Home decorator Ammarah Hasham is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts infusing her rental house with plenty of personality. See the rest of her articles here.
It’s December.
As I sit down to write this article, green tea in my favourite mug, by my usual spot next to the window, there is faint aroma of my earthy citrus scent filling the space around me. Fifi, my little ragdoll, is curled under the radiator and lifts her head every now and then to see if I am still here. Downstairs, my children are watching a film, I can hear its gentle hum and picture them in their usual spots.
Did I just romanticise these moments? Probably. Have I fallen for the social media trend or are we consciously re-learning the art of paying attention? You see when we rent, we grow into the act of noticing. We take ordinary moments made within the walls that might not belong to us, and choose to own them. Feel them. Assign meaning to them.
Here are five simple yet meaningful ways I adopted this personal philosophy of romanticising my life as a renter.
1. Treat each house move like a reset
First of all, let’s talk about moving into a new place. The very idea can feel quite overwhelming with all the work involved but secretly, I enjoy it all. It is my chance to reimagine my life differently and that’s the beauty of it. A soft reset.
Every move lets me shift the energy and leave behind things that didn’t work - it’s noticing what matters and choosing it again. I see it as my cue to edit my stuff, rethink how I live and, at times, get rid of the stuff I kept meaning to fix but never did.
2. Carve a connection
One of the best ways I’ve found to romanticise life, especially as a renter, is by actively choosing to build a connection with where I live. When nothing feels like yours, it’s tempting to stay detached, to float a bit. But in my experience, it is just the right time to lean in reignite your wanderlust and carve a connection with your surroundings.
Seek out a few neighbourhood spots, such as a cafe or a local bakery. Or try a bit of volunteering.
Trust me, it is worth the effort.
3. Fix something broken
Really, it is that simple. In the age of consumerism, your life doesn’t and shouldn’t mean that simple joys could only be achieved through homeware hauls, huge renovations or dreamy kitchens. Romanticising your life as a renter means taking simple thoughtful actions as a way to claim your space. Like fixing a squeaky hinge. Tightening a loose shelf. Scrubbing an old tap until it shines.
These quiet actions of care matter even when the space doesn’t belong to us.
4. Reignite a hobby
In an age of non-stop scrolling, reigniting a hobby can be one of the most meaningful ways to romanticise your life. It is especially grounding when you live in a space that is not technically yours. Hobbies give you a sense of identity, purpose, and calm.
A year ago, I decided to do exactly that. I made a conscious effort to learn how to crochet properly.
After one too many trips to Hobbycraft and The Range I bought yarns in all my favourite colours. One granny square at a time (and we will not discuss how many I had to undo), I made my first blanket. The slow and steady progress became my evening routine after every busy day.
And while the urge to install a cat flap never quite left me, covering my handmade blanket over the sofa felt like adding another layer of my own signature to the room. The best part? The whole family reaches for it every movie night.
5. Practice gratitude
In a rental, it’s easy to fixate on what you can’t change. But something shifts when you start looking at your space with softer eyes, being present and appreciating what’s right in front of us. For me, the window in my bedroom is like a living picture frame. From here, I get to witness the changing seasons. The way it glows in spring is different to how it hums with quiet in winter.
And even though the blinds aren’t my style, I find myself propping them up every day just to savour it all. The more I pay attention, the more I realise that these tiny, quiet moments are what give this space meaning.
Oh, and it’s also the spot my cat has claimed as her own.
In the end, romanticising your life as a renter is not about pretending. It is about paying close attention to the small things that make the place feel truly yours, one pocket of comfort at a time.
