Designers Ally Doman and Isabel Runsewe Want Renters to Hear This Decor Advice

Drab, white cabinets. Painted-over electrical outlets. Gray walls. Harsh overhead lighting. These features don’t exactly evoke the glamorous pad you imagined, but you rent and you don’t know for how long. Understandably, you may feel like you’re stuck with your surroundings until you can afford to buy. 

But ask Isabel Runsewe, who owns Isy’s Interiors, a New York-based interior design studio where renters make up the majority of clients, and she would tell you not to waste time living with an interior that doesn’t make you happy. “As long as you plan to be in your rental for over a year, I would treat it like home,” Runsewe said. “My advice is just to be confident and make those changes and spend that little bit of money — and do it quickly.” 

Runsewe’s typical scope of interior upgrades are not your average renter hacks – in other words, she’s not afraid of a little drywall or paint. But when we asked them, Runsewe, along with designer Ally Doman, founder and owner of interior design service Doman Decors, agreed there are higher impact DIY renter renovation ideas that, if landlord-approved, can be undone when you move out. And if you’re lucky (and skilled), your landlord may decide to keep your changes for the next tenant.

Here are interior designer-approved rental decorating tips to know.

Isabel Runsewe’s Isy’s Interiors revamped this New York living room, which involved removing the mirror above the fireplace and sprucing up the wall, shelves, and cabinets with a new coat of paint. Credit: Isy's Interiors.

First, check your lease

If you’re even considering changing things up in your rental, it’s always a good idea to revisit your leasing agreement and to talk to your landlord beforehand. Your landlord may surprise you and agree to even your most aspirational proposed revamps, Runsewe said. 

“I think people are so frightened to ask their landlords about these changes, where I think most are pretty accommodating,” she said. “I think to them, it shows that the tenant's going to be there a long time and cares about the property and cares about making it feel like home. Most of them just say, ‘Put it in, but you have to turn it back to how it looked when you got in there.’”

Of course, that may not always be the case, so mentally prepare to let go of some of your ideas. If you do end up agreeing on any updates, be sure to get it in writing. Here are some additional tips for checking in with your landlord:

Bring a clear plan: Your landlord could be more likely to approve your proposal if you come with a clear plan on what you want to do and how you want to achieve your vision. And bring photos similar to what you’re trying to do so your landlord has a good idea on what you’re aiming to change. 

Highlight the value of your changes: Your landlord may be more amenable to your idea if it’s something that will add value to the unit – monetary or quality – like changing out an outdated bathroom vanity for something more modern.

Warn of any disruptions: Specify if you’re hiring pros and how disruptive they’ll be in terms of noise and coming in and out of the building.

Leave it better than you found it: Always make an effort to care after your space, so the next tenants can enjoy it after you move out. 

“That's a sentiment that I really believe in when it comes to rentals, because whoever comes and lives in the space next, if you've really taken care of the home and you've made it better and improved it, that's just good karma,” Doman said.

Next, check your calendar

Before you commit, think about how long you plan to live in your rental and how long your interior design projects will take. You don’t want to put in a ton of work for something you’ll enjoy for a little while, Runsewe says.

“A lot of people move into their apartments and kind of dilly-dally for months, and then you're just wasting time living in a place you don't like, whereas I think you should move in, make all those changes, and spend a little bit of money, sure, but then it will be a place that you really love and really feel at home,” she says.

You’ll also want to consider whether you’re prepared financially and mentally to make the changes you want. While some upgrades can be quick and affordable based on what you want to do, other things may be more demanding, especially if you need to hire a professional.

Be brave and be bold

Painting can be one of the more affordable upgrades that produce dramatic outcomes. Doman is a strong believer in the power of paint.

“It can infuse so much personality into an otherwise boring space,” Doman says. “Obviously, you can always paint over something [when you move out]. So that's huge. And so I really encourage all my clients to paint.”

Since this isn’t your forever space, you may want to consider using the opportunity to explore what you’ll want in your long-term home. Have you always dreamt of having an emerald green living room? A sun-kissed peach bathroom? This is your chance to make it real and find out if you really love it (or hate it). 

And if you’re unable to get your landlord to sign off on your paint project, there’s still hope for injecting life into your space: opt for investing in colorful furniture and accents that you can keep once you move out. “If we're gonna leave it white, I want to do something fun. I want to add bright colored curtains. I want there to be some personality,” Doman says.

