It's DIY Month, and we're encouraging you to take care of all your projects around the house, even in the kitchen! We get lots of questions from renters who want to spruce up their kitchens without breaking the bank (or their lease agreement). When you rent you rarely have permission or resources to renovate a cramped or ugly kitchen. But there are simple, inexpensive, and creative ways to make your kitchen brighter and better.
As we move through DIY Month and our February Jumpstart event, here are ten ways to help you make your rental kitchen more beautiful, healthy, and organized.
None of these ideas are rocket science. There's no one-fit answer to making a rental kitchen prettier and more fun to cook in. But take a critical look at your space, see what you need, and mix it up. Don't be afraid to make changes like moving the fridge to a better spot, or swapping out a hanging light. A little work and creativity can make big differences.
Add Storage
1. Hang a pot rack or pegboard. Take storage into your own hands. Hanging a pot rack or pegboard is usually well within the scope of renters' rights, and they can open up much more storage in the kitchen. Look for inexpensive racks on Craigslist and at IKEA. Pictured: How To Make a Bicycle Wheel Pot Rack and Christine's Kitchen.
2. Hang a shelf or wall storage. Again, like the pot rack, shelves and other wall storage systems are removable and hung easily. You don't have to do major surgery to your kitchen in order to hang shelves like Dana's or a storage system like Kyle's. Get some help, and patch any screw holes when you move out. The work and small expense is worth the extra storage for kitchen tools and accessories. If you paint the shelves you can also have a major color accent in the kitchen.
3. Bring in new furniture. Some kitchens are big enough, but bare. There was very little counterspace in my old eat-in kitchen, so I brought in a small kitchen cart for the microwave, cookbooks, and other extras. This kitchen island is inexpensive and useful in an open kitchen. Also consider a tall storage unit like the one in this bright orange kitchen.
Also consider more unusual furniture, like a dresser for baking trays and table linens or a card catalog for wine and silverware!
Change the Look
4. Paint the cabinets. This is a big step for a renter, and it may not be allowed by your landlord. But it never hurts to ask. Look at the lovely way Derek and Rena's kitchen (before and after pictured in gallery above) was transformed by a little paint. It went from boring white box to gray and subtle space. If he won't let you paint the outsides, see if you can at least paint the insides and then...
5. Take the doors off the cabinets. We talk about open storage a lot (see another gallery of open storage ideas here) and we think that temporarily removing your cabinet doors is another easy and temporary way to make your kitchen over. It's free, after all. Take off the doors, line the insides with pretty paper or paint them, and stack your dishes neatly. Pictured: Tara's Tiny Yet Powerful Rental and Jeanine's Sunfilled House.
6. Put down a new floor. New floor? Isn't that expensive? Not necessarily. If you hate your kitchen floor, try temporary vinyl tiles like in this New York apartment, or be brave and put down a rug.
7. Use pattern on the walls. If you can't paint or do major kitchen redecoration, how about removable vinyl wall patterns or removable wallpaper. Blik and other adhesive patterns were all the rage last year, and we think that there are many good ways to use them in the kitchen. Pictured: Amber's Yellow Kitchen and Adam and Alison's London Terrace Masterpiece.
8. Add your own personality. The huge fly in this kitchen (on the microwave) may not be to everyone's taste, but it certainly adds a jolt of personality! Don't forget to hang art, display a treasured collection, and use textiles to bring in colors and patterns you love. Pictured: Violetmarsh's Colorful Collection. The curtains, bust, and unusual furniture choices make this kitchen feel lived in and unique.
Improve Functionality
9. Update the backsplash. The backsplash running behind the counter and stove is sometimes the biggest stretch of open wall space in a kitchen. If you can't paint it, put up a temporary backsplash of metal so you can stick magnets to it, or hang pretty objects there instead. Also, the backsplash is paintable; it's such a small space it's easy to paint over later when you move out. Pictured: Rachel's Bungalow of Bright Ideas
10. Change the lighting. Don't take your lighting as the status quo. If you don't like the fluourescent lighting in your eat-in kitchen, put a small lamp on the table for when you dine. Change out ugly glass lamp covers for inexpensive replacements (found at Home Depot and other hardware stores). Pictured: Jeannine's Smooth and Soulful. The paper lanterns could look dorm-room-esque, but Jeanine makes it work. Also pictured: Lisa's Bright, Rich Rental. Hanging lamps like vintage one here can be added for little cost and trouble.
One last tip: Work with what you have. Don't try to make a cramped galley kitchen look modern and sleek; work with the colors and textures already in place, even if they aren't your ideal style. Harmony helps. For instance, when I lived in with a rather bare eat-in kitchen with scant counter space and teal-green appliances, I went with it. I added a temporary metal backsplash of vintage-looking metal, put up aqua color accents, and covered the table with a pretty tablecloth. The kitchen was more granny-chic than my preferred style, but at least it felt warm, homey, and harmonized.
How have you made your rental kitchen your own? Without the ability to do major upgrades, how have you made yourself feel at home and comfortable in the warmest room of the house?
More Kitchen Galleries
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I'm a student renter in a teeny tiny (I'm talking 173sqft, minus the bathroom) studio basement suite and I am ALWAYS looking for ways to reorganize my "kitchen corner" efficiently.
view thehalfie's profile
My landlord is on the conservative/annoying side of the spectrum of what you're allowed to do, but this week I'm putting up a pot rack, a magnetic knife strip, and a fun clock from etsy.
