The Latest: 2011

Name: Jennifer DyerLocation: Hollywood Hills, CaliforniaSize: 2960 square feetYears lived in: 1 1/2 years Jennifer has a designer’s eye for confidently pulling together different styles across a mixture of unique furnishings. She loves scavenger finds — her leather dining room side chair was found on the side of the road. She is not afraid to shop at high and low sources to create a personal and unique home. At the end of the day, it comes down to the design and not the price tag.

Name: Michael and ShannonLocation: Upper West Side, New YorkSize: 400 square feet one bedroom rentalYears Lived In: 5 years “We’ve always had a thing for the relaxed library [look],” explains Michael, a travel photographer, as he gives me the grand tour of his and Shannon’s home. You may recognize this well-curated (small!) apartment as one of the ‘teeny-tiny’ category finalists in this year’s Small Cool Contest.

Name: Sabrina Ward HarrisonLocation:Silver Lake — Los Angeles, CaliforniaSize: Approximately 1100 Square FeetYears lived in: 5 months — rent Sabrina Ward Harrison, a prolific Los Angeles based artist, has shared her entire life in print for over a decade. Mixing medias such as photography and painting in with her text, she has this sentimental way of bringing out the rawest of emotions through everything she writes about.

Name: Samantha, Lindsay and UshaLocation: Downtown — Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSize: 1,500 square feetYears lived in: 2 Samantha, Lindsey and their housemate, Usha, have made a sunshine–drenched home of their own with a few coats of paint, some great DIYs and a whole lot of art work made by family members. Their laid back style is both accessible and inspiring.

Name:: Elizabeth Low and David Cash and their 2 year old daughter VioletLocation: Mar Vista — Los Angeles, CaliforniaSize: 903 Square FeetYears lived in: 2 — Own Elizabeth Low and her husband David Cash have created a lush and happy home. With no shortage of good weather, this small family enjoys the perks of rich landscaping and plenty of open space. Their daughter Violet has the best of both worlds; a cozy little bedroom to call her own and huge backyard to play in.

Name: Sean and Mandi EhmanLocation: West VirginiaSize: 1,977 square feetYears lived in: 4 This contemporary-style home in West Virginia is a unique example of how to customize a modular home and make it beautiful, but more than the aesthetic result, it’s the fruit of living intentionally that shines.

Name: Craig Olsen & Richard KoningsburgLocation: Hancock Park — Los Angeles, CaliforniaSize: 3000 square feet Years lived in: 10 years An interior designer’s own home represents his or her personal style, but is also a representation of their skill set as a designer. I had heard that designer Craig Olsen’s home was very special. I patiently waited months for this tour because he wanted his space to be just perfect before he shared it with us.

Name: Antonio Ballatore + Chewie, the 6 year old English BulldogLocation: Downtown — Los Angeles, CaliforniaSize: 3,300 square feetYears lived in: 10 months — rent To win a show such as HGTV’s Design Star you must have an extremely rich point of view and a unique vision. I also believe what makes a successful interior designer is the ability to find what is special about the client and integrate that into the design.

Name: Isabelle Dahlin and Brandon BoudetLocation: Echo Park, CaliforniaSize: 1,250 square feetYears lived in: 5 years — Own What do you get when you mix an interior designer and chef under one roof? A lovely one bedroom English style cottage with incredible landscaping, an organic vegetable garden and a chicken coop! Isabelle Dahlin, owner of deKor, and her boyfriend Brandon Boudet, of Little Dom’s, have created the ideal getaway right at home in the hills of Echo Park.

Name: Meg and DanLocation: Jamaica Plain, MassachusettsSize: 925 square feetYears lived in: 1 — owned Meg and Dan, professional classical musicians with the Jupiter String Quartet, travel frequently for their work. So an uncluttered, streamlined home is all the more important. In fact, they were remarkably relaxed about the fact that we scheduled our photo shoot only hours before they had to head to the airport for an international work trip.

Name: Vince StroopLocation: Flower District — New York, New YorkSize: 700 square feetYears lived in: 4 years — rented There is a magical place that exists amongst the grit and hustle of New York City where the scenery demands you take a breath and stop to smell the roses. It is sweet, fresh, and totally unexpected. Walking down 28th street you find yourself strolling straight into New York’s garden district.

Name: JessicaLocation: Kerrisdale — Vancouver, BC We found this gem of a character building in 2010, while hunting for a new, pet-friendly space and something to get us out of the suburbs and a little closer to work downtown…The SO good!:This building blew our minds, 1200 square feet, late 1920’s – early 1930’s character, built in glass door cabinet, wood floors, 10 foot ceilings, working fireplace, window seat, cat and dog friendly, above an amazing candy store (!!

