The Latest: Feb 2019

Name: Christina Nickerson, Owner of Olmay Home, and her husband, two daughters, and their dog Location: Hancock Park, Los Angeles, California Size: 5,000 square feet Years lived in: 15 years I’ve always been surprised that the classics, things like great jeans, a beautiful white mug, a plain dark chocolate bar, someone who makes a good martini — which you would think would be so easy to locate — can be so hard to find.

Name: Sara Tunstall, Digital Producer, and Becky Kastelic, Art Director Location: Wicker Park; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Longtime roommates Sara and Becky make cohesive cohabitation seem effortless. Friends since college, these ladies combine carefully selected additions from estate sales and big box stores together with favorite pieces from their childhood homes to give this historical space a sense of depth and timelessness.

Name: Darla Minnis & Andrew Childs Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; rented Darla & Andrew are both creatives pursuing their dreams; he’s a web designer and she’s a freelance accessory designer. When they first saw this apartment they knew right away they had to have it. In Brooklyn, outdoor space is highly coveted, and this one has an outdoor deck to boot.

Name: Maria and Eric Location: Jordaan — Amsterdam, The Netherlands Size: 200 square meters Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Welcome to Maria and Eric’s historical Amsterdam home with a modern twist. The two purchased this four-story abode five years ago and renovated the whole structure from top to bottom. Maria put it lightly when she said that renovating is “not an easy task in a foreign country.

Name: Jocelyn Mackenzie, Musician with the band Pearl and the Beard, and Jim Altieri, Programmer/Musician Location: Purdy’s, New York Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented When Jocelyn and Jim decided to leave Brooklyn living behind, they looked northward for their next home.

Name: Charlie Cosby, creative at Farrow & Ball Location: Southbourne; Dorset, UK Size: 860 square feet Years lived in: 3 years I was bursting with curiosity to see Charlie’s house — I tracked her down after falling in love with her incredible flamingo-tiled bathroom on Pinterest. I was even more intrigued when I found out that she is a creative at paint company Farrow & Ball and lives only a short drive away from me.

Name: Scotti Sitz, creator of GARDE (lifestyle, gift, and home accessories shop) Location: Hancock Park; Los Angeles, California Size: 2,600 square feet Years lived in: 4 months Scotti’s home reminds me of the classic California Spanish-style interiors you find in Malibu or Santa Barbara. The home (and its inhabitant) carry such elegance and beauty without being overly fussy.

Name: Stiles and Lauren Christner Location: Englewood, Colorado Size: 624 Square Feet Years Lived In: 2 Texas born and bred, Lauren and Stiles embody the small town warmth and southern spunk so often found in the Lone Star state. Lucky for us, the same can be said about their beautiful starter home in Denver, Colorado. Stepping through the threshold of this home, one might initially find it hard to determine the age of its residents.

Name: Taylor and Isabella Crockett Location: Central Phoenix, Arizona Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 9 Months; Owned While the housing market in Phoenix was one of the first to crash, it’s also been the first to rebound. Before the first quarter of 2012, if you were quicker than the investors, you could snag a foreclosed home in an historic neighborhood for less than $100,000.

Name: Jonathan Rubinstein, Founder/Owner of Joe, a coffee roastery and group of retail shops in New York City and Philadelphia; and Sally, age 4 Location: Brooklyn Heights; Brooklyn, New York Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Owned Clean lines define the neat, loft-like space that is Jonathan’s Brooklyn home, a well-edited contemporary apartment.

Name: Eric, founder of Fair Coast Goods & Upholstery, and Kellie, advertising account manager Location: Roscoe Village, Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years (own) Eric and Kellie’s wonderfully bright and modern loft is punctuated by a serendipitous story (bad pun intended!). You see, shortly after moving into their loft, which is a converted pencil factory, Eric launched his own business making handcrafted leather goods.

Name: Philip Oakley, his wife Olivia, and their two cocker spaniels, Joe and Jarvis Location: St Leonards; Sussex, UK Size: 6,000 square feet Years lived in: Owned 4.5 years, lived in 3 years Philip and Olivia’s home is a great hulk of a building painted top to toe in gunmetal grey. From the outside, it looks almost hermetically sealed. The front door blends in to the wall, and most the windows are shuttered.

