With endless landlord restrictions and the looming threat of not getting your deposit back, decorating a rental property might feel overwhelming. Not so for Teri Muncey, the creative behind Instagram account @thelovelydrawer, who has made a habit of upgrading every one of her temporary homes.
Teri has won Best Renter-Friendly Style in the House Beautiful Real Style Awards 2026. Her stunning – but reversible or removeable – decor upgrades illustrate why making the effort pays dividends. Armed with 20 years’ experience of living in rental flats and a passion for secondhand gems, she shares her tips for improving your just-for-now home.
What’s your decorating style in three words?
Cosy, cottage and vintage.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about renting?
Every time I rent a new property, I’ve learnt more and more about what my non-negotiables are. I’ve also learnt that there is huge scope to create a beautiful, functional space no matter how I start off.
What’s your best advice about decorating a rented home?
Decorate according to how long you intend to be there. If you plan to stay for a couple of years or more, then embrace making some changes, but if it’s less, don’t get your paints and vinyl wrap out. Instead, focus on more superficial changes like styling and furnishings that add personality. Wall art and shelves will help bring the character – filling holes at the end of a tenancy is a quick job.
What is the biggest challenge about decorating a rented home?
In general, it’s having to work around the existing fixtures and fittings in the kitchen and bathrooms as they’ve never the style I would have picked. In my current flat, it’s been working with the crazy angles as it’s part of a curved building. It’s so hard to lay out rooms when there are hardly any right angles!
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Have you had any disasters along the way?
In my previous rental, I learnt that not all peel and stick floor tiles are created equal. The ones I picked for the bathrooms ended up constantly peeling up at the corners and were a nightmare to remove because of how much sticky residue they left. I also once attempted to make some standard beadboard effect wallpaper renter-friendly but everything I tried failed miserably.
What’s a surprising rental decorating hack you’ve discovered?
How cheap and easy it can be to update windows. Using peel and stick vinyl you can cover the frame or create window arches. And you can add window panels with electrical tape!
What stage of decorating do you dread? Which makes you do a happy dance?
I love trying out things but when I realise I need to repeat the same DIY chore many more times, I often lose momentum – for example, when I covered the kitchen cabinet doors in vinyl or added moulding to all the internal doors. But when all the foundations have been laid and I get to style the space with collected objects, furnishings and art, that’s my happiest place. Suddenly the whole vision comes together which is really satisfying.
What single update delivers the most impact for the least spend?
Focus on your walls. Painting larger rooms can be expensive so focus on hanging wall art, tapestries, photos and plates for maximum impact. You can find secondhand frames, use cushion covers, small rugs or interesting blankets as wallhangings or create some of your own art to hang with painted clay shapes. Print your own art using Etsy downloads or frame illustrations from secondhand books or vintage postcards.
What change do you recommend that won’t risk your rental deposit?
Inject life into the space with your soft furnishings. They are all items you can take with you when you move. Rugs are brilliant for covering ugly flooring and grounding your furniture. Curtains and lampshades can be swapped in as long as you store the previous ones. Cushions and throws are a quick and low-commitment way to tie together your style and make it feel more of a home.
What’s the biggest rental property limitation that you’ve turned into a design win?
My biggest limitation is that my style is very classic and all about period charm, but the areas I live in continually price me out of those kinds of properties. Instead I’m almost always in new-builds, but I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of thinking up ideas to add character into the property. It feels like a real accomplishment to have created a cottage haven oozing with character in a very busy city centre, next to a main road and no countryside in sight.
What decorating mistake should renters avoid?
Spending lots of money on brand new furniture doesn’t always pay off in the long term. In principle, you can take those things with you but the layout of every rental is different, and your bigger pieces might no longer fit or makes the flow impractical. I always shop secondhand (mostly on Facebook Marketplace), which means you get some great bargains, find more interesting pieces and can choose according to particular measurements. Then when you leave the rental, you can sell these items and start again on Facebook Marketplace to find new ones.
What does ‘home’ mean to you?
Home is my sanctuary where I feel safe and inspired. It’s also somewhere that feels welcoming to others.
