The eternal struggle of the British renter: staring at four walls painted in “Landlord Magnolia,” sitting on a beige sofa, and reading a tenancy agreement that strictly forbids… well, everything.
Making a rented flat or student hall feel like a home is incredibly hard. You can’t paint the walls. You can’t put up wallpaper. And usually, there is a terrifying clause in your contract that threatens your deposit if you so much as look at a hammer and nail.
So, how do you inject some personality into a bland space without risking your hard-earned deposit?
The Weight Issue: Glass vs. Canvas
The traditional way to hang art is framed glass. The problem? Glass frames are heavy. To hang a decent-sized framed poster, you usually need to drill a hole and use a rawl plug.
When you move out, that hole needs filling, sanding, and painting. If you get the colour match wrong (and there are fifty shades of magnolia), say goodbye to a chunk of your deposit.
This is where canvas art wins. Canvas prints are stretched over pine bars, making them incredibly lightweight. You can hang a fairly large canvas using nothing more than adhesive “Command” strips or tiny, needle-thin pin hooks that leave almost no mark on the plaster.
Because there is no glass to smash and no heavy frame to drag down, they stay put on temporary fixings much better than traditional frames.
Decorating on a Shoestring
Let’s be real: moving house is expensive. Between the first month’s rent, the deposit, and the van hire, your bank balance is likely looking sad. You don’t have hundreds of pounds to spend on fancy art gallery pieces.
This is the beauty of printing your own photos. Searching for cheap affordable custom canvas prints online allows you to cover those boring walls with your own style for next to nothing. You can print photos of your friends, epic nights out, or just cool landscapes you’ve snapped, turning a sterile room into your space for the price of a takeaway pizza.
The Perfect Housewarming Fix
It’s not just for your own walls, either. If you have a mate who is moving into their first digs or university halls, buying a housewarming present is tricky. Alcohol lasts a night, and house plants usually die within a week.
A unique personalized photo canvas print of a shared memory is a brilliant option. It’s thoughtful, it makes their new room feel like home, and best of all, it’s affordable for you.
The Verdict
Don’t settle for bare walls just because you’re renting. By swapping heavy glass frames for lightweight canvas, you can create a gallery wall that looks expensive, costs peanuts and most importantly won’t upset your landlord when inspection day rolls around.
