Show of hands you watching home renovation shows or follow celebrity home accounts on social media, and you find yourself yearning to do even a quarter of the work they’ve done, only to be hit with the truth like a ton of bricks — you rent. 

Bummer! All your dreams of subway tile backsplash and marble counters dashed right?

Wrong!

While you rent, you may not be able to make structural changes like knocking down walls and moving plumbing; but cosmetically there’s a lot you can do to achieve the look of homeowner upgrades that are still renter-friendly. Because everyone deserves subway tile backsplash and marble counters.

Now I can show you renter-friendly designs in my own home all day or give you shopping guides a mile long. But I would much rather to give you real life renovation inspiration. 

Last year I met one of my new fav internet friends, Morgan Molitor of construction2style, and we became fast friends. After having her as a guest on my podcast, The Design Influence, we got to talking all about renter-friendly design. Her and her husband Jaime own and operate a home renovation and interior design business in Minneapolis. They do amazing work transforming people’s homes — like seriously, follow them for some serious home eye-candy — but by Morgan’s own admission, they don’t know much about much when it comes to short-term, renter-friendly design. 

That’s where I come in!

They let me pluck one of their designs to show you how you can achieve a similar look, even as a renter.

This dramatic, moody design is probably one of my favorites that Morgan and Jaime have done — mostly because it’s so bold!

The black backsplash. The rich emerald walls. The patterned flooring. And the tasteful pops of brass and gold. Yes please to all of this! As a renter, why should we deprived of a stunning bathroom design? As you know, I am no stranger to employing renter-friendly upgrades to make my own bathroom feel more elevated and spa-like. With permission to do so, I brightened up our bathroom by painting all the walls — including the ceiling — resurfacing the counter, and styling with accessories that are both functional and chic.

I was able to transform our beige and boring bathroom into one that was far more glam and stylish, without doing a single bit on construction. With every upgrade being reversible, we could confidently enjoy our new upgraded bathroom without fear of losing our security deposit.

The same can be done to achieve the look of bold bathroom design!

Depending on the flexibility of your rental and your relationship with your landlord, there are lots of options you can explore to get as close as possible to the original home renovation design done by Morgan and Jaime — for example, if you’re allowed to paint, you can easily achieve the rich green walls with a coat of paint or you can use paint stencils to achieve the patterned flooring design. 

Shop Renter Friendly Solutions

See! While you may not be able to hire Morgan & Jaime to renovate your bathroom, for the time that you’re in your rental you can totally recreate this gorgeous, moody design for yourself — all without jeopardizing your security deposit. 

For more looks, I’ll be hanging out over on their blog, dishing out more renter-friendly design deets.