Rental Friendly Shiplap Fireplace

This rental friendly shiplap fireplace is a great way to spruce up a space, for both renters and homeowners.

When we first moved into our last apartment, there were several things that I just didn’t love. But at the same time, we loved it there and we were so grateful for it. I thought that because it was a rental, I just had to live with it. While there will always be things that you might have to live with in a rental, there are also so many things that can be changed.

I decided to think outside the box and get a little creative. The corner fireplace. I struggled decorating it for the first few months, because, well, come on, so awkward.

Not exactly “cute”, huh? I know. SO I came up with a plan to finish it up to the ceiling, without damaging the apartment in any way. Even though I could’ve (and would’ve) argued it worth losing our security deposit for, something tells me that Joey would disagree…

I always ask my dad for his help…

Which he so graciously does (always). We spent a few hours and knocked it out (several months ago, I might add). I then I finished painting it probably a month later… oops.

You’ll quickly learn that about me. Sometimes it’s a struggle for me to finish things. I just get too excited and start 10 projects at a time. BUT I’m a huge believer in self development, so I’m working on it. 😉

But what does something like this cost?

I thought you’d never ask 😉 All said and done, I spent about $35 on the whole project, and I’m so happy with the end result!

Okay okay, I know you’re dying to see the finished product, so here it is.

How does one decorate a mantle anyway?

Mantles can be a struggle to decorate, because they can easily look cluttered. I love to keep it super simple and find a large, unique piece to ground everything, like this cute, vintage-inspired, round medallion from Hobby Lobby. I love it, because it has so much character and interest already, that I don’t need to add much do it for the space to look finished.

You can find a slightly more distressed version of the “medallion” from Hobby Lobby here.

To spice it up a bit, I love to pick up some fresh eucalyptus from our local Trader Joe’s (best $2.99 I’ve ever spent), split it into two vases, add some books and candlesticks for height and added interest, and there you have it! Low budget, definitely, but no one ever has to know… except for all of you, of course 😉

We recently bought a house and Joey and his friends brought it with the rest of our stuff (no damage done – got our security deposit back yay!). Joey tore it apart (carefully), so now I have all of the wood leftover for new projects – YAY. Stick around for updates on our new house as I redo everything I possibly can 😉