The Latest: Apr 30, 2019

Name: Jess Cooney Location: Great Barrington, Massachusetts Size: 3,000 square feet Years Lived In: 7 years, renting New England-based interior designer Jess Cooney worked reno magic on an old carriage house a few years ago. Everything from an exterior paint job to a complete refresh of the interior transformed what was an outdated, dark space.

A free-spirit at heart, her adventurous background in backpacking and love for travel seems to have oozed from her soul and spilled out onto every surface of her vibrant home.

Name: Jeanne Marie and family Location: Holualoa on Hawai’i’s Big Island Size: 5,000 square feet across five structures on a one-acre lot Years Lived In: 30 years, owned Visiting Jeanne Marie’s Bali-style tropical compound in the jungle of Hawaii is an experience. There isn’t really anything like it. The space is private and magical with multiple structures, each inviting and bold.

Last month I published a fantastic set of house tours (mostly new, but also some always-great hits). I also shared some tantalizing peeks of homes through house calls, which are submitted by readers like you (and yes, you can submit, too!). I know it’s hard to pick a favorite photo from a recent house tour (they’re all pretty much spectacular), but if you did, I bet it might be one of these 10 stunning shots.

Name: Gregory Alan Isakov Location: Boulder County, Colorado Size: 2,250 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned On three and a half acres just outside of Boulder, Colorado sits a working farm where vegetables grow on their vines, flowers sway gently in the breeze, and sheep graze. And, depending on the day, music may float along the wind.

Name: Tes Hash Davison and Daniel Davison (And Lamb!) Location: Pilsen — Chicago, Illinois Size: 950 square feet Years Lived In: 4 years, owned On a recent work trip to Chicago, I stayed at my good friend’s house and was blown away by the style and design of the apartment. I got to sleep in the adorable attic guest room and am obsessed with the hot pink bathroom!

Name: Maude Jetté and Marc-André Côté (and three children) Location: Joliette, Quebec Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 1/2 years While traveling in Sayulita and in California, Maude Jetté had the idea of opening an online shop for the well-traveled home. Inspired by the beautiful boho vibes and the craftsmanship of artisans, she realized that it was what she was meant to do… offer special findings from all around the world to her fellow folks in Canada.

Name: Dave and Vivian Kania Location: Lake Arrowhead, California Size: 632 square feet Years Lived In: 6 months, owned When it came time for Vivian and Dave Kania to buy a house, it’s no wonder the creative couple chose to retreat to the charming mountain town of Lake Arrowhead.

Name: Malik and Abbie Naber Location: Cardiff by the Sea, California Size: 1,800 square feet Rent or Own: Own When Abbie Naber and her husband Malik moved into their home just two short years ago, it was a forgotten stucco’d-over mid-century ranch home in need of some love.

Name: Kristyn Location: Pleasanton, California Size: 406 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting I love that my apartment has the unique charm of a Victorian home but has been renovated to be comfortable and modern. My landlord is a contractor and did a beautiful job keeping the Victorian characteristics as he updated it. Living across the hall from one of my lifelong friends, Melissa [whose home we toured before!

Name: Joy Lofton and her family (Earl, Eleanor, Lois, Peaches, and Nunzo) Location: Atwater Village — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, owned Joy Lofton, an actress and wardrobe and interior stylist, enjoys living close to the L.A. River in Atwater Village with her family and pets. She’s inspired by Art Deco as well as early ’70s and ’80s style, as evidenced by her one-of-a-kind home.

Name: Rachel and Nick Kuchar Location: Ewa Beach, Hawaii Size: 2,040 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned We turned our cookie cutter suburban home into the vintage surf hideaway we had dreamed of. We were given a 1950s Gordon & Smith longboard from a relative and that began our love affair with the era. I asked my husband, a graphic designer, to make some art for the house since I couldn’t find anything that was just right.

Name: Wendy van Wilgenburg and two sons Willem (10), and Adam (12) Location: Zaandam, The Netherlands Size: 1700 square feet (the house), 4700 square feet (garden) Years lived in: 6.5 years, owned My name is Wendy van Wilgenburg, and I am a visual anthropologist and documentary filmmaker focusing on craftmanship. I have made films on master craftmanship for over twenty years and decided to found the Craft in Focus Festival to engage a large audience with the beauty of handmade objects.

Name: Kajon Cermak and Bob Muellner Location: Marina Del Rey, California Size: 40′ LOA, 13.5′ Beam Years lived in: 3 years, owned Kajon and Bob raised their family in Thousand Oaks, but as their kids got older and their schedules got busier, having to commute to west L.A. for work felt like more and more of a hassle. The couple’s creative solution was a fun one: They decided to simply go all in and live on a 40-foot house boat during the week! If you live in L.A.

