Texas

Dinesh Pandian’s rental is a warm blank canvas with light wood floors and the “Dallas skyline as a beautiful backdrop.”

This bungalow in Austin “honors its 1939 roots while feeling fresh, intentional, and tailored for modern living, with a seamless flow between indoors and out” thanks to the brilliant remodel by the homeowner and interior designer Ali Burgoon Nolan.

Lauren and Nathanael were picky buyers and this house checked NONE of their boxes. “It was outdated, a little quirky, and did not match anything on our wish list.” The couple balanced updating this 1950s house with keeping its original charm while also weaving in three generations of heirlooms.

Mary Martha Meyer-Hill, a floral designer, filled this historic house in Smithville, Texas, with floral motifs, soft colors, and antiques to highlight the beautiful original features like stained glass, tall ceilings, and hand-carved wooden trim.

There are so many beautiful couches (and boots!) in this home.

Though built in 2019, this backyard ADU “immediately felt cozy and lived in because everything in it already had a soul.”

Living downtown in a high-rise has always been a dream of designer Lauren Ashley. Before she moved in, this apartment was dated and dull — but now it’s inviting and full of color and personality, and tells a story.

Zach and Taylor have filled their rental apartment with quite the collection, turning it into a “pop art paradise” with “eclectic energy.”

See inside this MCM gem filled with retro holiday decor, including a collection of vintage ceramic Christmas trees.

Mother Spooky Witch transformed this formerly basic Austin house into a modern and gothic home.

Plus, photos of Shrek throughout.

“Nothing brings me more joy than getting to create in this house. My pets have even been thriving since moving here,” renter Kalianna Carpenter says.

“When you walk into historic buildings, they feel like they have a soul, and ultimately, that's what I want for our home,” homeowner Amber Northcutt says.

You’ll want to see the fun, colorful, squiggly DIY cabinet doors, too.

"I love color, and my mission is to make our home as fun as possible. There are no rules and anything goes!

The nearby city feels like it's far away when you're in this apartment.

See how an old boat house was transformed into a tiny but cozy and cute backyard tiny home that’s less than 300 square feet in size.

Nathalie and Sean originally rented this charming house, but now own it, and have now had full creative freedom on the decor!

William Swinton-Ginsberg has been renting this studio apartment in Austin's Cherrywood neighborhood for four years, and built the kitchen table, which has a round gap that was designed to wrap around a cement column.

Emmanuel and Katy have rented this loft in a building from the 1920s, and figuring out the layout was the biggest challenge because there are no walls in the main space.

Interior designer and E-designer Carissa Henderson is the founder and owner of A Bold New Hue, LLC., and has covered every inch of her home with her signature style of bold, patterned, maximalist style.

Nayeli Crossdale, a visual designer, and her husband, Nate, have transformed this dated Austin house into a colorful, eclectic, and lived-in home full of inspiration.

Ashley Martin’s inspiration comes from vintage aesthetics, from Hollywood Regency to charmingly kitsch honeymoon motels. ”I love incorporating modern art, eclectic furniture, and plenty of sparkly disco balls for a funky twist!” Ashley says. “It’s like if Barbie’s grandma had her own dream house.”

Laura Hartstein is the co-founder of Tola Home and a first-time homeowner DIYing her way through *wildly* decorating this new-build house. ”No major renovations are needed, so I've been able to go right into mural-ing walls, replacing light fixtures, wallpapering, hanging disco balls from the ceiling, and so on.”

Julia Arceri says she has a gilt mirror or a crystal chandelier in every room in her house — sometimes both. “They just add such an elegance and grandeur, and they are timeless,” she writes.

Rachel and Ethan are a Texas couple living together for the first time in this duplex. With rent prices going up in Austin, Rachel and Ethan have saved money by scouring local vintage stores and Facebook Marketplace to make their home as unique and stylish as they are.

Vanessa started to learn about her own style by pulling from places she loves. She studied the design of restaurants and hotels she traveled to in order to better understand what she liked and disliked in design. From there, she was able to create a gorgeous home for herself and her husband.

“Growing up I spent Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and so many other holidays in this house,” April describes of this house, which was once owned by her grandparents! Now she and her husband Joe are making this house their own.

Megan and Alex bought this 1,800-square-foot, ranch-style house in Austin three years ago. Megan is just the right person to style a house from the 1970s because of her passions for retro styles, thrifting, and history, which she explores on the popular blog Mid-century Millennial.

Chef LaMara Davidson, the founder of Cornbread + Kimchi, lives in this Dallas house that she's painted in bold colors.

Aarica Nichole draws inspiration for her home from the '70s and '80s, Hollywood regency, mid-century, Scandinavian, and maximalism styles.

Anastasia Casey, the founder of boutique creative agency IDCO Studio, says her goal for designing spaces is for them to "feel collected and elevated, with each piece telling a story."

Erica and Kristen purchased this airstream for only $500, then gutted it, cleaned it, and re-built the interiors to fit exactly what they need.

