The Impact of Styling - Ku'u Home Magazine

Small, thoughtful shifts can make your rental unit feel like home

By: Darlene Dela Cruz

May 1, 2026

Dayna Harris grew up in a home she loved. As an interior designer and home stager, she aims to bring to her projects the same sense of grounding she felt while living with her grandparents in their family’s Kāneʻohe property. She believes any residence — rented or owned — can be an expression of self and community.

“Design is … styling your space and really feeling good about where you go home to, whether [it’s] a rental or your forever home,” says Harris, founder of the firm reDesign Hawai‘i. “It doesn’t have to be super-expensive. It is just a reflection of how you want to feel in your space.”

For this edition of Renters’ Nook, we asked Harris to share simple ways renters can make their spaces feel like home. Renters can still apply principles of interior design and home staging even when tenant rules and budget constraints prevent major renovations.

“You don’t have to buy all-new stuff,” she says. “It’s how you put it all together that makes you feel a certain way.”

Here are Harris’ top four design and styling tips for renters.

Choose Furniture Wisely

“Purchasing furniture that fits your space can elevate the overall look of your home,” Harris says. “Buying sofas that are modular helps you splurge on furniture that you love now and can change as you move or until you settle into your forever home.” You can also source like-new furniture from friends and family who are moving or remodeling.

Renters can adjust modular furniture by section to fit a variety of spaces.

Shop Vintage and Thrift

Harris explains that thrifted and gently used pieces add dimension and uniqueness whether designing a luxury home or rental unit. “I think valuing and finding the treasure in local things and pieces that have been held by families for a long time — cups and plates, pottery or other things — it’s all special,” she says.

Vintage and thrifted items add character when paired with new décor. From the top are cups from Salvation Army; vintage pottery and art as a backdrop for a brass shaka bottle opener from Island-Boy Shop; and pottery from Chozen-ji Zen Dojo.

Support Local Artists and Suppliers

Find soulful art and home décor from Hawai‘i’s creatives and entrepreneurs. “One of the biggest privileges I have is being introduced to … people in our community who are creating beautiful things and have committed their whole life to the joy of that,” Harris says. “They’re just excited to see that somebody else also appreciates it.”

Art and accessories from local vendors can shift the ambience of a rental space. From the top are vintage books under a handmade lamp by Vicky Oh!; a vintage bench and art styled with a pillow from Noho Home; and art by Adrienne Mierzwa.

Everything’s Better with Flowers

“Even though living on an island brings its challenges of [shipping] furniture, we are abundant in flowers,” Harris says. “Making a garden or bringing in flowers is an easy way to shift the space.” She recommends getting flowers from local open markets or visiting floral arrangers like Island-Boy Shop in Kaimukī.

Flowers from Island-Boy Shop provide an instant dose of color.

This story appears in the May/June 2026 print issue of Ku‘u Home magazine.