With renters now making up a steadily growing share of Toronto households, Home Network’s new series Rentovation arrives at a moment when many people are asking how to make a non-owned space feel personal, functional, and beautiful. Hosted by Toronto interior designer Natalie Chong, the series premieres Monday, November 10, offering practical transformations tailored specifically for rental living — a topic Chong believes has long been overlooked in mainstream design television.
Chong says the idea for the show was born from a shift she’s witnessed in Canada’s housing landscape. “Renters weren’t always in the home-design conversation,” she explains. “But we are moving away from a time when homeownership was the goal to a new generation where renting has become the norm. This series brings to light this shift in the needs and interests of viewers.”
The first season showcases a wide range of real Toronto renters — single professionals, young families, couples, and multigenerational households — living in everything from compact apartments to main-floor rentals in older houses. The message is clear: rental living in Toronto is far more varied than the stereotype of basement apartments and condos. By focusing on achievable, reversible, and budget-friendly upgrades, the show offers viewers a realistic path toward creating a home they truly enjoy.
For Chong, Rentovation is as much about empowerment as it is about décor. She frequently meets renters who assume they are limited to temporary décor and small accessories, when in fact many impactful changes are possible with a little planning and landlord approval. “I believe the most common misconception is that you can’t add anything in terms of storage,” she says. “People are often just afraid to ask! With the approval of your landlord, you can easily add these types of pieces and then take them with you when you go. If you’re going to be there for a few years, it’s worth putting in the work.”
The show also breaks down practical strategies for making Toronto’s typically tight spaces feel larger, brighter, and more functional. Chong emphasizes appropriately scaled furniture, thoughtful colour choices, and lighting — an element she considers one of the most powerful tools renters have. She encourages renters to invest in pieces that reflect their personality, rather than waiting for a future home that may still be years away. “A lot of people are apprehensive about buying anything for their rental, since you often think you won’t be there long enough to enjoy it,” she says. “But it’s important to make it your home and a reflection of yourself.”
Chong’s own connection to the city informs much of the show’s tone. Growing up in Toronto as part of a single-parent household in a rental unit, she learned early on how to be creative with limited resources. That upbringing shaped her design philosophy — practical, flexible, and rooted in real living — and gives her a personal understanding of her clients’ situations. “We didn’t always have a lot of money for home design, but we always found ways to be creative,” she says. “It taught me to take chances, because if you don’t like it, or you grow out of it, you can always change it.”
Filming the first season was also a major milestone in her own life: Chong was pregnant for much of production, and even went into labour while filming one of the episodes. Balancing motherhood with her long-held dream of hosting a design show made the experience especially meaningful. “Sometimes as a woman it can feel like you have to choose between career and family, and I was grateful to be able to do both at the same time,” she reflects. “I’m so proud of our Rentovation team, and what we created together.”
Ultimately, Rentovation aims to inspire renters to take ownership — emotionally, creatively, and practically — of the spaces they inhabit right now. “Homes should be a sanctuary and a reflection of who lives there,” Chong says. “Design for who you are now, as well as who you want to become.”
Rentovation premieres Monday, November 10th, 2025 on Home Network and Streaming on StackTV.