Name: Shannon Buckley; husband, Nick Huertas; and 3 cats Location: Andersonville — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, rented Looking at their apartment, it’s hard to believe Shannon and Nick only moved to Chicago one year ago. Leaving Boston, the East Coast, and a number of dark, dreary apartments behind, they were determined to find a home with outdoor space and lots of natural light.

Name: Michelle Morrison and her brother Michael Morrison, and two greyhound dogs, Fern and Pintxo Location: Oakland, California Size: 1,330 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Design plays a central role in Michelle Morrison‘s life and career. Currently a Design Producer at Dropbox, she’s also worked for companies like Facebook, Square, IDEO, and more.

Name: Stacey Norkun and Chris Norkun Location: Salem, Massachusetts Size: 2,629 square feet Years Lived In: 3.5 years, owned We would visit Salem often in the early 2000s and loved the history, culture, and vibrancy of the city. It was a place that always held special meaning in our hearts. After some years living in the metro D.C. area, we decided to move back to New England, and Salem was the obvious choice—it had just the right amount of kitsch and character we were looking for.

Name: Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton and Adam Fulton and dog Rocky Location: West Village — New York, NY Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton knows about self-care and spaces where you can relax. She’s the founder and CEO of Chillhouse, a nail salon/spa/cafe that’s “a destination for modern self-care” on the Lower East Side.

Name: Savannah and Zach Kolodziejski Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania Size: 56.7 square feet / 259.68 cubic feet Years Lived In: Owned This rad retro 1976 Chevrolet van is more than just a home-away-from-home for Savannah and Zach. The couple was married this past summer in Palm Springs, California, and the van was both the groom’s method of getting to the wedding and their honeymoon suite on wheels after getting hitched!

Name: Chris McGovern Location: NoMad — Manhattan, New York Size: 925 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned In a city full of high-rises often with floors of identical apartments, Chris was keen to find a space that was both architecturally unique and required some renovation to put his own touch on it. He gravitated towards loft spaces throughout his search. In 2017, he purchased a loft in Manhattan on the border between Chelsea and NoMad.

Name: Jake Levin Location: Big Bear, California Size: 972 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, owned I found this cabin after being frustrated with the out-of-reach housing market in Los Angeles, where I live and work full-time as an Art Director/Graphic Designer. One day I started looking at places in Big Bear, just a two-hour drive from the city, when I realized wait a minute, I might be actually able to do this.

Name: Karine Matte, Louis, Danick and Pablo, the Golden Doodle Location: Vieux-Longueil, Québec Size: 2,200 square feet Years lived in: 9 years, owned Karine is an interior stylist and founder of Matte & Glossy. She is also a color junkie, a decor consultant, a blogger, and an avid traveler. She lives with her husband Danick and their son Louis in this charming 1954 bungalow in Old Longueuil. Their home is her creative playground.

Name: Arielle Assouline-Lichten Location: Greenpoint — Brooklyn, NY Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Architect and designer Arielle Assouline-Lichten has a badass, burgeoning design career. After studying at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, she founded the multidisciplinary design firm Slash Projects in 2013, which specializes in both physical and digital spaces.

When Sarah and her wife, Jamie, chose to buy a home together, they were finally able to turn their beautiful creative energy on their own space.

Name: Sophie Demenge and Michael Ryan Location: Park Slope — Brooklyn, New York Size: 3,240 square feet Years lived in: 8 years, owned Sophie lives in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn with her husband Michael, two kids Mae and Marius, and three cats. The neighborhood is best known for rows of brownstone homes, one of the nation’s first food co-ops, and access to Prospect Park (what I like to call the Central Park of Brooklyn).

It's important to remind everyone you can really achieve big changes despite the small square footage.

Name: Chad Burton, Burger Kim, and Terrence the cat Location: Queen West — Toronto, Canada Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 7 months, owned As creatives whose vision is often outside the box, this couple has completely (and colorfully) transformed a bleak condo into a vibrant masterpiece. Chad Burton has a career as a stylist and fashion editor, while Burger works as Canada’s visual merchandiser for Gucci.

Name: Bliss Lau Location: Lower East Side —New York, NY Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: Less than a year, owned Jewelry designer Bliss Lau’s wearable creations are minimal—simple forms that are elegant and architectural—but they aren’t plain. Her necklaces, bracelets, body chains, and rings feature luxurious details. It’s a style combination seen in the minimal and modern home she shares with her husband Evan and their new baby Soa.

Name: Elle Huerta Location: Venice — Los Angeles, California Size: 900 square feet Years Lived In: 3 years, renting Elle Huerta is the founder and CEO of Mend, a self-care app launched just last year that helps you through a breakup and is a community for those going through heartbreak. Her cozy home is located along one of Venice’s “Walk Streets;” pedestrian-only walkways where homes are tucked behind verdant trees.

Name: Emily Kellerman Location: Ditmas Park — Brooklyn, NY Size: 450 square feet| Years Lived In: 3 years, renting Prop stylist Emily Kellerman’s small studio apartment is proof you don’t need a ton of space—or separate rooms—to live beautifully and well. We first saw a sneak peek of her small 450-square-foot Brooklyn rental apartment in a house call, but I wanted to see more.

