You walk through the front door of your new home. The first thing you see is the living room. Right now you're hit with a feeling of starkness. White walls. Beige carpet. Generic furniture. No warmth at all. You searched for a rental in Chico or Redding for months. Now that you’ve moved in, you feel overwhelmed by the loneliness of the space. It’s so bare, even with your few pieces of furniture in there. But it doesn’t have to be! Here are 3 important things to consider so you can liven up your living room space and make it reflect exactly who you are.

1.  Decide how you really want to use the space

What do you do the most when you’re in your living room? It might seem like an obvious question, but your answer will have a big impact on how you arrange the furniture, decorate, and use the room.

If you end up in the living room after dinner to watch your favorite TV show, then you’ll want the TV to be the central focus of the room. If you don’t watch much TV, but like to read, then a big cushy chair near a window might be nice to get natural light. If you like to entertain guests it makes sense to have the furniture in a formation that is conducive to facing each other with the coffee table in the center for easy conversation.

2.  Decorate to fit your personality

Once you’ve decided how you want to use your living room, it’s time to decorate. Try to think outside the box and really hone in on what will be a reflection of you. Resist the urge to just be generic and go shopping at a normal retail store to get the latest trend. Try going to second hand stores to see what kind of treasures you can find, especially if you’re willing to make it a DIY project.

To help you figure out what your décor style is, or just for fun, take this quiz. Some additional ways to not be boring, but still stay true to your rental agreement, are by using washi tape, creating some fun window treatments, or arranging your wall hangings and pictures in a unique formation.

SEE ALSO: Unique Rental Living Ideas for Your White Walls

3.   Discover what’s important to you

As you go through steps 1 and 2, you’ll most likely start to realize the things that make your rental a home for you. It’s a little bit different for everyone. It might be the things in the room, like having photos of friends and family around, a painting you’ve always loved, or an area rug you’ve always dreamed of.

It might be the way you feel when you sit down in your big over-sized couch as you let out a large sigh, open your favorite magazine, and start to relax. It could be the lighting and shadows falling in just the right way, or a smell that makes it feel like home. You might be more of minimalist, so it’s important to you to have good hidden storage and a catch all for TV remotes, coasters, and magazines. Whatever is essential for you, make sure it’s included in your living room.

Before you start on the task to rescue the living room in your Chico or Redding rental property, stand outside the front door, close your eyes, and imagine how you want your living space to look and feel when you walk in. There, remember that feeling and happy rescuing!