There are several home furnishing challenges you must face as a renter. You might feel hesitant to invest in quality custom made furniture, because the space isn't really "yours" anyway. Plus, your lease may include clauses preventing you from customizing your place. Paint the walls a color other than white? Forget it. How about tearing down a wall? Maybe in another lifetime.

But, should you really toss the idea of decorating? With over 60% of New Yorkers renting instead of owning their home, you'll very likely find yourself in renter's shoes. This should never mean that you can't turn a house (or small studio apartment) into a home. Here are our top 3 ideas for really making that rental your own. Don't worry, you're totally getting your security deposit back and you can take all of our ideas with you when you leave.

For starters, go take a look click over to our Gallery for a look. Notice anything similar in all of the homes we've staged and furnished? You guessed it: White walls. And we LOVE them. White, or any neutral for that matter, should never mean boring. You can always make any room your own by adding subtle pops of color in your shade of choice. Our go to pieces for adding personality are wall art, lamps (ceiling, floor and table), and sofas!

Happy hues like yellow and more sophisticated ones like teal appeal to both men and women and look great under natural and artificial lights. Take a look at The Brompton Penthouse and the Trump Building for inspiration. 

As we mentioned above, we love light as a way to bring personality into a room. Lighting fixtures aren't the first thing that spring to mind when it comes to home décor, but they do make a world of a difference. Always make sure you have at least three sources of light in any room: central, low and indirect. All three fixtures can match in style, like this and this ones, or they can be totally different for a contrasting yet cohesive look, like this ceiling option, this table lamp and this floor one.

Plus, always check with your landlord if it's ok to add dimmers. They'll most like go for it, as most forgo them because of the added expense. With dimmers, you will be able to go beyond utilitarian lighting to actually adding ambience into the room. Have your kid's friends over? Go full lit. Having a romantic evening? Soften everything up with just one switch.

Maybe "destroying" might sound a tad extreme, but patching holes in the walls when it's time to leave can get time consuming and expensive. Remember, you will not only have to remove the hole, but paint the entire wall. Don't think that you'll be able to get away with just painting over the patched spot.

However, you can still bring art into your home! Just rest your art - against a fireplace mantle, an existing shelf, over a freestanding dresser or lean them against a wall. If you do want to go the hanging route, choose an oversize piece. That way you'll use up most of the wall space with minimum drilling. 

Don't know how to start furnishing your new home? Whether you're a renter or a homeowner, book an appointment with us! Our interior design services are completely free with your purchase. Plus, if you're interested in short term furnishings, we have packages available for leasing. We'll gladly take a look at your space and recommend the best decor to suit your taste. It will be fast, easy and fun!