like home decorating, you’ve probably noticed that in the world of Instagram and Pinterest, makeovers and renovations are always trending. Spaces with many decorations get more likes. As an expat family, the concept of renovating home or executing a big scale makeover has been quite foreign to us. The idea of creating rooms with busy decorations isn’t practical for our lifestyle, either. So far we have been lucky enough to paint and hang decors on walls. That’s pretty much the extent of what we can do in most countries.

I have decorated numerous kids’ rooms for my children in various countries in the last almost 18 years of our family expat life. My kid’s rooms have been simple and wouldn’t stand out among impressive and stylish kids rooms you see on Pinterest. What I learned in the process of decorating my children’s rooms at every move, however, is that simple and easier design suits better in our constantly relocating lifestyle. Thus, I’ve always tried to pursue kid’s room designs using simple ideas.

If you’re interested, you can see all my previous home decoration posts in MY HOME page under INTERIOR DESIGN tab.

SIMPLE RENTAL DECOR IDEAS

In this post, I will list some of my favorite ones so far. They are ideas that would not involve sewing or DIY’s. By the way, DIY’s are great. If you can do that overseas, I’d give you a high five and applause for your efforts. When you move overseas, many people are not equipped with necessary tools or means to do DIY’s. Plus, you always have to put everything back to the original when you move out. Thus, instant easy tricks will be your best friends.

Life abroad has challenged me to decorate around quirky home designs. Embrace those quirkiness instead of feeling discouraged. Simple rental home designs may not be a mainstream or anything that people feel aspired to, but I believe there are many out there who are seeking simple ideas. If you’ve signed up for recurrent relocations, the easier home decorating is, the more manageable your life feels. Enjoy the challenges of decorating a rental home because every time you decorate, you will learn something new about yourself.

WARNING: This is a very picture-heavy post.

Here are my ideas…

1. WALL SHELVES

In some countries, you may not be allowed to create holes on walls of your rental home. If your landlord allows you, though, I recommend wall shelves. Instantly wall shelves personalize the space. What I love about having wall shelves is that you can easily change decorations on them. Since we live in a city where earthquakes could occur, I put light items on the shelves in case they fall on my kids’ heads. (I know, I see some sharp objects…)

2. TRUNKS

If you are looking for a decor item that is versatile, practical and cool, a trunk is for you. You can use it as a storage, decor piece, and organizing tool. It can be in a living room, entry way, or kid’s room. I may sound like a trunk crazy person, but we own 11 trunks in our home. I found them in Mumbai when we lived there. Please click the following links for the posts on trunk shops in Mumbai.

Trunk Shopping 2 ☆ Bags Emporium (Janata Trunk Depot) Mumbai
Trunk Shopping ☆ Gujrat Trunk Depot Crawford Market

3. PARTY DECORATIONS

If you are looking for inexpensive pretty decorations for your temporary housing, look into party decoration section at a party store. These days party decorations have stylish items that you can use as a room decor. You will find something in your budget for sure.

4. FAKE SHEEPSKIN AREA RUGS

For kid’s rooms, adding a small rug is an easy way to decorate around a bed. Sheepskin rugs are great for decorating a chair as well.

5. CHAIRS

If I were to pick one item that is the most useful as furniture and a decor, I would pick a chair. A chair can be a decorative piece in a corner. A beanbag is a popular choice for a kid’s room. The great benefit of moving with a chair is that it can be a practical furniture. It makes a great night stand, for example. For these reasons, I would invest in a nice chair if you find something you love. I find a rattan petal chair from the Philippines great for a statement piece in a girl’s room.

6. DRESSING A CHAIR/BEANBAG

You may have a chair or a bean bag that you would like to use in your kid’s room, but it may not go with the theme. If that happens, one way to change the chair instantly on a budget is to cover it with a blanket. My daughter covered her beanbag with a blanket just like her sister did with a chair in her room. Shaggy blankets are pretty, comfortable and handy for home decoration.

7. FAIRY LIGHTS

In most countries, I believe you can find fairy lights these days. It is an inexpensive and easy way to make a dreamy space for your kids.

8. ARTIFICIAL PLANTS

Artificial plants are better than no plants. Green plants add life to a room. Add some artificial plants or green leaves and the room looks more complete.

9. SMALL AREA RUGS

You may have noticed that there are many small area rugs all over our house. Using small area rugs is a good way to make a space feel cozy. I like using area rugs to divide my daughter and son’s shared room. One side is for my son (this side) and the other is for my daughter. Even though they share a room, it helps them to visualize that they have his and her corners of the room. Not that my son really follows that visual separation… He constantly invades his sister’s space and gets yelled at. Such a life as a little monkey brother.

10. PILLOW CASES

Don’t just use what you have. Find ones that go with your decor theme. Pillow cases are not expensive, so you can switch around to change up the mood of a room based on a season. I highly recommend it.

ADDITONAL SUGGESTION

You can change ceiling lights in your rental home abroad. If there is an IKEA back home, ship one lamp shade of your choice from your home country. I bought an IKEA Sinnerlig bamboo lampshade in the U.S., sent it in our sea shipment and switched one ceiling light with it in our family room. (Please see the photos below.) For this I recommend hiring a local electrician or your landlord may let you hire their contractor. Ceiling lights will make a big difference in your room. This room below is our family room. Please click here to see our family room tour.

If you like seeing before and after photos, you can see some before after in Transform A Rental Home Into Your Own Home ☆ Before & After Photos. For those of you who live in Manila, you can also see this family room through a post about professional carpet cleaning.

I hope you find my tips helpful!