When you have a love for entertaining and décor, you can sometimes earn the title of Hostess with the Mostest, and few are more deserving of that designation than Annette Maldonado. Her Palmdale, California, home is an expression of her farmhouse-meets-cottage rental style, and she’s an expert at creating beautiful tablescapes and interiors that make guests feel special.

Cottage dining room with farmhouse table with wooden bench and fabric covered chairs surrounded by fresh flowers. — **MARVELOUS MIX.** The dining room shows Annette’s skills at mixing and matching. Chairs with ruffled fabric covers are offset by a wooden bench, which was a DIY project completed by Annette’s husband. “The bench was budget- friendly, and I added the chair covers for texture,” she explains.

Some would be shocked to learn that her rental style designs are created around her rental restrictions. “We rent just a basic single-family home,” Annette says. “It shows that you can have a beautiful place no matter where you live or what regulations you have to work around.” Her Instagram, @cherished_ treasures_, is full of inspiring images featuring Annette’s tablescapes and interiors, each one achieved on a budget and in accordance with rental restrictions.

White draped armchairs with matching denim blue pillows and square cream colored ottomans. — **SERENE SEATING.** Annette uses this lovely corner to inspire cozy and comfortable conversation with an abundance of throw pillows and warm blankets.

“We rent just a basic single-family home. It shows that you can have a beautiful place no matter where you live or what regulations you have to work around .”

Rental style faux mantle filled with paper book pages next to a wooden folding chair and woven basket filled greenery. — **PAPER PLAY.** Annette incorporated a faux fireplace into this transitional space between the living room and hallway. Book pages turn the hearth into a whimsical and creative feature.

Faux flower market made up of a white dresser and shutters and a copious amount of fresh flowers. — **MARKET APPEAL.** Annette’s flower market tableau is romantic—and rental style friendly. Since the base of the design is a dresser, which she then styled with copious florals, shutters and a sign, it isn’t permanent.

SETTING THE STAGE

One of Annette’s signatures is vignettes. She styles them throughout her home to enchant and engage her guests. “They are conversation pieces,” she says. “I focus on details that are intriguing and make a statement.”

White entry table topped with faux greenery and tall candlesticks with a floral centerpiece. — **A WARM GREETING**. Annette sets the tone for guests from the moment they enter with this vignette hinting at the theme of a garden party.

While some may worry that vignettes aren’t rental style friendly, Annette figures out ways to make them dramatic yet nonpermanent. For spring, she styles a flower market-themed vignette by filling the drawers of a dresser with faux and real flowers, adding a scale from the Rose Bowl Flea Market and affixing a sign to some rustic shutters. Guests are welcome to make their own bouquets.

Wooden shelving and a vintage cubby cabinet filled with white cream-and-sugar sets and pops of blue and green. — **DISPLAY DARLING.** This cubby cabinet has a vintage feel, but Annette found it for a great price at Hobby Lobby. She uses it to display her collection of white cream-and-sugar sets, all sourced from various flea markets and thrift stores.

One of Annette’s signatures is vignettes. She styles them throughout her home to enchant and engage her guests. “They are conversation pieces,” she says. “I focus on details that are intriguing and make a statement.”

Custom shiplap up the wall behind a bench to create a faux entryway with hooks for purses and jackets. — **CUSTOM DÉCOR.** When it comes to her entryway, Annette wants guests to “feel like they can just drop their stuff off and be right at home.” She gave the area the perfect cottage touch with shiplap detailing on the wall. Little do guests know, the shiplap treatment is peel-and-stick wallpaper. “Peel-and-stick wallpaper is one of my decorating tips for renters,” Annette says. “It gives lots of impact without damaging walls.”

VISUAL VIGNETTES

Another stunning vignette is Annette’s fanciful book wall, where open books wing their way upwards. “I got the books from flea markets and thrift stores and attached them with double-sided tape,” she says. The double-sided tape prevents damage to the wall in true rental style fashion. The vignettes add a touch of imaginative magic to Annette’s home and her guests are always intrigued by the displays.