Ally Doman of Doman Decors added new lighting fixtures to this Williamsburg apartment. She also incorporated a patterned rug and new furniture to give this living room a fresher feel. Credit: Left, Doman Decors. Right, Carlos Ledesma.

Quick tip: Be cautious with cabinetry

Cabinets offer another canvas for your color creativity, but know that it is not a simple task if you want to do it well. “It's definitely an endeavor to paint them, because it's not easy. There's a lot involved,” Doman said. “You have to take off each door, lay out the hardware, and you have to get a certain kind of paint. And the way that you paint is important because otherwise it's streaky or there's dripping."

If you are set on changing up the cabinets, but want to skip the hassle, there are other options. One of Doman’s clients is opting to swap out handles and knobs. “The hardware is currently like a really basic little silver knob,” she said. “And we're going to replace it with something that has a little bit more character, something brass, something a little larger and makes more of a statement.”

If you’d rather draw attention away from the cabinets altogether, Doman suggests trying peel-and-stick wall tiles for your kitchen’s backsplash.

Beware of bubbles

Our pros have different opinions on using wallpaper — in particular, peel-and-stick wallpaper. 

Runsewe said peel-and-stick can be a great option because it won’t damage walls when it's removed the way traditional wallpaper can, and it can be changed on a whim if a design gets too boring. One of her favorite projects involved wallpaper, and she said it made a huge difference.

“[My clients] had a horrible powder room, and I love having fun in powder rooms. We added wainscoting paneling to the lower third of the bathroom and put that in a green,” Runsewe said. “And then we did a really fun patterned tropical wallpaper on the upper walls. And suddenly that entire bathroom went from looking so dreary to just extremely beautiful.”

But despite its user-friendly label, it might not be as straightforward to use as one might think; Doman knows this from personal experience.

“The very first time I was like, 'Oh yeah, I'm going to peel and stick my bathroom. It's all good,' my husband and I almost got a divorce over it,” Doman jokes. “It was one wall and it was so much drama because there were bubbles, my husband is standing on the ladder and he's shaking. It became like a whole thing.”

She says the nature of peel-and-stick material makes it very unforgiving; it’s basically a giant sticker. One mistake, and it complicates everything.

"Maybe something happens where it goes on the wall and all of a sudden there's a bunch of bubbles and creases,” she says. “It's just not something that you want to do without finding someone that really is confident in doing it. If you're going to do it yourself, do plenty of research, get the right tools, because there are many elements to consider with that."

So think about hiring a professional installer if you want wallpaper in your home. Or possibly prepare to take some deep breaths if you decide to DIY.

Isabel Runsewe of Isy’s Interiors used wallpaper and some wainscoting wall panels to transform this bathroom. But she said removing the paneling will likely damage the walls, so be sure to ask your landlord before trying it out for yourself. Credit: Kirsten Francis.

Adopt the 60-inch rule

Doman says she gets many requests to create gallery walls using collected pieces of art and found objects. “People ask for a way to make all the art that they've owned and collected over the years travel with them from apartment to apartment,” she said. “They really want their art to be cohesive.”

Doman thinks of gallery walls as a puzzle. She suggests laying out all your art on the floor, if you have room, to help you map out your design. Start with your largest pieces, then build around them. Once you’re sure about your best approach, it’s time for the 60-inch rule. 

“You want art to be within eye level. I’ve noticed that people think they need to hang their art higher up because they need to fill that space that’s close to the ceiling, because they’re feeling like it’s an empty area,” she said. “But it's‌ very important that we can see the art. If we put it too high, then we're actually straining our neck to look at the art. And that's not what the purpose is.”

Say goodbye to ‘boob lights’

Runsewe and Doman emphasize the importance of good lighting in your home. And they both have a particular dislike for what’s often called “boob lights.” They’re a common light fixture in apartments across the U.S. If you are also anti-boob light, Runsewe recommends calling in a pro to swap it out — it could be well-worth the cost.

“Hiring a handyman to change that will probably cost you $60. You can buy a fixture for $100,” she says. “So for $160, you can have a really nice light above your dining table or in your kitchen. Suddenly your rental doesn't feel like a rental; it feels like your own space.”

Doman suggests keeping your original light tucked away in a closet so that you have it ready to re-install when you move out if your landlord requires you to.

“Those lights, they kill me. I can't think of something uglier in terms of having that be an element of decor,” Doman said, adding that the right lighting plays a big role in setting the mood for any space. “You come home after a long day of work, you work hard to pay your rent. The light should feel nice and relaxing.”