I Live in a Rented Flat and Can’t Paint the Walls. How Can I Make It Maximalist?

If you live in a rented flat, you’ve probably heard the words: “You can’t paint the walls.”

But that doesn’t mean you have to live in a sea of white, cream or landlord beige.

The wonderful thing about maximalism is that it isn’t really about what colour your walls are. It’s about layering colour, pattern, art and the things you love until your home feels unmistakably yours.

In fact, a neutral rented flat can be the perfect blank canvas.

Turn a Bookcase into Your Biggest Splash of Colour

If you can’t paint the walls, paint the furniture instead.

A large bookcase painted in a fabulous bright pink, mint green, blue or even aubergine can completely transform a room. Against a neutral wall, it gives you that huge hit of colour you might otherwise have created with paint or wallpaper.

And don’t fill it with just books.

Mix books with framed pictures, colourful ceramics, little sculptures, vases, flowers, photographs and the slightly odd treasures you’ve collected over the years.

The aim isn’t to make it look like a perfectly styled furniture catalogue. You want it to look collected, interesting and personal.

Turn the Walls into a Gallery — Without Making Holes

You don’t have to paint a wall to make it fabulous.

Fill it instead.

Mix colourful framed prints and artwork with decorative plates to create a gallery wall. Maximalism gives you permission to forget about everything being perfectly symmetrical or matching.

Try different sizes, shapes, frames and colours and let your gallery grow over time.

And if your landlord doesn’t want holes in the walls, removable picture-hanging strips can be used for suitable lightweight frames. Decorative plates can also be displayed using appropriate adhesive plate hangers combined with removable wall hooks.

Always check the weight limits and make sure the hanging product is suitable for your particular wall and paint finish.

Once you have a wall filled with beautiful things, you’ll barely notice what colour the wall is.

Pile on the Cushions

If there is one place where more really can be more, it’s the sofa.

Mix florals with stripes, leopard print, checks and bold graphic patterns. Add pinks, greens, yellows, blues and reds. You don’t need a matching set.

The trick is to repeat a few colours across different patterns so that the whole glorious mixture still feels connected.

Then add a colourful throw over the arm of the sofa.

A plain sofa can actually be brilliant in a maximalist room because it gives all those fabulous cushions somewhere to shine.

Put Colour Under Your Feet

A colourful rug is one of the easiest ways to make a dramatic change in a rented home because you can simply roll it up and take it with you when you move.

And don’t be frightened of going big.

A large colourful rug can completely change the feeling of a room and provide the starting point for all the other colours you bring into the space.

Choose something that makes you happy every time you walk through the door.

Make Your Coffee Table Part of the Decoration

Why should your coffee table be boring?

Paint an existing one a fabulous green, pink or blue, hunt down a colourful vintage table or choose something with an interesting shape.

Then decorate it.

I love using a beautiful tray to bring together lots of smaller treasures. Add a vase of flowers, candles, colourful books, ceramics and favourite objects.

It stops lots of little things looking like clutter and turns them into a display.

Although, between you and me, I don’t think maximalists should be terribly frightened of a little clutter anyway.

Add Flowers. Then Add Some More.

Flowers bring instant colour and life into a room.

Fill colourful glass and ceramic vases with big arrangements and little posies and scatter them around the room — on the coffee table, bookcase, side tables and windowsill.

And they certainly don’t all have to be fresh.

There are some wonderful faux flowers available now, which means you can have extravagant displays all year round.

Don’t Forget the Lamps

Lamps are another opportunity to introduce colour and pattern without doing anything permanent to your home.

Look for colourful ceramic bases and fabulous patterned lampshades.

And no, your lamps don’t have to match.

In fact, I’d rather they didn’t.

The Secret to Maximalism Is Layering

You don’t need to rush out and buy everything at once.

Maximalist homes are at their best when they evolve.

Start with the colourful rug. Paint the bookcase pink. Add some artwork. Find a wonderful plate. Bring home the slightly ridiculous vase you fell in love with. Add another cushion even though somebody insists you already have enough.

Then another.

Before long, those plain rented walls simply become the backdrop.

Because maximalism isn’t about painting every wall a dramatic colour.

It’s about surrounding yourself with colour, pattern, personality and things you love.

And you definitely don’t need your landlord’s permission for that.