The rental living room is one of the most common interior challenges in Australia — beige walls, builder carpet, no character, no storage, and a lease that says you can't change anything structural. The good news: the living room is also the easiest room to transform without touching walls, because so much of what makes a living room Bunnings Picks Under 0 Total">beautiful is furniture, textiles and layering rather than fixed finishes.
These 12 ideas work in any Australian rental. All are reversible. All use products from Kmart, IKEA, Target or Amazon AU.
1. Anchor the Room With a Large Rug
A rug is the single highest-impact purchase for a rental living room. It covers the builder carpet (which is almost always beige or grey and entirely unmemorable), defines the seating zone, adds warmth underfoot, and completely changes the feel of the room. The rug should be large enough for the front legs of all seating to sit on it — if the rug is too small, it floats and makes the room feel disjointed. Kmart has living room rugs from $49, IKEA from $79, Temple & Webster from $89 during sales.
2. Add a Throw and Cushion Covers in a Consistent Palette
New cushion covers (not full cushions — covers for the ones you already have) and a throw are the fastest living room refresh available. Pick two or three colours and buy everything in those tones — warm sand, rust and terracotta for the 2026 earthy direction, or sage and cream for a calmer palette. Kmart cushion covers from $12, throws from $25.
3. Lean Art Rather Than Hanging It
Large art prints leaned against the wall — on a shelf, on the floor, or on the TV unit — look editorial and intentional without a single nail. A large print from Desenio or Printspace ($30–$60), leaned on a shelf with a small plant in front of it, creates a gallery-like moment that costs almost nothing and leaves zero wall damage.
4. Use Floor Lamps Instead of Overhead Lighting
Overhead lighting makes living rooms feel like offices. Floor lamps create pools of warm light that make a room feel larger, warmer and more considered. A floor lamp in the corner of a living room is a transformative purchase. Kmart has arc floor lamps from $39, tripod lamps from $49. Turn off the overhead light and turn on two lamps — the room becomes a different space.
5. Add a Statement Plant
One large plant in the corner of a living room does the work of significant styling. A fiddle leaf fig, monstera, or large bird of paradise in a good pot from Bunnings ($15–$40 for the pot, $20–$50 for the plant) adds height, colour and life in a way no purchased decor can replicate. Place in a corner to fill dead space and draw the eye upward.
6. Rearrange the Furniture
Most rental living rooms have furniture arranged the way the previous tenant left it — which is usually not the best configuration. Pull the sofa away from the wall (even 20–30cm changes the feel dramatically), angle a chair, or try the sofa perpendicular to the TV instead of parallel. This costs nothing and often makes a significant difference to how the room functions and feels.
7. Add Open Shelving With Command Strips
A row of floating shelves styled with books, plants, candles and small objects creates the visual focal point most rental living rooms are missing. Kmart shelves at $15–$25 each, mounted with heavy-duty Command strips (which remove cleanly from most painted walls when following the instructions). Three shelves styled with books, a trailing plant and a few objects creates significant impact.
8. Replace the TV Unit if It's Not Yours
If the rental came furnished with an ugly TV unit, ask the property manager if you can store it and use your own — most will say yes. A timber or dark-stained unit from Temple & Webster or IKEA at $80–$200 transforms the main wall of the living room immediately. Style the top with a plant, a candle and one or two objects.
9. Use a Bookshelf as a Room Divider
In open-plan rentals, a tall bookshelf placed perpendicular to a wall defines the living zone from the dining or entry zone without any structural work. Style it from both sides — books and objects on the living side, a plant and a lamp on the other. IKEA BILLY bookcase, $99–$149.
10. Add Curtains Even if There Are Blinds
Floor-to-ceiling curtains hung close to the ceiling (from a tension rod or Command strip curtain rod) frame the windows, add height and warmth, and make the room feel more finished than blinds alone. Sheer linen-look curtains from Kmart at $20–$40 per panel work in most rental living rooms and are reversible.
11. Tray and Style the Coffee Table
A coffee table tray with three to five objects on it — a candle, a small plant, a book or two, a small object — turns a functional surface into a styled focal point. Without the tray, the same items look like clutter. With it, they look considered. Kmart trays from $8.
12. Add a Mirror to a Dark Corner
A large mirror in a dark corner reflects light and makes the room feel bigger. A leaning mirror from Kmart at $29–$65 propped in the corner of the living room with a plant in front of it is a classic styling move that works every time.
How do you decorate a rental living room in Australia?
The most effective rental living room styling approach is: add a large rug to define the zone and cover the builder carpet, use floor lamps instead of overhead lighting, lean art rather than hanging it, add a large corner plant, and layer cushion covers and a throw in a consistent palette. These changes require no wall damage, all reverse completely, and together transform the feel of a rental living room for $150–$300 total.
What is the cheapest way to make a living room look nice in Australia?
The cheapest high-impact living room changes are: rearranging the furniture (free), adding new cushion covers in a consistent palette ($25–$45), turning off the overhead light and using lamps ($0 if you already have lamps), leaning a large mirror in a corner ($29 from Kmart), and adding one large plant ($20–$50). These five changes cost $75–$125 combined and make a significant visual difference.