Renting has a lot of advantages, but it does limit what you can do to your house. Even if you can get your landlord to paint the house, it will be in one of the ‘Four Colors’ that seem to be in every property managers list of he only colors that will do.

And, even if you are willing to pay for it many landlords want approval over anything you want to do to the walls or the floors – in short, you are going to be limited in what you can do!

There are some things you can do to bring new life to your house, though – or apartment as the case may be – and we will go over some of them here.

First, really look at your current house – let’s take the living room.

Age creeps up on us all, and it is not just us that it creeps up on. Things you used to love now might look worn out, or just not as exciting. Look the room over and start with some little things. A lot of men don’t think of it, but drapes or blinds can reflect masculinity as much as they can femininity.

They can reflect the room, and they are an inexpensive way to start with your new look. The choice of blinds or drapes, and the color, cut and style of them can do a lot to change the way a room looks and the attitude of it.

The next thing to look at is the floor – even if you have carpet, you can get area and throw rugs to give your floor more character and cover up a color that you might not like that much. Doing this will also preserve the ‘stock’ carpet for when you move out.

In the same way, tapestries, wall-hangings, Indian rugs and unconventional artwork can be hung from the walls to bring more color and style to the room. There are usually strictures against putting to many holes in the walls, but there are plenty of hanging options on the market these days – no holes needed, and no marks left on the walls when you leave!

The single biggest difference is in the choice of furniture though, and many time it is also one of the biggest expenses but money can be saved. A lot of people seem to have odd ideas of what ‘cheap’ furniture is. You can get good furniture without paying $800 for a chair, but you may have to go online.

It is an excellent solution although many people would never think about buying furniture online, but it can solve two problems with furniture, depending where you live.

It is the two biggest obstacles everyone faces when they shop at their local stores – high prices and few choices, which are two things you don’t want when shopping for the perfect furniture to finish off your new living room!

The Author writes about home decorating projects and more for World Market, a premier supplier of chairs and ottomans!

For more homed improvement tips visit Sookiesookieboutique.com.