6 min readShop & Tell features thoughtfully curated home finds from House Beautiful editors. Every week, we'll take you inside our carts and dish on what we're buying—and why you should be reaching for your wallet too.
If there’s one thing our team likes to commiserate on, it’s renters' woes. Many of us are currently renting apartments in New York City that are prone to all sorts of issues and oddities, from leaky ceilings to faulty HVAC units to uneven paint jobs. We have to deal with a lot. So, on the off chance we can make our own apartments feel like a sanctuary and reflect our design dreams, we’re rolling up our sleeves, grabbing that paintbrush (or drill), and doing it. We’ve tackled DIY projects and found some amazing products that make our rental feel a bit more custom without the need for a reno.
From stick-on sconces that light up our bedroom to a dual showerhead that gives us the exact bath experience we deserve to pretty hardware that changed up our rental kitchen cabinets, the products below altered our editors’ rental units for the better. And if you want to spruce up your own home—but feel limited by a renter’s agreement or nitpicky landlord—now you finally have some editor-recommended solutions at your disposal. We all should have that “custom” home we’ve been dreaming about since move-in day.
“My husband and I lime-washed not one, not two, but three rooms in our apartment. We had to dedicate an entire weekend to one room at a time, so it took a while, but the results were worth it. Unlike regular paint, limewash has a beautiful, purposefully uneven, cloudy texture that makes our space feel like it came straight off a Pinterest board. We used this pink grapefruit color in our bedroom, and I swear, no matter what photos I take in this space, the image always looks professionally shot. If your landlord allows you to paint your walls, go with limewash, you won’t regret it!” —Marina Liao, Senior Commerce Editor
“My husband and I have a HUGE living room with no built-in electrical. After years of relying solely on floor lamps that offered a moody—albeit patchy—glow, I was desperate to upgrade. I chatted with an interior designer who recommended I add cordless sconces right above my fireplace. With my landlord's blessing (and TaskRabbit), my living room is brighter and far more polished. Truthfully, this was one purchase I wish I had made sooner!” —Kelsey Mulvey, Contributing Writer
“I can't live without my Alex filing cabinet, but when I moved to a new space, it was hard to find a desk tall enough to fit it under, plus my radiator made it difficult to have a desk flush against the wall. While looking at IKEA's options, I noticed their ‘design your own desk tool.’ I added a bamboo tabletop that was the same depth as the filing cabinet and drilled two adjustable OLOV legs on the other side, leaving enough overhang that I could push the desk over the radiator without the legs getting in the way. The best part is that I didn't need to drill anything into my favorite filing cabinet, so I can switch the tabletop or the legs if I ever decide to!” —Bianca Bonetti, Social Media Editor
“My spouse and I knew we wanted to install track shelves when we moved into our own apartment, and they have truly transformed our space. Thankfully, our landlord told us it was okay to drill into the wall, but truthfully, we would've done it anyway (it's not hard to spackle, people!). We built our own track shelves using items from Home Depot, making them more custom to our needs, but this option from Wayfair seems like an easier route. Plus, you'll still capture that custom look.”—Meghan Shouse, Digital Editor
“I did not like the black pulls on our kitchen cabinets and drawers, so switched them out for these Art Deco ones from Etsy. They’re heavy, high-quality, and were an inexpensive way to make our kitchen feel custom. The Art Deco design plays nicely with our super modern kitchen, too! The only con is that dust has started to build up in between the ridges of the pulls, and we haven’t figured out a good way to clean out the gunk yet.”
—Marina Liao, Senior Commerce Editor
“I had a recessed nook in my apartment and could not find a desk or bookshelf that perfectly filled the space, so I built one! Home Depot typically allows two "courtesy" cuts on lumber purchased in-store before charging you (or you can make them yourself with a saw). Add two large L brackets, and you have a custom desk, shelf, or bar that's completely custom to your space!” —Bianca Bonetti, Social Media Editor
“Replacing the showerhead was one of the first orders of business when I moved into my apartment 13 years ago. I absolutely love this Moen Magnetix model because it's detachable, and the secondary showerhead affords so much flexibility. I've used it for rinses during my hair-dying phase, weekly deep-cleans of the shower to wash the suds off the walls, and whenever I quickly need to splash my face with water without jumping in for a full-body shower. If I ever happen to be showering where there isn’t a secondary showerhead, I feel like something's missing.” —Melanie Yates, Senior Digital Editor
“This is a renter-friendly find I stand behind. There are so many sconces I fall in love with, only to find out that they’re hard-wired and I’d need to call an electrician to install them. These lights look like colorful street lamps, and they’re secured with command strips. They’re rechargeable and easy to re-position, which is a huge help when I’m indecisive.” —Janae McKenzie, Associate Shopping Editor
“When you don’t have a lot of entryway space, a few snazzy wall hooks can go a long way. But typical hooks can easily catch on my favorite shirt or coat when I’m in a hurry. Rather than deal with unexpected holes in my clothes, I’m adding a few of these playful circular hooks to hold my favorite hoodies and purses. It’s easy access, and the oxblood color is perfect to make my space look more expensive.” —Janae McKenzie, Associate Shopping Editor
“After unpacking, my first task is hanging art. I'd never paint the walls or install wallpaper in a home I'm renting, so the only way to dress up the space and make it feel more homey is with art. No one has all the same art! This Gray Malin photo was the first piece of art I ever bought, and it makes me so happy every time I hang it on the wall in a new apartment. So far, it's been to three different homes with me.” —Jessica Cherner, Associate Shopping Editor
“The only remaining gray in my apartment is my kitchen cabinets. I can’t repaint those without incurring the ire of my landlord, and I’m not quite crafty enough for peel-and-stick wallpaper. Instead, I’m adding some much-needed texture through the hardware. I’m swapping out some simple silver cabinet pulls with these tiled knobs from Anthropologie. The bistro tile collection is already a favorite of mine, and the 24k gold accents take it to the next level.” —Janae McKenzie, Associate Shopping Editor
“I’m in an old apartment that has so much of the ‘landlord's special’ every which way you see it, so it really is a labor of love, trying to instill a bit of my personality in my space while also making sure that I get my deposit back if and when I move out. One of the easiest upgrades to my space was swapping the regular light switch covers for these fun scalloped plates from Anthropologie! I bought a few of them in white and spray-painted them to match the vibe of the room they’re in. They bring me so much joy every time I turn on the lights. As for the original covers? I have them stored in a bag, ready to be swapped in if I ever leave.” —Soumi Sarkar, Digital Designer
“Every renter, I think, is painfully aware of the ghastly glow of the boob light. My apartment was a strictly ‘no overhead lights’ zone for the longest time, because I truly despised the sterile glow of those lights. Enter these beautiful Tulip Shades! These boob light covers are so easy to install: you just fix the bracket to your ceiling (mine has been held up by Command Strips for peak renter friendliness) and snap that cover in place. The colors on the shade add so much brightness to my room and tie all the colors in there together, and the light, when turned on now, exudes a warm glow that makes the room feel that much more cozy and inviting.” —Soumi Sarkar
