The Checklist
Hardware & Fixtures
✦ Upgrade your light switch covers
This is the upgrade most renters never think about, and one of the most impactful. Every room in your apartment has at least one light switch, usually positioned at eye level near the entrance. The standard plastic cover that came with your unit isn't just forgettable. It actively undermines everything else you've done to design the space.
Swapping your switch covers for something intentional takes less than 60 seconds and costs nothing in tools or wall damage. MAGSi's Switch R1 slides over your existing plate without removing it (no screws, no drills, no permanent alteration). When you move, it comes with you. It's one of the only upgrades that is genuinely portable.
Color matters here. A deep blue (Azure) reads calm and expansive. An earthy olive (Olea) feels grounded and warm. A rich purple (Karsh) adds sophistication without loudness. Even a crisp white (Boring) signals intention when it's chosen deliberately rather than defaulted to. The detail is small. The impact is not.
✦ Swap cabinet and drawer pulls
Standard builder-grade hardware is often the weakest design element in a rental kitchen or bathroom. Replacing pulls and knobs is a five-minute job that requires only a screwdriver. Store the originals in a zip-lock bag and reinstall them before moving out. Brushed brass, matte black, and ceramic pulls are all widely available and dramatically change the feel of a kitchen without touching a single wall.
✦ Replace your showerhead
An upgraded showerhead is one of the most underrated renter upgrades. It requires no tools beyond what you likely already own, takes about ten minutes, and changes the quality of your daily routine in ways that are impossible to overstate. Handheld or rainfall heads in a brushed nickel or matte black finish also tie the bathroom together visually. Keep the original to reinstall on move-out.
Walls & Surfaces
✦ Use peel-and-stick wallpaper for accent walls
Removable wallpaper has matured into a genuinely high-quality product. Brands like Chasing Paper and Spoonflower offer hundreds of patterns, textures, and colors that apply cleanly and remove without damaging paint or drywall. A single accent wall behind your bed or sofa transforms a room's personality without a paintbrush in sight.
Pro tip: apply wallpaper to the interior back panel of a bookcase for a pop of pattern that's visible but low-commitment.
✦ Hang art and mirrors with Command strips
3M Command strips have become the gold standard of renter-friendly wall hanging. Used correctly (cleaned surface, proper weight limit, correct removal technique) they leave walls unmarked. For heavier pieces, look for the large picture-hanging strips rated up to 16 lbs per pair.
For mirrors especially, leaning is an underused option. An oversized mirror propped against a wall creates the illusion of additional space, requires zero hardware, and can be repositioned any time the mood strikes. Apartment Therapy recommends leaned mirrors as one of the simplest ways to elevate a room instantly.
✦ Use picture ledges instead of gallery walls
IKEA's Mosslanda picture ledges install with two small screws and let you rearrange your art freely without creating new holes every time. They also create a layered, editorial look that's harder to achieve with traditional hanging. If you're committed to a gallery wall, plan it entirely with Command strips. The holes from small nails are typically easy to patch with spackling putty on move-out, but Command strips eliminate the concern entirely.
Lighting
✦ Layer your lighting
Most rental apartments are lit by a single overhead fixture, usually a flush-mount that casts flat, unflattering light across the entire room. Designers counter this by layering ambient, task, and accent lighting. For renters, this means floor lamps, table lamps, battery-operated sconces, and LED strips: all plug-in, all damage-free, all movable.
The Spruce's guide to layered lighting explains the principle well: multiple light sources at different heights create depth, warmth, and the feeling of a space that's been considered. One well-positioned floor lamp does more for a room than a new sofa.
✦ Switch to warm bulbs
If your apartment has Edison-base fixtures, simply replacing cool fluorescent or daylight bulbs with warm-white LEDs (2700K–3000K) changes the entire feel of a room for under $15. This is the highest return-on-investment upgrade on this list.
✦ Add battery-operated sconces
Plug-in or battery-operated wall sconces have gotten significantly better. Brands like Lightess and Fulcrum make battery-powered LED sconces that look intentional and mount with adhesive strips. They're especially useful in bedrooms and hallways where overhead lighting is harsh and additional outlets may not be ideally positioned.
Floors & Rugs
✦ Add area rugs and layer them
Rugs are non-negotiable. They define zones in an open layout, add warmth and texture underfoot, reduce noise, and make builder-grade flooring disappear. For renters, they're also one of the few upgrades that require zero installation and create zero risk.
Layering rugs (a large neutral base with a smaller patterned or textured rug on top) is a designer technique that adds depth and personality. Ruggable makes washable rugs that are especially practical for renters with pets or high-traffic areas.
The only thing to be mindful of: avoid rubber-backed rugs on hardwood floors for extended periods. They can sometimes leave a slight discoloration. Use a rug pad instead.
