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A TikTok creator has challenged the long-held belief that rental properties aren’t worth renovating, by showing viewers online how she managed to transform her New York City rental into a warm and inviting environment by treating it as she would a purchased home.
Mallory, who goes by @Reserve_Home on the social media platform, shared all her renter-friendly hacks to spruce up a dreary apartment in a video that’s been viewed more than 840,000 times so far.
The content creator had put together a montage of herself lending a personal touch to her rental property, to challenge the stereotype that it’s a waste of time to invest in renovating a temporary home. Mallory can be seen painting the large apartment, adding vibrant wallpaper and elegant window treatments while spraying her door handles and brackets gold.
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She is then shown adding character and period pieces to the rental, through wall paneling and cornices, to evoke a homely and lived-in atmosphere.
For finishing touches, Mallory opts for gilt mirrors, neutral-toned coffee table books about Impressionist artists, and large line drawings in sleek glass frames, which she leans against walls in a chic arrangement.
“[Why would you renovate your rental is] a very understandable question that I always answer. [It’s] because I want to love where I live now, and at this rate I’ll be 100 years old by the time I can buy [a home],” Mallory writes under the TikTok post.
“I know that changing things in rentals isn’t always possible or worth it, but when we’ve been able to, it’s never something that I’ve regretted doing,” she wrote.
The home ownership rate amongst young people in the U.S. has been declining since the 1990s, with the cost of living on the rise and wages rising at a lower level than inflation. According to the National Association of Realtors, housing affordability has lowered to its most unfavorable levels since the early 1980s.
@reserve_home a very understandable question that i always answer with, because i want to love where i live now and at this rate i’ll be 100 yrs old by the time i can buy lol 😭 but fr i know that changing things in rentals isn’t always possible or worth it, but when we’ve been able to, it’s never something i’ve regretted doing 🫶
What Do the Comments Say?
Since it was shared on TikTok by @Reserve_Home on July 16, the post has been liked by over 129,000 users and commented on more than 534 times. The content creator has managed to impress TikTok users by showing how a rental property could be personalized, at a time when the housing market continues to be tough to access for graduates and millennials.
One user wrote: “You get an inspection and they think they can put the rent up because it looks amazing.”
“Your home is GORGEOUS,” wrote another user. A third user said: “I can’t even put a nail on the wall in my rental.”
The TikTok post can be seen here.
Newsweek reached out to @Reserve_Home for comment via TikTok.
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