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Nothing says “far from home” like moving into another rental house, surrounded by cardboard boxes and the same eggshell white, cookie cutter walls and cabinets that fill most base housing units that I’ve been inside of.

I realize that this may come off as being ungrateful for the opportunity to have a home to live in, but I promise that is not the case. I am extremely grateful to have a roof to live under. However, it sometimes can be challenging to add touches of “home” in a rental space. Especially when you’re so far from friends and family, and also unable to do too much to personalize the space where you’re set to live for an unspecified amount of time.

Over the past few years of living in Military Housing, I’ve come across a few ways to update our rental space and make it feel a little more personalized and a bit more like home. Here’s what I came up with!

Something as simple as changing out the hardware on the cabinets and adding a removable wallpaper as a backsplash can make all the difference in a kitchen where demo and renovation isn’t an option. Also, adding a fun, aesthetically-pleasing calendar to the fridge can help you keep track of all of your family events at your new home!

The bathroom is another place where switching out the hardware can make a world of difference. I’ve also found that grabbing a new filtered shower head can help make your shower experience more relaxing. If you have a bathroom with a pedestal sink, adding a storage cabinet around it not only looks a little nicer, but also adds more storage in a probably-small bathroom. Floating shelves are great too, and very easy to install!

While most base installations that I have experience with don’t have huge backyard areas to work with, there are a lot of things you can do to make even the smallest of patios feel like a bit of an outdoor oasis for you to enjoy. Adding a patio set, an outdoor rug, plants, and even a small fire pit (if your base housing agreement allows) can create a fun space to share with your family, new friends and neighbors.

Your living room/family room is likely the place you’ll spend the majority of your time while you’re at home. There are a ton of great furniture options for small spaces, as well as rugs in just about every color or pattern you can think of. The possibilities are endless! Lastly, hanging photos of your family around your house can remind you of home– not to mention keeping family photos close by can help your kiddos recognize familiar faces (even from far away)!