How to Make a Rented Flat Feel Like Home Without Redecorating
To make a rented flat feel like home, change the things you can take with you when you leave. That means lighting, textiles, plants, art that leans rather than hangs, and a signature scent. These change how a space feels without touching your deposit or asking your landlord. For the scent, our guide to reed diffusers for flats goes room by room.
1. Replace the big light with lamps
Rentals often come with one harsh ceiling light, so add a floor lamp and a table lamp with warm bulbs. It is the single biggest change for the money, and it softens the whole room as soon as you switch them on.
2. Layer textiles
A large rug hides tired carpet, while throws and cushions cover a landlord's sofa and make it feel like your own. Curtains on a tension rod need no drilling, so you can hang them without asking.
3. Lean art, don't hang it
Prop your frames on shelves, the mantelpiece or the floor, where they look relaxed and leave no marks. Or use removable picture strips, and test them first on a hidden spot.
4. Bring in plants
Plants make a space feel lived in and cared for, so add a few to the rooms you use most. Choose easy ones if you are new to looking after them, and build up from there.
5. Change the small fittings
Swap cupboard handles or lampshades for ones you love, and keep the originals in a bag so you can put them back when you leave.
6. Give it your smell
A rented flat often smells of the last tenant or of fresh paint, and nothing makes a place feel yours faster than your own scent.
Candles are often banned in tenancies, and soot marks can cost you, but a reed diffuser has no flame and no plug. Always stand it on a tray, because reed diffuser oil can mark wood and paint. See flame free home fragrance and how to protect surfaces for more tips on keeping your deposit safe.
Small flats hold scent well, so start with fewer fibre reeds and add more later if you want a stronger scent.
7. Keep it fresh
Rentals can be poorly ventilated, so open the windows daily and dry washing near an open window. If you spot damp, report it to your landlord early, before it spreads.
What is safe for your deposit?
- Use no nails or screws in the walls without permission from your landlord.
- Put a tray under any reed diffuser or plant pot to protect the surface below.
- Leave candles out altogether if your tenancy bans them, and choose a flame free scent instead.
- Keep the original fittings safe so you can put them back when you move out.
Quick answers
How can I make my rented flat cosy?
Start with warm lamps and a big rug, then add throws, plants and a signature scent to make it feel like yours.
Can I use a reed diffuser in a rented flat?
Usually yes, as there is no flame, but check your tenancy first and always use a tray to protect surfaces.
How do I get rid of the old tenant's smell?
Air the flat, wash any soft furnishings and clean the carpets, then add your own scent once the base smell has gone. See why a house can smell when it's clean for more help.
Scent that protects your deposit
A reed diffuser needs no flame, no plug and no nails, and you can stand it on a coaster to protect rented furniture. The Mayfair Library reed diffuser makes a living room feel warm and lived in. The Kew Morning reed diffuser gives a small hallway a fresh welcome. For a small flat, our reed diffuser Home Sets let you mix any three scents for £159, or five for £250.
If you still have questions, you will find more answers in our reed diffuser FAQs.
New to IVNA London? Every scent we make comes as a luxury reed diffuser and a matching luxury scented candle, both handmade in England.
