A home is a very personal space, a safe sanctuary that we believe is our own! Yet, for many of us, our house is not really ours. Having moved from one rented apartment to another for nearly a decade before owning a home, I can personally relate to the many frustrations that one encounters when it comes to decorating a rental. For starters, you almost have zero room for maneuvering things around and when it comes to creative custom solutions, you cannot get anything done around the house. In a rented apartment, it is often a choice between your security deposit and decorating freedom!

But that does not have to be the case every time and today, we are starting a whole new series that will help you in transforming your rental home forever! We start with a feature that is simple to create, trendy and is a great way to add personal style and taste to your home – the gallery wall. Yes, the moment we talk about gallery walls, your mind automatically conjures up a hammer, nails and plenty of holes! But with the smart ideas below, you can avoid both the holes and the fear of losing your deposit even as the perfect gallery wall comes to life!

Sleek Ledges and Floating Shelves

This one is easy, contemporary and adds much more than just a gallery wall to the living room or the bedroom. Sleek picture ledges are easy to install, take very little time and effort and you do not have to be a DIY expert to work with them. As an added bonus, they offer a hint of additional storage and display space for decorative pieces beyond just the photo frames and wall art collection. You can add a couple of cool decorative vases, freshen up the scenery with some seasonal flowers or even go minimal with just a picture or two on the ledge when you feel the gallery wall has overstayed its welcome.

Clips and Tapes

There was a time not too long ago when you could just not trust tape to hold a photo frame. Yet, today’s 3M and washi tapes are sturdy enough to safely hold all those picture frames as you fashion a wonderful gallery wall full of family photos. If this approach still feels a bit risky, then there is another fun option of using clips to hang those small art prints and photographs. This creates an eye-catching and casually-chic gallery wall that is perfect for small homes and apartments.

Casually Classy

Hanging a large wall art piece might just not be possible in your rental home without permanently damaging the wall in some shape or form. This is where a bohemian, shabby-chic approach to decorating can help. Just place those art pieces on one side of the room so that they are gently leaning on the wall and combine with a small picture ledge for the best possible look. This approach is simple, classy, and one that gives you ample decorating freedom.

Finding Creative Solutions

There are plenty of other ingenious ideas that allow you to embrace that lovely gallery wall in a rental without causing damage to the walls. Wire frames and metallic grids are a cool way to display photos and wall art while you can even think about buying one or two small, custom easels for those special paintings. Do not limit yourself to the idea of the traditional gallery wall as you explore ways to add a personal touch to your rental home!