Carmeon Hamilton's Best Tips For Upgrading Your Apartment
In Carmeon Hamilton's new show "Reno My Rental," she gives us the best tips to make rentals feel like home. Hamilton is the recent winner of the Discovery+ competition show "Design Star: Next Gen," on which she won $50,000 and her own show. As an interior designer and a social media influencer, Hamilton is able to use her skills to personalize renters' bland rental homes in landlord-friendly ways.
Based in Hamilton's hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, "Reno My Rental" began airing in January 2022. In many episodes Hamilton proves that renters don't need a large budget to make a difference in their rental. For example, in "Makeup Mom Makeover," a renter named Alicia had an $8,000 budget to work with, as noted by Realtor. Hamilton used $4,425 of the budget on furniture and décor that could be used in Alicia's future rentals if she moves and $3,540 for building costs that were either approved by her landlord or could be reversed if she moves out.
Walls, flooring, and built-ins pay off
In every episode of "Reno My Rental," Hamilton gives great tips on how to upgrade a rental. The key to upgrading rentals is making sure any changes that are made can be demolished or repainted. Some of the easiest ways to personalize a rental are with paint; Hamilton explained that paint is a great choice because it isn't very expensive or permanent, per Realtor. You can paint all the walls one color or include an accent wall to step up the design. Hamilton also uses wallpaper because it adds texture to a room and is removable. She even adds it to the ceiling in some episodes.
Additionally, dated flooring can be covered with a rug or peel and stick floor tiles. The trick with these sticker-like floor tiles is to put down a protective layer of painters tape so the strong glue on the tiles doesn't mess up the original flooring. Finally, custom build-ins are Hamilton's tip to really make a rental feel like a forever home. They feel permanent, but can be demolished if needed.