Name: Daniela, Damon and Sidonie Burton (17 months)
Location: Newport, Rhode Island
Size: 1,200 square feet
Years lived in: 4 years; owned

While a young Czech girl spent her summers at a family cottage built by her great-grandfather in the country outside of Prague, playing hide and seek with her great-grand mum and eating cherries right off the tree, halfway around the globe a young Florida boy, immersed in the world of NASA, was developing a lifelong love of space travel. Three decades later, Daniela and Damon’s disparate pasts come together in a home filled with collections of sentimental objects that keep their individual histories very much a part of their everyday lives.

Furniture designer Cameron Helvey cites Japanese design as an influence on his aesthetic. And, in fact, with the simplicty and minimalism of his designs, it's easy to see that influence in his collection. The San Diego native sat down with us to discuss his designs and influences in our latest Meet the Maker post.

Laura and Dan live together in Somerville, Massachusetts, and with their upcoming wedding, they are looking to merge her penchant for things girly and growing with his love of local art and a need to feel comfortable. Both want to make their loft a cozy and welcoming space. Here's how we combined their styles:

Designer Denyse Schmidt grew up in a family of makers of the hobbyist variety. Surrounded by old textile mills in central Massachusetts, she watched her mother sew her own clothes and her dad make furniture. Along the way (with a stopover at RISD) Denyse picked up the skills for what would become her business: patchwork quilts, colorful fabrics and paper goods. 

Name: James Franco and Mark Goldrick
Location: Newport, Rhode Island
Size: 1200 square feet (includes an outdoor deck)
Years lived in: 8 years; rented

When James and Mark first laid eyes on their third floor apartment, they saw past the hideous wall mural in the stairwell, dingy cabinets and linoleum in the kitchen, holes in the walls, and ratty stained carpeting. The dumpy place that scared every other potential renter away filled them with a sense of excitement and possibility. Inspired by the apartment's hip South Broadway neighborhood, which reminded them of the old East Village of their 1960's youth, the duo set out to transform the place into a home. With a lot of imagination and hard work, they've created a unique space filled with humor, color, and kitsch.

I’ve admired Michelle Pattee’s style since I first visited her family’s farmhouse in Sebastopol, California four years ago. The all-white palette peppered with rustic wood and natural elements made the home, built in 1902, feel modern and cozy and refreshing in its minimalism. 

Stenciled walls are increasingly popular features in nurseries and kids' rooms: they are cheap, easy to create, relatively easy to remove (just re-paint), and add a touch of fun. But...what if you can't paint? Well, Emily, who decorated this room for her daughter Pippi, had the perfect solution: decals!