Name: Zoe Feldman and Trey Location: Georgetown — Washington, DCSize: 2 bedrooms, 1 full bath, 2 half baths. Approx: 1200 sq ftYears lived in: almost 2 years — owned Seeing what tricks designers use in their own homes is always a treat, but getting to peek into the home of an interior designer as unique as Zoe Feldman is a total thrill, especially since she was so open about sharing tips and resources.

NameNick Keppol Location Size/Room Years lived in Brooklyn-based master typographer Nick Keppol shows us how form truly follows function in his beautiful home office that’s bursting with modern details. Terrariums that add an organic detail, library stacks of creative reads, and enough Herman Miller gear that’ll bring a tear to your eye – everything screams style (or perhaps even slightly obsessive on the curation front, depending on who you ask).

Name: Maryam and MaxLocation: Beachwood Canyon – Los Angeles, CaliforniaSize: 1,900 square feetYears lived in: 10 years Living in the Hollywood Hills with an unobstructed city view is one of the ultimate LA fantasies. Maryam and Max’s home is beautifully designed with modern furniture and a collection of Maryam’s pottery scattered throughout the house. My favorite room is definitely the sitting room, where they often enjoy breakfast while taking in the view.

Name: Penny, Petra and Sydney CortrightLocation: The Mesa — Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSize: 2,600 square feet (including a 600 square foot attached studio rental)Years lived in: 20 — owned Never have I turned a corner to face a staircase that literally reads, painted on the stairs, “And I’ll Buy You a Stairway to Heaven.” This detail leads to many more creative twists and turns, as I toured this unique home on the top of a hill in Santa Barbara.

Name: David and MartaLocation: East Village, Downtown — San Diego, CaliforniaSize: 820 square feetYears lived in: 5 years — rented This loft in downtown San Diego has a soaring 35-foot ceiling and exposed rafters and pipes, which bring a raw edge to David and Marta’s pared-down style. The space also makes a stylish backdrop for the surf and California-themed prints David designs as Orange & Park.

Name: Ben and Abby (and Lucy the pug)Location: Golden Hill – San Diego, CaliforniaSize: 700 square feet (1 bedroom, 1 bath)Years lived in: 2 years, rent In this light-flooded Golden Hill apartment, Ben serves as resident curator. By day, he’s director of La Jolla’s Quint Contemporary Art, one of the hottest galleries in San Diego, making him more than qualified.

Name: Jeff and Mary LaCosteLocation: Crown Hill — Seattle, WashingtonSize: 2100 square feetYears lived in: 4 — 3BR, owned Behold! It’s the folks behind ModKnobs, which we featured back in 2009 (custom modern doorknobs made from hockey pucks). Rehabbing their home from the the ground up, Jeff and Mary left no detail untouched.

Name: Deron and Marye Miller, Son Conner – 15; Daughter Macee – 12; Boston Terriers Sparky, Slinger and Murphy and Chihuahua Wilbur Location: Rollingwood — Austin, TXSize: 4000 square feetYears lived in: Owned 1 year You know the state saying: “Everything’s bigger in Texas.” Because we have a little more room to stretch out here, our houses are sometimes larger than the norm.

Name: Sam Spencer and Dominic WilliamsonLocation: Phinney Ridge — Seattle, WashingtonSize: 2000 sq feetYears lived in: 8.5 years Sam, Dominic and their two little girls live on a sunny hill in the neighborhood of Phinney Ridge in Seattle. The house stands out on the street as a sweet, contemporary haven with subtle storybook details. Their bright, red, front door and modern, silver house numbers are just a preview of the chic decor inside.

Name: Anne Ingman, photographer and blogger, and Jake Ingman, along with dog Judy Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota Size: 842 square feet Years lived in: Owned 4 years The Minnesota home of married couple Anne and Jake Ingman absolutely exudes friendliness, warmth and style. Simply decorated to maximize space, the result is a bright and airy home that fits the personalities of two young, stay-at-home, creative people. Dog Judy also makes an excellent visual accessory for any room!

Name: Shannan Martin, along with her husband Cory and 3 kidsLocation: Wakarusa, IndianaSize: 2300 square feetYears lived in: 4 — owned We see a lot of urban spaces in house tours around here so Shannan and Cory’s farmhouse is something a little different. Nestled in the lush green fields of Amish country, the couple have created a dreamy little haven that is stylish in its simplicity.

Name: Minh and Ted Location: Miracle Mile — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 8 years When Minh and Ted received an unexpected offer on their West Hollywood place, within days they were on the hunt for a new place to call home. Their realtor found them a distressed house that required a lot of work – you never really know the scope of what you are getting into until you are deep in renovation.