For some people, moving house - or even country - can cause hassles when trying to take the furniture. For others, a change in furniture style is a helpful, even essential, mood-refresher.

If either of these sounds like you, leasing your furniture could be the best option.

"Furniture rental makes it easier for those who often relocate, for example like expatriates," said Mellyza Zuladi, a consultant at Arbor & Troy furniture boutique.

"For expatriates, procedures for shipping furniture from their home countries may be complicated. Not to mention the expensive custom duties and the possible damage."

Thus, Mellyza said, leasing furniture can be convenient for those who need furniture quickly, while also wanting to feel at home in their new house.

"In other cases, some people get bored easily with their furniture style. For this reason, furniture rental also makes sense for them," Mellyza said.

Arbor & Troy furniture boutique has offered rental services since 2006, with options ranging from modern and classic styles to more customized ones.

"Customers are free to choose short-term or long-term rental periods," Mellyza said, adding the short term was between one month and 12 months, and long-term rental was for more than one year.

Rental fees vary depending on the packages chosen, she said. But as an illustration, Mellyza said that for a short-term period, leasing furniture for two bedrooms could be around US$100 per month.

"Meanwhile, for a long-term period, the price tag is from some $300 per month - this includes furnishings for bedrooms and living and dining rooms," Mellyza said.

According to Mellyza, furniture leasing can do more than just give relief to those relocating individuals or those seeking for an interior design mood change; it can also help people putting on a special event.

"Some of our customers are interested in leasing furnishings for special events such as exhibitions, seminars or photo shoots," she said.

Piccadilly furniture gallery also leases out furnishings for special events.

"The movie Ayat-Ayat Cinta *Verses of Love*, for example, used our ancient English-style furnishings," Girie, Piccadilly's marketing executive, revealed.

"And because our gallery has this atmosphere of classic English homes, some singers like Diana Pungky filmed their video clips here."

Piccadilly's prices for furniture rental depend on the customer's budget, she said.

"It's negotiable. But for renting the space, we have a fixed price of Rp 8.5 million for every four hours," she said, adding the gallery also provides a swimming pool for those planning a party.

- JP/Dian Kuswandini

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