Upper West Side

Hattie Kolp has transformed her childhood home — this stunning prewar brownstone apartment she's lived in since she was 10 years old — by revealing gorgeous original architectural details, like several pocket doors that were covered by sheetrock and shelving.

If this space were personified, it would be a 1970s feminist character named Valerie. Bold, not afraid of color (or the patriarchy), and who doesn't take herself too seriously.

Heather and Michael share a very organized, extremely stylish 600 square feet with their three daughters, Lennon (4 years), Georgie (2.5 years), and James (15 months). The home's style is "cozy, thoughtful, not fussy, and somewhere between minimal and collected."

After living in New York City for 10 years, Maria has found a place where she feels at home with great neighbors. Through the help of second-hands furniture and paint, she has created a gorgeous studio apartment.

Jake and August’s landlord “wasn’t exactly open to renovations,” so the couple got creative with upgrading their rental by swapping outdated overhead light fixtures and “adding smart storage wherever we could.”

After a long-term breakup, Emily Sermons rented this 130-year-old apartment near Central Park and designed it just for herself, filling it with velvet, vintage finds, and an utterly fantastic marble mantel.

“Creating a sense of balance was key,” explains renter Kelsey Matyas of this “soft but grounded, warm but not overly styled” Manhattan apartment.

It’s repainted almost monthly.

Salome Mergia's Upper West Side studio was furnished a lot from places like Housing Works, Salvation Army, Goodwill, and other vintage spots.

This home is print driven, maximalist, and theatrical, and has the most beautiful pistachio-colored living room.

There’s also an incredible 3D-printed coffee table, gorgeous wood moldings, and a neat art collection.

When Sofia Marcogliese and her boyfriend, Oleg, moved in together for the first time into this 950-square-foot rental apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, they weren’t expecting their existing furniture to go so well together. “But what really ties everything together is my mother’s oyster painting,” Sofia explains. “She’s a Montreal-based artist, and my sister, Laura-Michelle, curated and digitalized her work through her online gallery, Glasshouse.

There's a brilliant cat litter box solution in this small Upper West Side studio apartment too!

Jake Poser is an interior designer and visual artist, and the apartment he shares with partner, August, is transitional, classic, inviting, elegant, and quirky.

See how this renter made his Upper West Side studio apartment feel playful and comfortable despite the small size.

Tour an apartment built in 1901 with warm, comfy library vibes thanks to stunning historic woodwork and built-ins.

Megan Krieman, a photo stylist, has called this small Manhattan apartment (and stunning terrace) home for 20 years.

Shelby Vanhoy of Pretty in the Pines and her husband made their small Manhattan rental apartment a peaceful family haven by bringing in nature-inspired colors and timeless prints and patterns while highlighting 1930s architectural details.

Erik works from home, and needed a bright, airy space that "inspired me while keeping me in a good mood (happy colors) but relaxed."

Aaron's favorite "room" is the entire apartment, "because it is a studio that has been designed with intention to give each area a specific use and vibe. Although it is one open space, each section serves a different purpose."

Chandler and Lucy were living in California when they decided to move to NYC for the first time. Though they initially were looking for one-bedrooms, when their friend saw a great studio on the Upper West Side, they submitted their application and trusted that it would work!

By shopping secondhand and grabbing items off the street, Bronwyn Tarboton, a musical theater performer who runs the brilliant Instagram and TikTok accounts, @nyctrashtotreasures, was able to make her dream home an affordable reality.

Michal Kolaczkowski and Trevor Kuhn have been renting this 300-square-foot studio apartment on New York City's Upper West Side for about seven months.

The entire home is full of historic architectural details, from original herringbone wood floors, original dog-bone tiles in the bathroom, mirrored cabinet in the kitchen, gorgeous crown moldings on the walls, and the high ceilings, which Jessica says make the studio feel spacious.

When Bailey moved into an Upper West Side studio, she had to make purposeful purchases and decor decisions to fit all her favorite items in this very small space.

Gaby Neira and Chris Yera moved into their Upper West Side apartment almost a year ago. "Living in New York is expensive, especially for college students. We had to design the space with a small budget, limited stock availability across the city, and a two-week moving time constraint."

This apartment was a white-walled, blank canvas before Robb Wexler moved in. "This gave me the chance to completely transform the space into something very personal, which tells my story."

The biggest challenge was mastering the layout of a studio apartment and figuring out my storage situation. Using underbed storage for cameras, photo supplies, and out-of-season clothing saved the day!

Name: Emily DeRosa and Matthew Pugliese Location: Upper West Side, NYC Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years Emily and Matt’s pre-war apartment building (built in 1925) is located on a quiet block on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The couple has resided in their 800-square-foot apartment for two-and-a-half years, and during this time, have filled it with treasures from their travels and art made by dear friends. Emily works in an art gallery and Matt is a physical therapist.

Name: Alana and Kristopher Location: Upper West Side — New York City, NY Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Successfully pulling together a space that is a minimalist sanctuary, but also interesting (and one that still feels decorated), is surprisingly hard to do. Which is what makes this New York City couple’s Upper West Side apartment so impressive.

Name: Nisha Mirani and Brendan Kramer Location: Upper West Side — New York, NY Size: 500 square feet Years Lived In: 9 months, renting We recently moved to New York from Los Angeles to be closer to family and to live a car-free lifestyle. I work full time on Sunday/Monday from home and Brendan helps on nights and weekends, so our apartment search was as much of a studio search as an apartment hunt.

Name: Alina Fassakhova, Artem Churikov and cat Usha Location: Upper West Side — New York City Size: About 400 square feet Years Lived In: 14 months, renting Working and living in a small space is already a challenge. Add to that a messy (artistic) profession requiring oil paints and large canvases, and it becomes truly challenging to balance work and personal life in one space.

The Apartment Botanist, Alessia Resta, shares a peek into her small home filled with hip decor and TONS of plants.

Name: Michelle & Jeffrey Alves de Lima-Miller (plus Amélie & Lester, our cats) Location: New York, New York Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; owned. In a beautiful old building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side live Michelle, Jeffrey, and their two cats. Soon they’ll be adding a new little one to the mix, and moving to a larger and more family-friendly apartment in Brooklyn. But just a few days before their move, they welcomed me to their lovely home.

Name: Coco Cohn Location: Upper West Side — New York, New York Size: 430 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, rented Coco’s Upper West Side apartment in New York is an homage to her theatre career. Not only is the actor and drama teacher’s space filled with pieces highlighting her adventures, but the space itself is dramatic: The living room is dark gray, the bedroom walls are red, and the bathroom is primarily pink.