Adding Colour to Your Rental Without Paint

Just because you live in a rental doesn’t mean you can’t surround yourself in colour. Your space can be as colourful as you are, without ever painting the walls. 

When decorating a room, many designers use the 60-30-10 rule. This means 60% of your room is your primary colour, 30% is a secondary colour, and 10% is your accent colour. Having neutral walls will take up much of the primary colour, which means you can choose a bold secondary colour to use throughout the room. Your accent colour can be added with throw pillows, blankets, vases, and other small items.

Matching colours isn’t necessary; however, you’ll want to stay within the same colour family. Your secondary colour can be displayed by using any tone throughout its colour family to decorate with. Each colour has several different shades and tones to use. 

Window coverings are an easy place to start. You can choose curtains that combine neutral colours with a bold colour or use two separate window coverings. Either way, you can add a lot of colour just by dressing up your windows. Sheer curtains in a light colour layered with bold floor to ceiling drapes can add that punch of colour you’re looking for. 

Just because your walls are your primary colour, doesn’t mean you can’t dress them up. Hanging a bold piece of art can dramatically change a room. If you’re worried about damaging the wall, use Command 3M Hooks, these non-damaging hooks come in a variety of sizes to safely hang any size art without damaging the walls. Add colour to your rental with a large piece of art or create a focal point in a room with a collage of smaller pictures in coordinating colours. 

Alternatively, use your secondary colour on your furniture. Paint a bookcase, use a bold slipcover over a chair or couch, or choose a coffee table in your secondary colour family. Accentuate your furniture using throws, pillows, vases, and even plants to bring in that 10% accent colour. 

If you’re ready to test your creativity in a new rental, we have a variety of suites across Alberta waiting for your personal touch.