Houzz Tour: Clever DIY Tricks Warm a Rustic Rental Cottage

This rustic worker’s cottage resides in the country suburb of Guildford, northeast of Perth, Australia. It was the perfect place for interior designer Nelly Reffet and her partner to rent while they started a family. When they moved out and into another Aussie home recently (they’re both from France), they left behind a happy landlord — proving that however temporary a home stay is, you can always make it feel like your home no matter the decorating restrictions on the lease. Here’s how Reffet broke past the boundaries of a traditional rental property without falling out with her landlord.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lived here: Nelly Reffet of Twinkle & Whistle and her partner, with their baby girl and their 2 rescued cats
Location: Guilford, Australia
Size: 3 large bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 small bathroom and 1 kitchen

“Guildford’s a truly charming and lovely place to live in — think character homes, large blocks and lots of established trees,” Reffet says. “The house was a typical worker’s cottage from the turn of the century which tucked into its surroundings perfectly.”


As a condition of the lease, Reffet and her partner persuaded the landlord to replace the kitchen flooring. Tired vinyl flooring on the kitchen side and a worn Berber carpet on the dining side were exchanged for laminate floors. The couple laid out the laminate floors themselves, and the landlord covered the costs of the materials (about U.S.$675).


Reffet loves the Metters woodstove in the kitchen, which she finds “very, very cute!” It’s these rustic and authentic features that showcase the history throughout the cottage.


Reffet wanted a home that felt lived in and suited her family’s style and needs, but because this property was a rental (and would continue to be) she had to think ahead. “I wanted something that was neutral and timeless enough for most people to like it and that would not look outdated in two years’ time,” she says. “It was important that the design stayed true to the character of the home, so I opted for simple materials and shapes, in line with the style of a small rural retreat.”

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“The large, rustic floorboards are definitely one of my favorite features,” Reffet says. “Uneven, with lots of dents and scratches, they always looked like they could have told us many fascinating stories had they been able to talk. I also adored the superhigh ceilings that made the rooms look and feel much bigger than they actually were.”


As an interior designer, Reffet knew all the tricks to add temporary personality to the space without causing permanent damage. She fell in love with accessories that accentuated her personal design style and could be updated with the seasons. In the sun-soaked living room, colorful cushions liven up the sofa and a vintage print adds interest to white walls.

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Vintage accessories and collectibles draw attention to treasured home features such as the original living room fireplace.


Tropical brights provide a modern twist for the traditional white cane outdoor furniture that’s nestled among big agaves and bougainvillea. And the geometric rug brings the indoors out to the porch.

“I loved the peace and quiet of this house and the fact that we had awesome neighbors. Our street had a community feel, which is so rare these days in suburbia,” Reffet says. “We regularly had deliveries on the front [porch] of homemade chutneys and jams, and felt connected to the land and to other people in a way that I didn’t think was possible in a large city. Precious!”


One of the biggest challenges for Reffet was the lack of natural light — a common challenge for residents of worker’s cottages, but she used this to her advantage. “The house was fairly dark, and by 4 p.m., even in summer, we had to turn the lights on. I decided to keep the [living areas] in an off-white color to maximize the little natural light they got,” she explains. “The [bedrooms] were even darker, but I decided to embrace their darkness and make them cozy and moody with a color palette of gray and green on the walls.”

Reffet painted the top of the walls white to match the ceiling, adding to the sense of height and space. A high headboard aids the visual balance between floor and ceiling.

Headboard: Ikea


Once the walls had been repainted in moody hues, the couple used decorative items and soft furnishings in brighter colors to provide contrast and cheerfulness.

Paint: Timeless Grey, Dulux


In the baby girl’s bedroom, Reffet lightened the dark wood floorboards and gray-green walls with white soft furnishings — such as the sofa and rug — and by painting the decorative moldings and mantelpiece white. The fireplace got a painted pink back and acts as a nifty cubby for storing toys.


Paint: Still, Dulux


“I wanted the room to feel cozy and soothing [which was not that easy due to its size], in line with the style of the rest of the house, and I didn’t want it to look too babyish,” Reffet says.


The couple also managed to persuade the landlord to fund the renovation of the old bathroom. “The layout was awkward — an old laminate vanity had had some water damage, the shower enclosure was no longer waterproof and, on a more selfish note, I wanted a bathtub, because we had a baby girl who was growing and who no longer fitted in the kitchen sink,” Reffet says.


Reffet decided to prepare a mood board, research products (using her design knowledge) and get price quotes before taking the plan to the landlord — doing the hard work for him.

They got rid of floor and wall tiles, the shower cubicle, an old toilet suite and vanity; prepared and waterproofed surfaces for tiling and painting; moved some pipes around to fit a bathtub; tiled the floor and walls above the bathtub; installed a bath, toilet and new vanity; repaired the ceiling; painted the walls; and repaired the broken sliding door. Not bad for U.S.$4,500.


The compact backyard fits a laundry and an outhouse that’s covered in a beautiful orange trumpet creeper, the flowers of which fall to the ground to create a burnt-orange carpet in winter.

Tell us: How have you made a rental property your own? Post a photo in the Comments.

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