✦ Use peel-and-stick floor tiles for kitchen and bathroom accents
For tile or vinyl flooring, peel-and-stick tile overlays can dramatically change the look of a kitchen or bathroom. Apply them over existing tile (not directly to grout) for clean adhesion and clean removal. Artisan Hardware and Tic Tac Tiles both make renter-friendly options. Lay a piece of removable contact paper or shelf liner as a base layer first; it makes removal easier and protects the original floor surface.
Textiles & Softgoods
✦ Invest in quality curtains and use tension rods
Curtains do more design work per dollar than almost any other soft furnishing. They add height when hung close to the ceiling, soften the walls, filter light, and signal intentionality. Tension rods make them entirely renter-safe, with no drilling required.
Sheer linen panels in a neutral tone open up a small space. Blackout curtains in a deep color create a moody, enveloping feel. Either way, the visual impact is immediate. The Spruce has solid guidance on curtain colors for white walls if you're unsure where to start.
✦ Layer textiles throughout the space
Throw blankets, decorative pillows, woven throws, and linen cushion covers do two things at once: they add visual texture and they make a space feel lived-in rather than staged. Mix materials: velvet against linen, chunky knit against smooth cotton, for depth. These are also the easiest upgrades to swap seasonally to keep the space feeling fresh.
Greenery
✦ Bring in plants
Plants are one of the simplest and most effective ways to make a space feel designed. They add color, soften hard lines, improve air quality, and create a sense of life that no piece of furniture can replicate. For renters who are new to plant ownership, The Sill curates easy-care indoor plants with guidance on light and watering requirements. Pothos, snake plants, and ZZ plants are virtually indestructible.
Pairing plants with your color choices creates cohesion. Greenery looks grounded next to earthy tones like olive and terracotta. It pops against a deep blue. It breathes next to crisp white. The combination of living plants and intentional color is one of the signatures of a well-designed rental.
Furniture & Storage
✦ Choose multi-functional furniture
In a rental, space is typically limited and layout is fixed. Multi-functional furniture (beds with built-in storage, coffee tables with hidden compartments, ottomans that open, desks that fold against the wall) does double duty without adding bulk. Burrow makes modular sofas designed for apartments and moves. Yamazaki Home offers clean-lined storage solutions that don't look like storage.
✦ Use freestanding shelving instead of wall-mounted
Bookcases and modular shelving systems like IKEA's Kallax or String Furniture's shelving are structurally stable without being anchored to the wall (with the caveat that tall units should still be secured with anti-tip straps, which are renter-safe and required for anything over 30 inches in households with children). Freestanding shelving lets you build vertical storage, display objects, and divide space without touching a single wall permanently.
The Upgrade That Ties It All Together
There's a principle in interior design called visual harmony: the idea that a space feels right when its details reinforce each other rather than compete. You feel it in rooms where everything seems intentional. You feel its absence in rooms that are full of good pieces that somehow don't cohere.
Hardware is the connective tissue of that harmony. Switch plates, outlet covers, cabinet pulls, curtain rods: these small, repeated details are the seams of a room. When they're thoughtful, the room holds together. When they're ignored, they quietly undermine everything else.
This is why the Switch R1 was the first product we built at MAGSi. Not because a light switch cover is the most glamorous object in a home — it isn't. But because it's one of the most frequently overlooked, and because getting it right costs almost nothing in time, money, or lease risk.
Explore the Switch R1 collection and find the color that fits your space.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can renters change their light switch covers?
Yes. Swapping a light switch cover is one of the few modifications that is almost universally permitted under residential leases because it involves no structural change to the property. Products like the Switch R1 go a step further — they don't require removing the existing cover at all, making the upgrade completely reversible and damage-free.
What renter upgrades are completely reversible?
The safest renter upgrades are those that require no drilling, no paint, and no permanent adhesive. This includes: peel-and-stick wallpaper, removable wall hooks and strips (when used within weight limits), rugs, curtains on tension rods, plug-in lighting, cabinet hardware swaps (storing originals), and switch cover upgrades like the Switch R1.
How do I make my rental apartment look expensive on a budget?
Focus on repetition and coherence over individual statement pieces. Consistent hardware finishes, layered warm lighting, quality textiles, and one or two well-chosen anchor pieces will make a space look expensive well before the total cost reaches what a single designer piece would run. Attention to the small details — what you touch every day — has an outsized impact on how designed a space feels.
Will renter upgrades help me get my security deposit back?Renter-friendly upgrades that are properly reversed before move-out should have no impact on your deposit. The key is using truly removable solutions (Command strips within rated weight limits, peel-and-stick products applied correctly, hardware stored and reinstalled before departure) rather than permanent modifications.
