HOMEFRONT:Just because you're renting doesn't mean you can't be creative - as long as the landlord agrees, writes Zita Spring
PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER Shawna Scott has been living, and renting, in Dublin for the past two and a half years. Scott hails from Seattle in the US, and moved to Ireland to start a new life with her Irish husband, James. It was only when she moved here that she grasped the differences between renting in the US and in Ireland.
"In America a lot of apartments come unfurnished. And if they come furnished, landlords will take out any stuff you don't want. In Ireland though, most places come furnished with terracotta three-piece suites, and you're stuck with them." Scott was also surprised to discover that in Ireland decorating of any description is a no-no for most renters. She faced the same dilemma as a lot of people renting in Ireland - how to stamp your own style on a property when you're not even allowed to hang a picture.
The key to overcoming this dilemma is good communication with your landlord or letting agent. Be up front about what decorating you would like to do in your rented accommodation and assure them that you will undertake it diligently. Unless your place desperately needs it, your landlord is under no obligation to pay towards any decorating, but things such as paint and supplies are inexpensive and, as Scott says, "We don't expect our landlord to give us money for paint or anything, because it's something that we want to do."
Landlords are always relieved to have tenants who are conscientious about the upkeep of their house or apartment, so your landlord could be more flexible about decorating than your lease might lead you to believe. Once Scott's landlord saw the good job she did of painting one room in her apartment, he was happy to let her carry on, which she did with gusto. "I wasn't going to let there be a single magnolia wall, so everything had to be painted. The kitchen is sky blue, the hallway is lime green, we have one brown wall in the living room, and the bedroom is purple. There's a different colour in every room. The landlord was totally cool with the walls no longer being neutral colours. He's been impressed by the decorating that we've done so far."
Magnolia walls weren't the only problem that Scott faced. The storage solutions provided by her landlord were minimal and far from sufficient for all the stuff that she and James own. To tackle this common problem, Scott's first port of call was a catalogue-based chain store, where she bought a budget wardrobe. "That didn't really work out. The wardrobe fell apart within the first month."
Lesson learnt, she replaced it with a stylish designer wardrobe from Mobilia (14 South Great George's Street, Dublin 2). The new wardrobe is not only more robust, but is something which she is proud to own. "You might as well spend more money on something you love, that will last forever."
Another design dilemma Irish renters run into is what to do with landlord-chosen furnishings. Some people disguise entire suites with throws, making them look like rather lame competitors at furniture hide and seek. Rather than trying to hide ugly furniture, why not divert attention away, with funky accessories, Scott says. "Soft furnishings are a really good place to start. Add colour with fabrics, a nice throw, rugs, pillows and curtains." Soft furnishings can transform a room and are worth splashing out on, as they're something you can take with you if you move.
Another tip Scott has for accessorising is to dress walls with affordable art. "I've noticed a pattern of Irish rented homes having no artwork on the walls. There's so much affordable artwork on the internet, on sites such as Etsy.com and Dawanda.com, there's no excuse for not having art in your house. Even if you can't hang it, you can lean it on a mantelpiece or bookcase."
When Scott and her husband moved into their apartment it had just been renovated, but the contractors had cut some corners on the mezzanine stairs. Itchy underlay had been sloppily tacked on and was supposed to serve as carpet, but it wouldn't do and gave Scott the opportunity to get creative. Operating on the understanding that if her landlord didn't like the result it would be covered up with carpet, she got busy creating a unique design feature on her stairs - painted treads and wallpapered risers.
You might think such a project would be tricky, but Scott says "it was really, really super easy. You just pull up the carpet and if you have bare stairs, sand it down to get any bumps out. Paint the treads and risers, or if your stairs has a nice wooden finish, you can just varnish it. Then it's just like wallpapering a wall, only easier. You measure out the strips for the risers and paste them up with wallpaper paste."
Any pitfalls to be avoided? "I left a note for my husband saying 'Do not walk on the stairs otherwise you're going to get white feet.' He got white feet. He didn't bother reading the note at all."
See Zita Spring's blog at www.homebug.net