how much love should you give a rental

I remember Decorno asking this very question and pouring over the resulting comment thread.  This is something I ask myself often.  Beyond the basics, how far should one go?  I've painted every apartment I have ever lived in, and always will.  Nothing brings a room to life faster than a little color on the walls.  Decent shades do wonders as well.  Removing those 1" metal mini blinds with bent corners takes a room from college dorm to grown up in 20 minutes.

Andrew lived in our current apartment for 4 years before I officially moved in.  I would have loved to move into a place that was new to both of us which we picked out together, but we knew we'd be hard pressed to find a comparable space.  While the 8' ceilings and cheap molding drive me insane, our large terrace is absolutely amazing in the spring and summer.  I'd love to refinish the wood floors, extend them into the kitchen and upgrade the kitchen counter top, but I realize that's going a little too far for this apartment.  Instead I'll change light fixtures and try to distract the eye from the negatives by adding artwork and textiles to soften things up.

The challenge now is merging our belongings and giving this place some character...