The last time Melba Jimenez rented an apartment, she was in college. But earlier this year, when she signed an annual lease on an apartment in the high-rise tower of Alinari at Rosemary Place in urban Sarasota, she did it for the same reason — a life in optimistic transition.
Melba Jimenez converted her guest bedroom into her personal dressing room/shoe closet by lining the walls with glass-front cabinets. They look like built-ins but are portable. The room also includes storage ottomans and a Murphy bed.
STAFF PHOTO / NICK ADAMS
Her 34-year marriage had ended, her son was grown and living in another city, and she had said goodbye to her big family home in a country setting in east Sarasota, where she had lived for 26 years.
“As a working woman going through a divorce, I knew from friends that I should not make any major decisions for at least a year. Being a Realtor, I knew there were some wonderful urban condominium complexes in Sarasota that had rental units available,” she said. “A rental seemed like the perfect place to stop and catch my breath and perch for a while while I navigated some big changes.
“I knew that I did not have control over many things that were happening to me, but I could certainly control my living environment.”
A friend who is a real estate agent told Jimenez about a listing at Alinari: a corner unit on the 12th floor with two big balconies and postcard views of the city and Sarasota Bay.
A flight of adhesive metal birds makes a great art statement the the birds are easy to remove. Melba advises using wall treatments like this one instead of wallpaper or some other treatment that is semi-permanent or makes big holes in the wall. Renters are generally responsible for leaving a place as they found it.
STAFF PHOTO / NICK ADAMS
“I could be in a lovely secure place while I figured out my life, so I didn’t hesitate,” said Jimenez. “I signed an annual lease and was totally pleased that the place was not furnished. I did not take anything with me from my former home except for clothes and an embarrassingly big collection of shoes.
“I wanted to start fresh with new furniture and a whole new decorating scheme that would represent a new me. My former home was in a Mediterranean style with dark, rich colors and heavy furniture. This time I decided to go light and airy modern, with a color scheme of black and white with silver and chrome metallic accents and splashes of bright colors in art work, area rugs and toss pillows.”
The two-bedroom, two-bath Alinari unit is 1,900 square feet in a building that was completed in 2007. “I love the views; I get to enjoy sunset from my living room and the sunrise from my bedroom,” she said. “Otherwise, the place was a clean, big white box when I moved in, with white walls, light travertine floors, dark granite counter tops in the kitchen and a comfortable open-concept floor plan.”
The whimsical texture and colors of these two pillows inspired MelbaÕs choices for accessories. The area rug is from Rugs as Art. All the upholstered furniture is either white or black. The walls, formerly white, are now a soft taupe which matches the kitchen cabinets in this open-concept space.
STAFF PHOTO / NICK ADAMS
But she didn’t like any of the light fixtures. “And I really didn’t like any of the bright brass trim and hardware,” she said. “I mean brass bathroom fixtures, brass door knobs, towel bars, the trim on light fixtures — it was all brass and I had to figure out some way to get rid of it. And, I definitely wanted some color on all the walls. I eventually chose a soft taupe that complemented the existing kitchen cabinets and plum for my bedroom.”
Melba the Realtor/renter devised a professional strategy that she says can work for nearly any tenant who is serious about changing features in an apartment that is not theirs. She contacted her landlord, who lives in Sarasota and bought the Alinari place as investment property, and asked if she could make some changes at her own expense. She told him she wanted to switch out light fixtures, paint and replace all the brass with nickel and chrome. He agreed, and over a few weeks she invested $4,000 into making the changes that would make her temporary apartment seem like her very own custom home.
Was she glad she put so much personal money into someone else’s property?
“Absolutely,” she confirmed. “When I was all finished and the place was furnished, I invited my landlord to come over and see what I had done. He was so impressed with the upgrades I had undertaken that he lowered my monthly rent and offered me new carpeting for the two bedrooms. The upgrades I made will remain when I leave, but if I stay here long enough, I’ll recoup my investment. And even if I never recover that money, it was worth every cent because my rental is now the chic customized apartment I hoped for. It makes me feel good every time I walk through the door.”
Melba Jimenez’s experience in choosing to rent solved her immediate and personal housing problem, brought on by the dissolution of her marriage. But, as a Realtor, she said there are many other good reasons to rent.
“If you’re new in town and want to evaluate several different neighborhoods, renting is a smart option,” she said. “If you’re older and tired of managing a big house and yard, then rent and free yourself of responsibility. Do you want to live near the beach or a golf course? If you live alone and want the security of a high-rise building with garage parking, a concierge and amenities, such as a swimming pool on site, then rent.
“It can be a liberating kind of lifestyle that is gathering greater and greater appeal with people of all ages.”
There is one other change that Melba Jimenez made to her urban apartment. She converted the second bedroom into a glamorous shoe closet and dressing room; it has glass front cabinets that look like built-ins, but can easily move with her to her next location.
“Some of my shoes and evening bags are so pretty, I decided to make them decorative art,” she said. “I don’t need a second bedroom, but just in case, I have a Murphy bed and television in there, too.”
