A House Is Not A Home: Designing a Rental to Feel Like Home.

Some initial inspo images for what’s to come.

Let’s just start by acknowledging that millennial homeownership rates are pretty bleak, which I think most of us can agree on. Something like 48% of us are renters, my husband and I included. The stats for Gen Z are even darker. Early on, I’d pretty much written off homeownership. Partly because I spent my 20s to mid 30s living in New York City, where I figured I’d live and rent forever (I had other priorities). Not to mention, I could barely commit to a phone contract, let alone a mortgage.

More than that, I’ve never seen homeownership as the ultimate marker of success and achievement. I’ve been seemingly immune to the messaging that’s hardwired into our society. Maybe it’s because I grew up in rentals. My mom didn’t buy a home until after I’d left for university. You could probably say a lot here about generational wealth (or the lack of it), and what we pass down to our kids about money, success, and security. But one of the things I definitely internalized is that renting is normal, that is, if we’re looking on the bright side of that lesson.

While I don’t think that owning your house is the only way to create a home, achieve success or build wealth, I do now feel that one day it would be nice to own the space that I’m making a home out of. Since that’s not where I’m at now though, I want to emphasize, and prove, that you can still achieve a beautiful and personalized space in a rental that feels like your forever home. Are there trade-offs along the way? Sure. But even if you owned the space, you’d still have to reckon with budgets and feasibility. So I guess what I’m trying to say is, either way, you’ll be making compromises, rentals just come with their own unique set of trade-offs.

One trend I’ve loved seeing across social media is the “I’m not getting my deposit back” videos. People just going ham on customizing their spaces, taking risks and having fun. Of course, that comes with a big caveat: can you actually afford to lose your deposit? It’s probably a fair price to pay to live your values, but I want my deposit back if I can help it. So the projects I choose to take on are all going to keep the removal and/or reassembly process in mind, for when we eventually move out.

So, stay tuned. I’ll be sharing how we’re turning the Portland rental townhouse my husband and I (and our two cats) just moved into into something personal, unique, and homey. Whether you’re a lifelong renter or still dreaming of owning, I hope this series helps you see what’s possible when you claim your space, even temporarily.