I think paint covers a multitude of sins. Being a renter I would love to have a home to renovate as I see fit. But living in a temporary home you could easily not care about what it looks like and just convince yourself it is only a rental by not doing anything - living with all the ugliness. No! It is your home, your sanctuary! I have lived in a few homes both rental and my own where I have realized that the quickest and cheapest way to make a change is to paint the walls. Check out the wall colour of our dining and living room before we moved in. There was no way I was going to live with those walls (and that UGLY light fixture).
I got to work priming and painting a more neutral colour. Unfortunately, this house was built in the early 90's with pinky undertones so I couldn't use my favourite colour, Buttercream, from Benjamin Moore, it has green undertones that would REALLY bring out the pink in the carpet and tile. I went with Thousand Islands. After the paint was up, furniture in and switched out the light fixture (also hideous!) with a great one from a big box hardware store, the rooms looks fab!
Cost: $60 paint and $179 for the chandelier!
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