Why creativity and YouTube are your best friend for styling a rental

Maggie May and Josh Kelly rent a three-bedroom home with their housemate and three pets.

The property is a both a house and studio for Maggie and Josh, who often work from home. Maggie is a macrame maker and graphic designer for her business, The Middle Aisle, and Josh is a saxophonist and composer.

“Because of our flexible schedules, some weeks we’ll spend a lot of time at home and we wanted to be comfortable with our neighbours and influenced creatively,” Josh says.

“The actual space that you create for yourself and the house that you choose to live in is so important to yourself and your psyche.”

Several of Maggie’s macrame creations hang from their home’s picture rails, serving as both a practical and attractive way of keeping indoor plants out of harm’s (the cats) way.

Her eye for decorating can be attributed to her styling background.

“When I style a mantelpiece I try and think about the depth level. If it’s all on the one level it tends to look a bit one-dimensional,” she says.

In terms of the furniture, the “newest” item in this home has been purchased secondhand off a Facebook selling group, and the remaining items are mostly upcycled hard rubbish finds.

Since moving into the house in late 2015, Maggie and Josh have developed a strong connection to their surrounding community. The newly engaged couple will soon be moving on from this home to start a new business – a homewares store and workshop called Think in Melbourne’s Thornbury.

“We will be offering beautiful products that have soul and creativity, with a focus on local Australian-made goods,” Maggie says.

Her top rental styling tip? 

“If you don’t think you can make something, always give it a go first. You might surprise yourself with just how crafty you can be. YouTube is your friend!”

Maggie says her most searched terms when looking for furniture and homewares online come down to four staples: Persian rug; mid-century desk; Parker desk; three-strand cotton rope.

The pair’s go-to furniture and homewares stores are Know Your Product, Used Pty Ltd, Suku, Mr Kitly and Lunar Store.

Despite the hype around first-home buyers today, Josh says there’s plenty to love about renting, the best aspect being choice.

“If you want to live in a certain area where you can’t afford to buy, you can do so quite easily. You can just as easily move out if it no longer suits you because you’re not tied to a 20-year mortgage.”

Read more at rentedspace.com.au