I'm excited to get my pots out of the super cramped cabinets, my knife block off of the counter, and a little color on the wall!
view mandarinmarie's profile
I love this post. I'm a long-term renter, and I used to HATE the unbelievably dated kitchen in my otherwise-rather-cool 100-year-old house. For a long time I considered the kitchen a write-off. But we finally came to terms with the kitchen recently, did some painting, put in some new furniture, changed the blinds, and made a few other tweaks, and now the kitchen is one of my favorite rooms.
And now I'm even glad that my kitchen is (still) unbelievably dated! It gives it so much character, like the fabulous kitchens you featured in this post, and unlike the boring cookiecutter kitchen renos you see everywhere else.
view TammyE's profile
this post is perfect timing! i just moved into a new apt & need storage badly. i cant even finish unpacking until i buy some kind of buffet or cabinets on the cheap. great post for ideas!
view rstrtz's profile
i hate my kitchen. and this post is giving me some hope.
i actually have no clue what we can and can't do since it was never outlined and also when we moved in the place hadn't been painted, so there's peeling paint, and holes from nails all over.
anyways- great ideas! thanks for a comprehensive list!
view squeakycat's profile
The day I moved into my place I immediately broke two glasses while washing them because the distance between the faucet and the bottom of the sink was totally inadequate. So I replaced it with a nice, inexpensive gooseneck faucet. It was really easy to do, all you need is an adjustable wrench.......and the ability to work on your back for 20 minutes.
Another thing I did was change the hardware. Or more accurately - I installed the hardware. Whoever put in the kitchen got lazy and didn't install any hardware on the cabinet doors. But after spending $23 and about an hour of drilling, I had a much better functioning kitchen.
I also bought a cheap microwave cabinet and changing the pulls and knobs on that to match the ones on the kitchen cabinets made the m/w cabinet blend in nicely.
view CarrollGardensGuy's profile
We bought a used TV armoire from the thrift store and use it as our pantry, storage, home for our microwave. It's one of those super deep older school TV armoires thats from the era before flat screens. We added extra shelving (which fit perfectly) in the old TV space, and our microwave fits on the top shelf perfectly. It already had holes in the back so that we could stick the plugs through. I realize that a lot of NY kitchens don't have room for this type of thing, but ours does, and it works great. We had open shelving before, and it always looks messy. The nice thing with doors is, when you close em, know one knows what's really going on in there.
VW
http://www.margincomments.blogspot.com
view VirginiaWestfield's profile
If you are looking to change the floor a really cheep and easy way to do it is with Allure Vinyl. I work at a Home Depot in Canada and we sell it and it's really good. Apartment therapy even did a feature on it "TrafficMaster Allure Vinyl Flooring" is the name of the post it was back in 2007.
view atheneum's profile
Yeah, this article made me feel a bit better about the hell that is my kitchen. All hope is not lost. :)
http://twasthebrillig.blogspot.com/
view twasthebrillig's profile
thank you thank you for writing an article on renter's kitchens! It always helps to have a little inspiration. My kitchen isn't horrible, but I've done things like add fabric to the back of a shelf to bring color into the room! Love the inspiration!
http://www.carinagardner.com
view carinagardner's profile
If you’re a renter, you will sometimes think twice to refurbish your kitchen or any part of the house. It’s good to know though that there are simple ways you can do to re-design your kitchen without breaking the bank or your landlord’s terms, like investing on inexpensive kitchen organizers or simply re-painting the cabinets (Well, it’s always advisable to double check first with your apartment owner if this is doable to save yourself from any future hassle.) I particularly like the pot rack; it saves a lot of space and it’s very tidy looking. Thanks for these tips!
view ms.neatfreak's profile
When you rent (and even when you own a house) there is never enough kitchen counter space so instead of a knife block or even magnetic strip I recommend a KNIFAWAY knife holder which fits INSIDE a lower cupboard door. I discovered this neat gadget from Japan a while ago and found it so brilliant I decided to distribute them. Knives are out of sight yet still conveniently accessible. It's compact, inexpensive and easy to install. It's the newest and most ingenious storage solution for big sharp knives, especially for space challenged apartment kitchens. My website is homemade (painfully obvious) but I can vouch for the product's functionality, safety and solidity.
view Savvy40's profile
It's an obvious quick fix, but change the cabinet knobs! Get some great handmade cabinet knobs -http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&seller_id=13381 - and in a few minutes you'll have a whole new look. And you can take them with you when you move.
view beachyrustica's profile
We have done a LOT to our rental kitchen. First, we painted the walls a bright, asparagus green, which made the old, yellowed cabinetry seem less dingy. Second, we put up llittle hooks all along one wall so that I can hange my apron & tea towel collections and a few oddly shaped pans, like the paella -- an easy, useful focal point. Third, we added an enamel-top farm table for extra work space and found some modular storage that fits underneath it to make use of all the space.
view kwatkins's profile
Check your local laws.
In some areas, anything that is physically attached to the property (screwed in shelves, light fixtures, hardware, etc.) becomes the landlord's property.
view Isidora's profile
i just moved and have been avoiding doing anything to my apartment's kitchen (which is huge by the way), but this post has inspired me to get moving! I cant wait to spend my weekend picking up a few things to finally add some life to my much ignored space!
view tiaramh's profile
Some of these suggestions look like fire hazards. Like the paper note stuck to the (very cute) tray over the stove, and the lamp with the large shade close to the gas stove top.
One reason that landlords can be fussy about alterations is that they have to (or are supposed to, at least) follow fire codes. That's why s/he didn't install a cute chinese umbrella to be used as with an overhead light fixture.
No, I'm not a landlord; my husband's best friend is a Chicago Firefighter. Oh, and get a fire extinguisher.
view mjs7640's profile