6 Easy Fixes to Decorate a Not-so-perfect Home

You’ve arrived at your new duty station, you have unpacked your household goods, and made the necessary steps for making your new house feel like home.  Your walls are painted one of the many shades of white, maybe you’ve got a pink tiled bathroom, and an outdated kitchen with avocado green counter tops, and you are thinking “how in the world am I going to pull this off”!

I know I have lived in many rentals and even military housing that looked just like that.  Don’t worry, there are many ways to make this temporary house your home.

In many rentals we have rules to follow, most landlords will not let us paint unless we paint it back and some do not won’t nail holes in the wall.  Painting a house back to the original color can be time consuming when it’s time to move on.  We are pretty much left with a home that’s “AS IS”.

Here are 6 easy fixes to disguise the ugly and add your personal touch to your home.  

• Try hanging removable wallpaper.   There are many removable wallpaper choices on the market.  Wallpaper has come a long way since way back then.  You can find it in many solid colors as well as colorful patterns.  What makes this wallpaper so wonderful, is that it peels right off the wall when you need to take it down.  This means no more stripping wallpaper and tearing up a wall.  I have destroyed many walls that my husband has had to go behind me and patch up.  Not that I didn’t know what I was doing, but the glue to the wallpaper would not come off the wall.
• Vinyl wall decals or wallies are great for large walls and kid’s bedrooms.  You can find these with inspirational writings, monogrammed initials,as well as colored patterns and shapes.

 Tip: use adhesive shelf paper or contact paper to cut out shapes.  I painted white contact paper blue and cut out stars for a border once.

•  Hang fabric on a wall by using spray starch as an adhesive! 
• If you must paint, try painting only one wall as your focal point.
• Cover those outdated bathroom wall tiles with peel and stick decals for tile.  They are waterproof and can be used in the shower area too.  Use them to cover up an outdated kitchen back splash too.
• Use window film for privacy or decoration.  You can find them in many patterns and even in a stained glass look.

Tip: stick window film on a large framed mirror and hang in your home.  Not only does this add texture  and pattern to a room, but can be a focal point as well.

Moving around from house to house can be challenging for us, but there are always temporary solutions that you can use to help cover imperfections.  I love a beautifully decorated home and want you to have one too!

Make sure to check out my blog, Recreate and Decorate, for more ideas and inspirations for adding your personal style and touch to any home!