Military families are expert transients, embracing a mobile lifestyle that relocates every few years. This expertise is most evident when it comes to personalizing the various styles of housing we rent. Whether you choose to live in military housing or rent a home off-base, creating custom décor without making permanent changes is a rite of passage for military life.
Temporary home decorating isn’t always a natural talent for some military renters, but because we PCS so frequently, it's a skill you can perfect and replicate from address to address. Creating a comfortable home to suit the needs of our families is a challenge but completely doable. Let’s take a look at four general rules for decorating temporarily.
Use What You Have & Find Free Decor
Inventory the decorating items you currently own and consider their usefulness in another room, adding a different color coat of paint or displaying them in a dramatic way.
Vintage family photos arranged in a wall gallery can disguise a multitude of ugly rental sins, such as an irregularly placed light switch. Or, display that heirloom china in a pattern hung on the dining room wall. Baskets, serving trays, and framed fabric are also possibilities.
Join “buy nothing” and yard sale groups for free and inexpensive decorative updates.
It's difficult to justify a new decorating budget every few years. But as an active member in a Buy Nothing group, you’ll be exposed to new household items every day, for free! Just remember that each group has its own set of rules, and regular “receivers” must become “gifters” for the project to thrive.
Photo from iStock.com/irina88w
Focus on Furniture Placement
It's rare that the best place for a sofa, set of chairs, and a loveseat is pushed against the perimeter walls. This arrangement leaves more open space to shout over and hampers communication.
Instead, create conversation space by pulling furniture pieces off the wall and arranging them into smaller zones. Two chairs and an occasional table across from a larger sofa are perfect for entertaining and family nights at home.
Try these furniture placement tips:
- Arrange the furniture framing the feature to highlight a focal point, such as a fireplace or window.
- Provide ample space for foot traffic between furniture pieces.
- Carefully choose coffee and side tables for functionality and fashion. Place them at arm’s length for ease of use.
Stylize Your Decor
Have you heard of the "rule of three"? This rule emphasizes object placement in interior design, decorating, and other design industries. The human eye and mind appreciate a group of three objects with similar qualities that are different enough to be interesting.
Introduce the "rule of three" in your home décor. Try a popular look from recent years: stylized open shelving, especially in DIY kitchen updates. For example, three water pitchers or a group of mixing bowls serve as storage and decorative elements.
Photo from iStock.com/brizmaker
Now, for the finer details of decorating. These suggestions customize your look and add warmth and personality to your home.
Personalize with Paint
Paint isn’t permanent and is one of the simplest home updates you can make. The sterile white walls of military housing take on new life and personality and instantly make the house feel like home with a bit of sweat equity from you. Be careful when painting over large swaths of white walls. Although the color will add personality, it could emphasize the starkness and breadth of the area.
Find out the military housing company's policy about painting. They may approve it but require you to repaint to housing standards when moving out or have specific colors you can use.
Go for Removable Adhesives Over Wallpaper
If traditional wallpaper sounds old school, complicated, and permanent, you have good instincts—wallpaper is a home improvement project that needs serious consideration, especially in a temporary home.
But if you crave the instant customization and luxury of wallpaper, you’ll appreciate that there’s now a wide variety of temporary wallpaper. The invention is a dream come true for military families in military housing. If you’re worried about the commitment, try out the look and paper an accent wall to bring color and drama to a bland room. You’ll either love it and want to add more or appreciate that you can take it down in minutes.
Other Temporary Adhesives
Wallpaper isn’t the only adhesive that can be impactful. The quality and quantity of temporary adhesive décor have evolved dramatically in recent years. These options are all temporary fixes and can be found in home improvement stores. Browse their online store first, as there’s usually more inventory listed than displayed on the site.
- Flooring: vinyl and wood
- Wood planks for walls
- Faux tile decals
- Decorated stair risers with cut-to-fit wall or contact paper
- Kitchen backsplashes, such as subway and penny tile look-alikes
- Stainless steel sheets to cover outdated appliances
- Privacy enhancements for windows that allow light
Beyond home improvement stores, many small companies produce unique temporary or "peel and stick" adhesives. A simple search online will reveal options that go beyond oversaturated trends. You can even find options at big online stores like Wayfair.
