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I have a great rental place; however there is wood paneling in the dining rooms and the bathrooms and painting is not an option. i am not a lover of the rustic look and would love some creative ideas to cover the walls

Why dont you try out mural decoration??

Welcome. This is a common dilemma particularly for renters who can't sway their landlords to remove or paint the paneling. The following is one popular solution and you can use sheets to cut down on cost or even ticking or muslin.

Hang up floor-to-ceiling curtains or drapes to cover the walls as an option if you're renting and cannot change the paneling. This adds extra color and texture to the room, while hiding the fake wood look. Use removable adhesive hooks for curtain rod holders if you are not allowed to use nails or screws. You can change out the curtains as often as you like, giving you versatility. Pull the little tabs when you move out and there will be no evidence you ever had a wall of curtains.

BTW, other solutions might be to hang large art such as posters, enlarged photography or framed maps. Things like tapestries, rugs or quilts can conceal a good bit of paneling in some spaces. Decorative screens, particularly colorful ones, can further help as well as placement of some tall pieces of painted furniture. A canopy or tall upholstered headboard can be a blessing in paneled bedrooms.

You don't say how big the rooms are or how many openings are in them, but one solution may be to use starch to apply sheets or other large pieces of fabric to the wall. These would not damage the walls and could be easily removed.

Thanks for the great advice. lady of shallot the bathrooms are rather small and only part of the wall is paneling. The dining room has three openings and is large enough to seat a table of eight. Froo Froo the dining room has only one window and with the paneling it looks rather dark, do you have any suggestions on how to make the fabric flush with the walls.

I would be reluctant to use the fabric/liquid starch temporary treatment on paneled walls. W/O a pic, it's difficult to suggest. Is it possible to extend the window treatment over that entire wall? This will add the color and lightness you seek tho soft folds are best. Do allow maximum natural light to filter in. Also, a large, well placed mirror will double light and room size. Beef up the lighting in all the dark spaces at varied levels too. Use light colored linens on tabletop and even chairs if the seats are upholstered.

White, lots and lots of white! People deliberately paint their walls brown to contrast with white or ivory furnishings. It's a striking and sophisticated way to decorate. Instead of adding many colors, which could be the same value as the brown, embrace the contrast. Your walls also have a pattern to them by virtue of the grain and beveling of the panels, and the addition of more pattern or color will only make the room busy.

Years ago I decorated a home for a client who purposely chose dark pine paneling when they remodeled. We used several shades of ivory, cream and white in the room and it looked stunning. The only color in the room was their art.

While painting the paneling (short of removing it)is your best solution, it doesn't appear to be an option for you. Consider upholstering light weight boards like foamcore (found in craft stores) w/ batting and fabric. Hang them using a 3M product that won't harm the walls. This will add color and perhaps pattern to those dark walls. The curtain solution is always an option too.