Renter’s Solutions: Working With Whatever Wall Color You’ve Got

I don’t know about you, but all the places I’ve lived as a renter have been painted an awkward, almost-yellow taupe. I first encountered it on all the walls of my rooms in college, so I call it “dorm yellow”. Despite over five years of living with it (and knowing it could be worse!), I haven’t figured out how to decorate with sandy yellow walls. Happily for me, and all of us in this situation, there are a bunch of renter-friendly solutions to yucky walls!

With luck, it might just take a few pleasant exchanges with your landlord to get the okay to paint. If your dream walls fit into the category of “light, neutral” colors, sending your landlord a paint chip could be enough to convince them that it’s for the better. Be sure to check if they have any concerns about your painting skills, things that can’t be painted (ex: don’t paint the heating vents, hot water pipes), etc. Maintaining good communication means there won’t be surprise fines when you move out.

Starch fabric wallpaper:

If luck is not on your side, you can resort to a few different types of removable wallpaper, the cheapest of which is starched fabric. For more information, read our post onHow To Make Removable Fabric Wallpaper. It’s super straightforward and requires only a few materials.

暂时的壁纸:

There are loads of temporary wallpapers on the market, and these are not your typical stuffy Victorian florals, either.

For a list of more companies, check out our post onPeel And Stick Wallpaper.

There’s also a company making silkscreened plywood tiles that attach to the wall with magnets. Think FLOR carpet tiles, but for the wall.

Collage it:

If you’re feeling ambitious, perhaps you want to collage the wall. Try covering your walls with organized photomurals, ombré sticky notes, or even a swirl of eucalyptus leaves.

Try a Wall Hanging:

If only one wall is bothersome, perhaps a full-wall curtain — or curtains — is the answer to your woes.

For a low-energy fix, try creating a gallery wall to distract from the less-than-pleasing paint. Groupings of bold art will make the wall color less dominant. Here are 9 Gallery Walls Done Right.

Perhaps your wall is not a color you’d choose, but not an altogether horrible shade. If so, it’s possible that with a few tweaks and carefully selected accent pieces, you can develop a positive relationship between your stuff and your wall color. Consult a color wheel, and don’t be afraid to experiment.