Before applying, be sure to read the instructions carefully. Many wallpaper products can only be applied to surfaces with certain qualities, such as walls painted with an eggshell or satin finish.
Photo from iStock.com/Baitong333
Effortless Wall Decor
3M Command Brand created a wide variety of adhesive decorative and metal hooks and Velcro picture and frame hangers that can hold just about anything you wish to display on your walls. No need to get hung up worrying about the amount of patchwork that will follow the first swing of the hammer. Concern over the number of holes made in the walls of a temporary home is over, so hang your family photos and kid’s artwork!
If you still need a hammer and a nail, always go for the smallest-sized nail the project can handle to avoid unnecessary repairs upon move-out. Or, check out the line of Monkey Hooks (they look like the long curve of a monkey’s arm!). They come in various sizes and create a minimum-sized hole compared to the weight they can carry—up to 50 pounds. They eliminate the need for drywall chewing plastic and metal screw anchors.
Get Creative with Curtains and Window Coverings
Window coverings of all kinds can significantly improve the warmth and personality of an otherwise drab room. The 3M Command Brand hooks work well here, too. Instead of drilling large holes to place brackets, adhere hooks on each side of the window to support a rod and the weight of the curtains. You can find a wide variety of options online and in most home décor stores, providing an easy way to express your personality without worry.
Another brilliant window covering invention is called Kwik-Hang. The no-drill hardware lets you hang curtains in minutes if the window has a casing around it. Just tap the hardware in, and you’ll have instant privacy. Plus, they’re easily removable, so you can pack them last minute when it's time to move again.
Photo from iStock.com/Julia Kostiuchenko
If you're dragging around the varied curtain collection from previous homes, use a designer’s eye to see if a custom cut or dye job will freshen their appeal. Fabric tape or glue makes cutting and hemming curtains a breeze.
You might just be able to convert a fabric shower curtain into a window curtain. Watch the length (shower curtains tend to be shorter) and how you’ll hang them. Either weave a rod through the slats in the fabric or choose hangers that don’t scream “bathroom.”
A simple switch in the traditional curtain location could also spark creativity. For instance, try your lace kitchen sheers in the guest bathroom.
Invest in Area Rugs
Even if your housing has wall-to-wall carpeting, buy a rug pad designed to lie between carpeting and rugs and set the decorating scene by grounding the room with an eye-catching area rug. This technique is particularly helpful if the ceilings are high or vaulted. A thick rug pad also elevates an inexpensive or thin rug to the next level, adding a bit of luxury.
Area rugs are versatile. They help with warmth and comfort and add color to military housing, which is probably neutral in color. High-traffic areas such as the kitchen, mudroom, or entryway can benefit from a quality indoor/outdoor area rug that's easily cleaned with soap and a scrub brush outside and left to air dry.
Photo from iStock.com/JaysonPhotography
Swap Out Light Fixtures and Cabinet Hardware
A simple change in a light fixture or updated cabinet hardware can provide a visual upgrade. Plenty of stores, from boutiques to discount chains, carry a variety of cabinet hardware at different price points. The same is true for overhead lighting. Both quickly update the look of any kitchen or bathroom.
Again, it’s best to ask the housing office before making any changes. If you switch out light fixtures, keep all the original pieces on hand to replace them as the move-out date approaches.
Think Like a Homeowner
For military families, it's essential to create an environment that feels like home, regardless of how temporary your stay will be. Looking at the house as if it were your own allows you to consider the changes you would like to make while also factoring in the ability to execute changes without an exorbitant cost or permanency.
As the rental home industry continues to boom across the country, home maintenance and decorating companies are developing modern products and conveniences to make it easier than ever to turn military housing into a home that feels like your own.
Main image from iStock.com/monkeybusinessimages