Sam Melton is a seller of vintage furniture and his renovated home was originally built for his great-grandparents in the 1960s.

Interior Stylist Jessica Nickerson of House Homemade loved the layout and charm of this house when she first saw it... but it needed A LOT of updating. Thankfully, this DIY maven isn't afraid of doing the work!

Carissa's style is "Colorfully Dramatic Maximalism that fuses unexpected genres and styling elements together to create a layered and statement-filled home."

This creative couple bought an abandoned Airstream on the side of the road for $600, eventually spending two and a half years and $20k to completely renovate it themselves!

Designer and children's book author September Scott describes her style as playful. "I’ve always loved incorporating old pieces with new and find that doing this adds much more personality and character to a space."

Everything is always changing and moving around in Melanie Raines' remodeled house, it's why she lovingly calls it “the laboratory.”

RV Before: Rotten, dated, gross


RV After: An UNBELIEVABLE transformation!

Bree completely transformed a 1970s Class C RV they nicknamed "Hottie." The before was in ROUGH shape, but Bree immediately knew that this was the perfect home-on-wheels!

Kothney-Issa and Marek Bush of "Living Tiny With the Bushes" live in a tiny house that gives them the flexibility to meet their financial goals and dreams.

Amanda Wolters shares this 380-square-foot tiny house called "Ladybird" with her two pups, Barb and Vera.

Noah Marion power washed, painted, scraped, and replaced light fixtures, fans, appliances, toilets to reveal this Austin house's beautiful bones.

Live greenery, luxe gold touches, soft textures, and cheery pops of color characterize this home's festive holiday decor.

After quite a few months of casually house shopping, a 1970s house in a great location came up and this couple had to go for it; it just had too much potential.

Melissa's apartment is full of subtle, tongue-in-cheek cultural references to movies and TV.

Name: Ben Steinbauer, Filmmaker, Man About Town Location: Austin, Texas Size: 250 square feet Years lived in: Rented 1 year Ben’s home is the perfect example of not needing a lot of space or expensive furniture to create the kind of home you want to hang out in. Under 300 square feet (not counting the outdoor deck), his home — a compact studio he rents in the backyard of a Central Austin house — is filled with vintage scores, art by creative friends, and records.

Anyone who frequents large estate sales on the hunt for antique goodies *might* have thought about buying the house too... but this couple actually did it.

Name: Judy and Don, plus two little ones (and a dog) Location: Braeswood; Houston, Texas Size: 3,400 square feet Years lived in: 2 years Judy and Don’s architect, Gary Tran, made an unconventional design choice that transformed their entire home. Most Houston homes have the kitchen and living room on the first floor and the bedrooms on the second floor, but in this house everything is inverted; the public spaces occupy the top floor, with a view over the treetops beyond.

ER doctor Pam is a NYC native and when she moved to Houston, Texas, she found this spacious, modern townhouse and turned it into a welcoming, personal space.

From giant mural wallpaper to layers of plants, bold romantic colors and multiple art galleries, this home has us swooning.

Not only did this couple do much of the house's renovation work themselves, the entire neighborhood pitched in. Their style? Reverent and resourceful!

Name: Sara Barge, Shelby Goodwin, and Stephanie Gutierrez of Foster ATX Location: Austin, Texas Size: 1,344 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting After a five-week backpacking trip, Sara, Stephanie, and Shelby left Europe exhilarated by all they’d seen and done. At the time, they were convinced that kind of joy, excitement, passion for life—it was temporary.

Name: Paige (10) Location: Dallas, Texas This makeover was inspired by my colorful daughter. The jumping off point for the entire room was bright ikat fabric that was used for the custom drapes and my daughter’s desire for a canopy bed. The look is what I like to call Victorian-Boho. I selected a subdued color for the wall so the room would age with her as she grows into a teenager.

Just outside of the Austin city limits is the Dickerson family homestead. 25 acres hold a lot of critters and a lot of style.

Name: Tiffany and Alan Goldstein Location: Austin, Texas Size: 1064 square feet Years lived in: Owned for 9 Months Natural light pours in through large windows, warming Tiffany and Alan’s Austin bungalow. Tiffany’s background in fashion and the couple’s traveling adventures have inspired chic yet playful interior design. In just nine months, they have creatively remodeled the home to make their space feel open and airy.

Tiffany and Alan’s Austin bungalow is chic and playful, inspired by Tiffany’s background in fashion and the couple’s travels. Most impressive is that the couple has only been in the space for nine months. You can easily get this warm, beautiful look in your home using the links below. Shop the style!

Not exactly known for her minimalist views on decor, Jen's holiday-ready home—and over 100 Christmas trees—is cheery enough to brighten even the biggest Grinch's day!

Name: Amy and Jed Rogers, dog: Prancy and cat: Barney Location: Austin, Texas Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: Owned 2.5 years When my husband, Jed Rogers, and I started our house hunt four years ago we knew our list of “must haves” was going to be tough to find all in one home. What we ended up finding? A 1964 one-story home with good bones and lots of potential in a desirable neighborhood.