Pulling back the reins on major decorative and design improvements to a rental is a financially sound practice if you are not renting to own, making improvements to the property in return for rent credit or taking up residency for the long haul.

Dave the Builder and I completely overhauled, remodeled, refreshed and spiffed up our first home, a darling mid-century cottage lease purchase property.

I loved the bones of the house, but the decor stood still somewhere in the 1950s.

In the beginning we remodeled and refreshed for the comforts of home sake with caution, choosing to update through lighting and color.

I cannot beat the color drum enough- it really is the most bang for your buck way to infuse style into a home.

Love, love, love!  Design Sponge

In the case of our son’s rental home, the kitchen is small but workable in regards to design, function and affordable possibilities.

Presently, the walls are painted red and the cabinets are white laminate with oak trim 1980s throwbacks.

You know the ones!

Dave the Builder and I scrimped, saved and sacrificed to remodel the kitchen in our first house.

We thought this style of kitchen cabinet was the bee’s knees, and according to the kitchen design magazines and showrooms a whole lot of other people did too!

Houzz

Millennials love retro, and although everything old eventually becomes a new trend again, the dated oak trim will be modified with paint and new cabinet pulls added.

Since replacing the cabinets is cost prohibitive laminate it is!

As I explained to our son the pros of laminate cabinet fronts and countertops, he came around to the practicality of keeping the original cabinets in play.

Laminate is a very forgiving surface to work with.

The upkeep is minimal, and that works in any kitchen.

No need to throw the baby out with the bath water.

Strategic pops of color and an accessories mix of warm metals with a modern spin will complement the neutral paint palette and introduce that new kitchen look.

Please excuse the poor quality of these images.

The combination of bad lighting and a cell phone camera gets you a color distorted photo.

The master bedroom walls are painted with Benjamin Moore’s Museum Piece.

The color in the above image is no where near the true color that is Museum Piece, so to my sources I go for an image that does capture the true color.

Benjamin Moore

Great color choice!

Benjamin Moore PSP-Museum Piece ~ Renae Keller Interior Design, Inc.

Master bedroom furnishings and accessories with a hint of Louisiana coastal chic will literally offer the comforts of home.

Final suggestions for decor accessories and furnishings lean toward DIY chic projects, hacks and thrifted treasures.

His fiancée scored a great coffee table and reinterpreted the style with paint and embellishments.

Our style council agreed a chic credenza with a mid-century interpretation will mix things up like a dry martini.

“By acquiring all of your furniture from different eras and places and things that are expensive and inexpensive, it will make your end product have a great spirit.”

Kelly Wearstler

A fantastic period piece in great condition that comes with the extra added bonus of a quality finish, impressive lines, scale and focal point presence to die for is out there, and a can of Johnson paste wax and a soft cloth will put the period at the end of the very stylish and on-trend sentence.

Domino

I will end this post with an observation from my earlier Rental Refresh Upgrades post.

Does it makes sense and cent$ to make updates and improvements to a rental property?

Absolutely!

Focus less on the fact your new residence is a rental and more on the fact that your new residence is where you call home.

All things house that make a home come together to make the out of your own pocket rental refresh upgrades worth it in the name of the comforts of home, convenience and personal style.