Make your rental feel like "home"

Tiny touches can do the trick.

By Lou Manfredini

Too often, renting an apartment means living inside a bland space with linen-white walls and all the charm of a correctional facility. But it doesn't have to, and, as a landlord myself, I can speak with some authority.

Several years ago, I tried an experiment in which I let tenants decorate their apartments as they wished, using paint and simple carpentry. They were happier, and I was happier. Here is a quick look at a few things you can do with -- and maybe even without -- your landlord's approval to make that box you hang your coat in feel more like home:

If the walls depress you, pop open a can of interior flat paint (from chartreuse to bittersweet orange, or anything in between) and cover one wall or an entire room in an accent color. Sure, when it's time to move you'll have to paint it back to the original color, but at least your place will look great while you're there.

Consider inexpensive temporary dividers to better define your living space. There are online companies, such as Mallforms (mallforms.com), that specialize in constructing temporary walls. When it's moving time, they take down the dividers, with no damage to the apartment.

If the floors are in poor condition, try carpeting, or buy and install wood laminate flooring (about $1 to $2 per square foot). Some click together and can be removed before the landlord comes for that final inspection.

Just think: After you finish living in your great-looking apartment, you'll even get back your whole security deposit.

Contributing Editor Lou Manfredini is the author of a series of books from Ballantine, including "Room Smarts," "Kitchen Smarts" and "Bath Smarts." He's also a contributor to NBC's "Today" show and hosts the syndicated "Home Improvement Minutes" radio show.