Name: Jonathan Lo of Happy Mundane Location: Solana Beach, California Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented Last year, Jonathan Lo circled back around to his fondest childhood memories and rented a place in Solana Beach for long summer weekend escapes. Of course, since it was only going to be used in summer and because the space was temporary, cost was a primary consideration. When costs need to be kept low, turn to imagination to keep the final look high.

I first saw Shira Gill’s home through an Airbnb link that my friend forwarded to me, and I was instantly smitten. Shira, the owner of a professional organizing business called Simply Sorted, keeps her home exactly how I would (and sorta do). Her decor is minimal and clutter-free without being boring, an impressive feat with two little girls.

Name: Hallie Glennie Location: South Loop, Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years; Owned From the rustic wood ceilings crisscrossed by painted red duct work to the castle-sized windows surrounded by floor-to-ceiling exposed brick, her loft is the real deal — that sleek, urban look that suburbanites (like myself) often try to emulate with faux brick panels and prepackaged beadboard, but can never quite capture for lack of authenticity.

Name: Hannah and Dave Bullivant and their daughter Frankie-Rose Location: Brockley; London, UK Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 10 years; rented Hannah and Dave’s south London flat is proof that a little creativity and lateral thinking can turn a down at heel rented property into a cozy family home. The couple moved in ten years ago as students. Since then they’ve embarked on careers as a freelance writer and blogger at Seeds & Stitches (her) and music video director (him).

Name: Elizabeth Tulipana, founder of Anticipation Events + Bad Loo Loo Location: Bucktown; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Putting together a space that functions as both a home and base for her event planning business and Etsy shop came naturally to Elizabeth. A lover of all things vibrant and patterned, her spacious one bedroom apartment reflects her dynamic spirit and boundless creativity.

Name: Calvin Gilbreath Location: Capitol Hill, Washington DC Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned “Natural” is an apt term for the look and feel of Calvin’s Capitol Hill apartment — not just for the materials that make it up, but his innate ability to mix (and repurpose) high and low decor into a truly fashionable space. And I’ve never wanted to steal someone’s bathroom trash can until I toured Calvin’s home.

Name: John and Liz Tavarez Location: Fairview Place; Phoenix, Arizona Size: 1,004 square feet Years lived in: 7 years; Owned Liz and John live in a Sears Craftsman assembled in 1926. Their neighborhood, Fairview Place, was granted Historic Designation in 1994. It’s the oldest house in their neighborhood by two years. In Phoenix, this is considered incredibly old. In fact, generally speaking, a home built before 1960 is considered old.

Name: Johanna Lowe, food and prop stylist, and Derek Richmond, food photographer; together, they are the co-founders of Richmond Lowe Studio. Location: Logan Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 3,000 square feet, with an additional 2,000 square feet of outdoor space Years lived in: 7 months; Rented Could there be a more perfect pairing than a food and prop stylist and a food photographer?

Name: Lesley Greening Lassoff of Aardvark, and her two lurchers Ernie Spartacus Crabtree and Peggy Pansy Pearl Location: St Leonards, UK Years lived in: 5 years Lesley is one half of the creative force behind Aardvark, the printmakers who came up with the warm and witty Kill Your TV manifesto. She lives in the seaside town of St Leonards on Britain’s south coast in a converted Victorian Sunday school with her two lurchers Ernie and Peggy.

Name: Sarah Bernard, husband James, and stepson Edward (on weekends) Location: Notting Hill, London Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; rented Sarah’s home has a modern, graphic style and a laid-back vibe that makes guests feel immediately at home in their colorful surroundings. Nothing is staged or forced.

Name: Alison Hotchkiss Location: Mission; San Francisco, California Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Event Planner Alison‘s home is a reflection of her finely honed aesthetic, cultivated both by years in the wedding and event industry and her travels throughout the world. When quizzed on her resources she was as likely to drop the name of an exotic locale as a big box store.

Name: Lori and Jeromy Murphy, accesibility consultant with ACI, plus their two daughters Location: Heights Area; Houston, Texas Size: 2,480 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Owned Lori and her husband Jeromy are both architects. These days, she looks after the kids and he’s an accessibility consultant, but the house they built together has every bit of the ingenuity and style you would expect from the home of two designers.

