Smart, affordable ways of injecting personality into a rented property.

Words by Ella Alexander

All images: Courtesy

Medina Grillo has made a career out of making rentals feel like homes. In fact, she’s so good at overcoming renting restrictions and creating spaces filled with personality and style that she’s written a book about it, Home Sweet Rented Home.

The author and interiors blogger lives in a semi-detached, three-bedroom rental property in Birmingham with her husband and son. Although the house is free of intricate features such as fireplaces or decorative cornicing, Grillo has applied her skills and imagination to create a home that is full of character and vibrancy. Her one tip for injecting personality in a rented living space? “When you can’t paint, add art,” she says. “Art brings colour and personality to any room. Hanging art can take many forms. While the best might be a single, large canvas on the wall behind the sofa, large paintings can be expensive. Another option is to buy a selection of identical or similar frames to create a ‘gallery’ and fill them with photographs and/or prints.”

Take a tour of Grillo’s home below, and follow her on Instagram at @grillodesigns.