Did you know you could rent your furniture as well as your home?
“London is so damn expensive” is a popular trope, and there’s no lie in it. It’s why many Londoners are destined to a life of renting, while hopping on the property ladder remains nothing but a laughable pipedream.
But there’s a lot about renting that, frankly, is a total pain in the arse. Many Londoners find themselves moving around pretty regularly, and it’s as stressful as it is disruptive. Firstly there’s finding a place, and then there’s the physical act of moving. If you’re not fortunate enough to move from furnished place to furnished place, chances are you’ll have accumulated some furniture, too—and that’s a real bummer to transport.
Arguably (or I would argue, at least), the most exciting part about moving is designing your new place: we’re talking endless Pinteresting and saving interior shots to your Insta collections.
But what if the furniture you already own isn’t the right fit for the space? Or perhaps you just fancy a change, but you still have that gross divan bed you bought in a panic when you moved into that questionable house share in Peckham last year to your name? Chucking it out is wasteful, but keeping it just isn’t a vibe.
Many brands offer rental services nowadays, from technology companies to clothing stores combatting fast fashion. Fairly new to the game is furniture rental and newest to the game is London-based start up, Homebound. Launched by two mates who wanted to shake up the industry, Homebound is all about flexibility, style and, importantly, sustainability. After all, in their words, “keeping up with the latest interior design trends shouldn’t come at the expense of our planet”.
Homebound’s circular model helps us to cut down on the amount of furniture that ends up in landfill each year, and allows London renters to have their dream home without breaking the bank.
It’s pretty simple really: choose from oodles of dream items, decide how long you want them for, and then they’ll be delivered and assembled. If you’re indecisive like me, you can return your items or swap them for something new. Or, if you’ve fallen in love and can’t imagine life without your new coffee table, you can buy it for the buyout price (minus the amount you’ve already paid towards the item).