Name: Cori & Jake Roberts Location: West End; Glasgow, Scotland Size: Three story town house Years lived in: 3 years; owned I can only conclude that Cori, her husband Jake (a film editor) and their three beautiful boys, Milo, Jonah and Louis, have effortless style running through their veins. Cori was born in Sweden, and with a photographer for a mother and artist for a father; their home was a hive of creativity.

Name: Rachel, Zach & Skye Location: Little Italy, San Diego, California Size: You’d think that we would know that since Zach’s dad is the architect, but we have no clue. Big enough for the three of us! Years lived in: 11 years If you want to live in one of the coolest concrete lofts in San Diego, it doesn’t hurt to be related to the architect.

Name: Tyler and Lolly Lux Location: Kensington, London, United Kingdom Size: 560 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, rented The morning of my photo shoot at Tyler and Lolly’s west London mews home, the couple were visited by an unexpected guest, in the form of a pigeon who somehow managed to fall down their chimney into the living room. “We woke up and could hear this strange flapping noise” Lolly told me when I arrived several hours later.

Name: Zoie Kingsbery Coe, founder of Kid & Coe Location: Marylebone, London Size: 1000 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; owned The location of Zoie Kingsbery Coe’s central London home is hard to beat. Situated in a tranquil and beautiful old mansion block, the apartment is tucked away, yet right in the heart of Marylebone with all the buzz of the city just moments away. The flat is the London home of Zoie, her husband and their two kids.

Name: Jesica Ryzenberg Location: Alamo Square, San Francisco, California Size: Studio, 450 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented When the door to Jesica’s apartment swings open, you are greeted enthusiastically and welcomed in wholeheartedly (even when you happen to show up on the wrong day).

Name: Bryan & Sarah Farevaag Location: Brooklyn, New York (Prospect Park South) Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 3.5; rented Bryan and Sarah Farevaag are creative powerhouses who live and breathe good design; Bryan is Deputy Art Director of Digital at O Magazine, and Sarah is an Interior Designer.

Name: Dan, Jill, Grey and Taavi Ritacco and their dog Apple Location: North Kingstown, Rhode Island Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: almost 3 years; owned Written in chalk above the bathroom door are the words, “Artistry + Function + Simplicity = This Home.” It’s a fitting mission statement for Jill and Dan Ritacco’s small Rhode Island cape, which was gutted and revitalized by the couple themselves.

Name: Amy Desmond of Victory Market Vintage & Handmade Location: Andersonville, Chicago, Illinois Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 4 There are charming apartments and then there’s Amy’s apartment, which is so charming it should come in locket form.

Name: Kim Knoll and Kyle Eertmoed, graphic designers at Knoed Creative Location: Ravenswood Manor; Chicago, Illinois Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 7 years; Owned Kim and Kyle know a thing or two about space. As graphic designers who started their own company, Knoed Creative, they spend endless hours thinking about how forms and language communicate across visual dimension.

Name: Cyndi Coon Location: Tempe, Arizona Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 13 years; owned Cyndi’s home, a ranch-style house built in 1958, is a stunning ode to all things found, reclaimed, and vintage. It’s a home you can stare at for hours: peering into glass-fronted cases, admiring collections of ceramics, and wondering at the story behind each object. It’s about as far away from childproofed as you can get.

Name: Oliver (graphic designer), Sherrie, and Cookie (a four-year-old Pekingese) Location: Bronx, New York Size: 525 square feet Years lived in: Under 2 years; Rented After living and volunteering abroad, Oliver and Sherrie had to start their home from scratch. Their experience in a third world country had a big influence on the way they approached furnishing their apartment.

Name: Andrew Samuel and Anne Greenwald Location: Ukranian Village; Chicago, IL Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 3 months, rented I visited Drew and Annie’s apartment on the first snowy day of the season, when everything outside was still and white. Annie was out of town, but Drew, who used to work at several independent record labels and who now works at Intelligentsia Coffee, played the perfect wintertime host, serving up warmth, conversation, and great music.

