Home Sweet Rented Home

by Medina Grillo

Inject style, personality and comfort into your rented home, whatever your style or budget.
You've got the keys from your landlord, moved into your new home, and the boxes are unpacked. Now you want to put your stamp on the place, but how do you do this when you can't paint the walls, refurbish the kitchen or replace the old, tired flooring?

And can you really live with magnolia walls? What about those outdated kitchen cupboards? Not to mention the tattered lampshades, old sofa and sparse furniture...

In this invaluable book, award-winning interiors blogger Medina Grillo shares her favourite tips, tricks and DIY projects for transforming a rented space. Discover ways to add a splash of colour with removable wallpaper, learn how to hang artworks without damaging the walls, and turn your hand to upcycling those furniture bargains you picked up at the flea market.

With chapters covering all aspects of the home, from walls, flooring and lighting to storage and accessories, Home Sweet (Rented) Home will enable every reader to make their house feel like home, whether they are a DIY expert or have never before lifted a paintbrush.

Filled with photography and illustrations, it is the perfect read for any renter looking to live in a beautiful and stylish home.

Genres: Nonfiction, Coffee Table Books

192 pages, Hardcover

Published September 3, 2019

Reviews

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book, borrowed on daughter's behalf as she moves into a new, much smaller apartment soon. Clever ideas that I would never have thought of: wallpapering the floor? Medina has tried it all and let's us in on her best ideas. Can't paint? No worries, she has tips. Can't put a nail in the wall? Adhesive strips are the answer.

[Richelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love the book unconditionally since I love Medina and follow her on Instagram and love her content there. For someone who is willing to put a lot of work into a long term rental, this would be a 5 star book. However, I’m looking for some projects that focus more on the stuff in the home, less on paint and features. Maybe I’ll work up to what she suggests, but for now I will continue to drool over Grillo Designs content.

[Esther O'Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delay in finishing this book explained by the author's inspiring projects. I had to start some of the projects, achievable, even without access to DIY stores

Perfect for renters in search of temporary transformations - and equally good for frustrated home-owners, unable to make permanent changes during lockdown.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is great for inspirations. But the best small space home/decor/organizing books I found are mostly written by Japanese writers/designers, in case anyone else is looking for similar books for some extra reading:)

[Torralba · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a homeowner but still found this book very useful to spruce things up whilst saving to have the bigger bits renovated :)

[Kitty · Rating 2 out of 5]

kõvad kaaned, ilusad pildid ja... nii vähe sisu. ma olen seda autorit sotsiaalmeedias jälginud ja tal on tegelikult päris lahedaid ideid, aga võibolla need tulid tal kõik siis, kui raamat juba valmis oli. või ikkagi ei anna sedasorti sisu raamatusse panna ja seda tulebki edastada fotode ja lühikeste videoklippide abil?

siin vist oli küll ideid, mille peale ise poleks tulnud, aga... asja pärast, näiteks üks oli, et "pane tapeet põrandale". ee, ei. ma olen oma elus elanud igasugustes üüritud urgastes, aga mitte ühtegi neist ei oleks põranda tapeediga katmine küll kuidagi elamisväärsemaks teinud! ja samas tundus küll, et sihtgrupp olid just urkaelanikud, sest normaalsetes üürikodudes ei ole ma jällegi tundnud erilist kirge kapiuksi eest ära võtta (pluss, ee, "hoia neid turvaliselt pööningul või garaažis?" Londonis see proua igal juhul ei ela!) ja mingite kardinatega asendada.

ja põhiosas ikkagi selline banaalne sisu stiilis "paljudes üürikodudes on vaipkate" ja "olemas on põrandalambid" ja "aknalauale võib panna potililli". hea, et ma seda raamatut poest ei ostnud, vaid raamatukogust laenutasin.

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps ironically, I read this when I became a homeowner, and wanted to understand how to make my new home look nice.

I follow Medina on Instagram and generally enjoy her content, but I found the tone of voice in the book way too patronising, and there are so many really bland statements - "carpet is commonly used in rentals across the world" ???!!

It didn't give the actual info I think renters need. Yes, they know lights exist and it's cool to understand that there are ways to create lighting that doesn't involve making changes to the property, but how exactly should someone use each of the types of lighting to make a space really nice?

It's a real shame, I think this kind of book could be so important, if it contained more useful advice.

[Susannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute little hardback book full of tips and tricks for renters. The idea behind this book is great, as homeownership becomes more out of reach for a lot of people. Grillo divides the book into different sections, with ideas and DIY projects for brightening up Walls and Flooring, making the best use of Storage, Lighting and Windows, and the Built-In features.
Grillo's tips are useful and practical (she is always mindful of limitations imposed by the landlord), and provide a lot of inspiration for styling a rental space. I recommend this to anyone looking for inspiration for decorating their rental.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read for someone who loves home improvement (or at least, reading/watching things about home improvement). Not all of her ideas are great for people on a budget, but generally, she’s made her book accessible and great for people wanting to add a bit more of themselves into their home. To be honest, a lot of the tips end up being ‘removable wallpaper and self-adhesive hooks’, but she still has a few other options. Overall, a decent read!

[LibraryKath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good 101 level book for people wondering how they can decorate their home when they are rental tenants. It's not really what I was looking for, but if you're a new renter, or one that finds the whole idea of decorating in a rented property daunting, this would be a good book to start with.

[merlin513 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically bought the book to support Medina because I’m a long time Instagram follower and love her content.

Gorgeously photographed and staged. Not much here for me personally (old person/non-renter) but would highly recommend as a gift for people just moving into their first place and needing some basic guidelines in a calming helpful manner : )

[Louiza Chekhar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great one-stop shop for renters looking for ways to make their house/flat a home! Wish I could have had this book 3 years ago when I began renting and lived in very uninspiring/old-fashioned spaces. Hoping to move soon and can't wait to put some of these ideas into action :)

[Mills College Library]

747 G859 2019

[hollyisodd · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting. I was hoping for more inspiration, should have just gone on Pinterest

[Emma Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the tone of this book, helpful with a sense of humour. Not every idea will suit everyone but it's a handy book to read for new ideas.

[Chloé - My Bookish Rendez-Vous · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how useful and inspiring this book was. I can't wait to start decorating my new home. This book is full of good advices, humor, and clever DIYs. I'm sold!

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good ideas, some easy-to-follow tutorials, but not enough pictures. I LOVE the images that were shown and wanted to see a lot more of those spaces.

[Div Manickam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks for the ideas
...
Now to get creative 🙏

[Yiting · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find it helpful with tips for rented homes

[An Te · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet book with ingenious ways of personalising one's rented accommodation. It is certainly possible as you can see from this book. Many of the creations are self-made too which would suit a DIY-inclined person. I'm more the type to purchase no-nail wall hooks which are low maintenance. This has much of what you could potentially use to make your rented home feel just like home without breaking the bank and also giving you a new lease of creativity whilst you're at at. A book to share with your friends and your family, with their being translational benefit for home-owners too.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful tool to aid you in decorating your rented home.

Wish I had this years ago when I started out in my first apartment.