Name: Mike Rugnetta & Molly Templeton Location: Bed Stuy, Brooklyn NY Size: 1,350 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; rented Molly Templeton is better known as her internet personality Mememolly, and Mike Rugnetta is a composer, programmer and performer who hosts PBS’s web series Idea Channel. This ultra media-savvy duo are often busy at work (so busy that Mike had to miss the portrait shot), so when they retreat back home they want their place to feel playful and fun.

Name: Elena and Judd Location: Amsterdam Oost (East) Size: 83 square meters (about 893 square feet) Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Elena’s Italian heritage and Judd’s Wisconsin roots combine with their love of architecture, vintage street finds, and mid-century details to create a fantastic masterpiece of a home. Welcome to Elena and Judd’s beautiful Amsterdam space!

Name: Seth and Natalie Brookshire Location: Presidio Heights; San Francisco, California Size: 2,700 square feet Years lived in: Seth for 10 years, Natalie for 3.5; Owned Walking up to this residence you’ll be greeted by Seth, an architect, and Natalie, a floral designer. The modern, light filled space you step into feels like a hidden treasure, and for good reason. The place was designed from the ground up by Seth, and every detail was carefully considered, with flawless results.

Name: Michelle, Juliette & Nicolas Sauzier Location: SOMA; San Francisco, CA Size: 1,266 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Michelle and Nico are one of my favorite couples in San Francisco. They met in a very kismet-type of way: Michelle spotted Nico, a French expat with his own interior architecture and design business (Design By Nico), in a friend’s photo and was instantly smitten.

Name: John Trefry and Laurel Watson Location: Lawrence, Kansas Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; rented When I first visited John and Laurel’s house less than a year after they’d moved in, I was struck by its warmth and homeyness, qualities that brought me back for a tour. John is an architecture instructor and founding partner of the work.

Name: Amy Haiar and Todd Donahue Location: Avondale/Logan Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Owned What happens when two creative directors have carte blanche to design a new home from the ground up? In the case of husband-and-wife duo Todd and Amy, colorful, interesting, and beautiful things happen. Amy and Todd purchased their newly-constructed Smart Tech home a little over a year ago.

Name: Tim Naus Location: Albany Park, Chicago, Illinois Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; Rented Tim had to rescue the model building from being demolished, so he found his way into the abandoned school and grabbed the plastered to-scale model of Independence Hall. A similar one rests in the Smithsonian American History Museum, but this one was completely original, a true treasure.

Name: Pixel Farm Digital Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 10,000 square feet Years in business: 17 years Most high tech spaces and production companies feel sleek and modern to the point of simplicity. Not Pixel Farm. I’d even go so far as to say it feels like home, which is a welcome departure. Now, I don’t know many people who have a Roman fountain in their living room, but it’s that kind of unexpected embrace of the bold and comforting that makes this space so fun.

Name: Jesse Leake, Photographer Location: Lower Pacific Heights; San Francisco, California Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 10 years; Rented The antithesis of the proverbial bachelor pad, photographer Jesse Leake’s well-considered space is evidence that stereotypes are meant to be broken. A reflection of his globetrotting, artistic endeavors and eye for the offbeat, the space hits all of the right notes.

Name: Adi Edlen Location: South Waterfront; Portland, Oregon Size: 1,597 square feet Years lived in: 2 years Adi’s condo, located high above South Waterfront in Portland, Oregon, is as chic and glamorous as it gets. It combines soft, beautiful colors, a killer view, an ever expanding collection of artwork, and good old fashioned DIY projects. One moment Adi’s hosting a small, sophisticated party, and the next she’s chasing a toddler who’s running out of the nursery.

Name: Marco Pecota & Ilse Gudino Location: Toronto, Canada Size: 2,700 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned Imagining what the combined efforts of an industrial furniture designer/horror magazine publisher/film maker and a professional flamenco dancer could do with a boxy mixed-use building couldn’t even come close to the dramatic reality that is Marco & Ilse’s multi-level loft.

Name: Evan Pohl Location: Upper East Side, Manhattan Size: 295 square feet Years lived in: 18 months; rented It’s not always easy to edit your life down to under 300 square feet, but Evan Pohl makes it look effortless. Not only is he faced with the challenge of small space living; landlord restrictions keep things limited with a strict no-paint rule.