Name: Ainsley Gardner, Brandon Stewart, and Betty Cat Location: Chelsea — New York City Size: 737 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, renting “One of the challenges of living in a newer rental is trying to bring character to the space without making permanent changes,” explained Ainsley Gardner, who’s been sharing this rental apartment in Chelsea with her partner Brandon and their cat, Betty.

Name: Chelsea Poling and cat Piper Location: Santa Monica, California Size: 1,450 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned “I love the location of my home; I am less than a block from the Santa Monica Beach. I make it a daily task or indulgence to go to the beach every day, whether it be a walk on the beach, a dip in the ocean, or quiet meditation,” wrote Chelsea Poling, the founder and CEO of the online wellness boutique Rose Botanica.

Name: Jamie Gasparovic, husband Ryan, and two rescue pups Location: Orlando, Florida Size: 2,000 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned When my husband Ryan and I were looking for our first house, we were looking exclusively at fixer uppers. I’m an interior designer, so I’m very particular about my house looking how I want, and I didn’t want to pay a premium for someone else’s tastes and renovations that I didn’t even like!

Name: Fiona Morrison, owner of Wolf Circus Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Size: 850 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned While she was still at British Columbia’s University of Victoria, entrepreneur Fiona Morrison founded Wolf Circus, “a line of demi-fine jewelry thoughtfully designed and hand fabricated in Vancouver, BC.

Name: Mary and Tom Eirich Location: Watertown, Massachusetts Size: 1,100 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned We had previously lived in Belmont, Massachusetts, for 30 years and had decided, as empty nesters, to move to the north shore, not far from the ocean. After a few years of being further from our children (and, eventually, grandchildren) and also missing the conveniences and cultural benefits of being close to the city, we decided to look at real estate closer to Boston.

Name: Chelsea Meissner and pup Tyson Location: Charleston, South Carolina Size: 1,900 square feet Years Lived In: Less than a year, owned “I love that every last detail of my home was thoughtfully chosen, and that it feels like an extension of me,” writes “Southern Charm” star Chelsea Meissner.

Name: Justin Elizabeth Sayre Location: Los Angeles, California Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 4 years Born in Pennsylvania, writer, performer, and comedian Justin Elizabeth Sayre made a name for himself in the downtown New York cabaret scene paying homage to cultural icons like Judy Garland, Cher, and Elizabeth Taylor (hence his middle name).

Name: Kayla Benedict and Erick Pausz Location: Lincoln Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: around 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, renting Kayla and Erick met nearly seven years ago, and shortly after started selling mid-century furniture out of their garage together. What started as a hobby quickly grew into a business! Now their mid-century modern furniture company, Shark Gravy, has a store front, 16K+ Instagram followers, (and probably as many satisfied customers!

Amanda runs her business Baguette & Butter out of their home, and Guillermo is Chef de Cuisine at the popular Logan Square restaurant, Mi Tocaya.

Name: Stacy and Ben Location: San Diego, California Size: 2,930 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned It was the enviable views of the ocean and quirky mid-century details that appealed to Ben and Stacy when they bought this house, which hadn’t been renovated since it was built in 1958. Located in a bohemian beachside community in San Diego, the couple was expanding their family and looking for a place to settle where growing kids would feel comfortable for many years to come.

Name: Cécile Gariépy, her boyfriend, and their lovely dog, Marjo Location: Rosemont La Petite-Patrie, Montreal Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned After her studies in cinema and working as a film director for five years, Cécile Gariépy moved to Paris to pursue a master’s degree. Her life in France was very academic, and creative Cécile started drawing illustrations.

Name: Lea Nguyen and Ugo Rioux Location: Ville-Marie, Montreal Size: 420 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting After an extensive search, Lea, a freelance writer and journalist, and her boyfriend Ugo, a science assistant in a college, left their respective beloved Montreal hoods of Little Italy and Villeray to move in together in Ville-Marie borough. The apartment did not look anything like it does now when signing the lease, but they saw the potential.

Name: Dawn Sweitzer of Notre Monde Location: High Point, North Carolina Years working in: 5 years, owned Dawn Sweitzer is the artist behind Notre Monde, a brand known for textiles, furniture, and accessories like trays, art, mirrors, and more. Her designs are distinct, as well as modern, minimal, and a little bohemian, too.

Name: Erin Flett and family Location: Gorham, Maine Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned We found an open lot in the middle of an established neighborhood in Gorham, Maine, and instantly fell in love. It was almost four acres, half-wooded, and half-open and flat.

Name: Nikki Darling, three cats, Fats Domino Darling, King Tut Darling, and Marlowe Cat Darling, and one dog, Raspberry Beret Darling Location: Highland Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, renting Writer, artist, and performer Nikki Darling grew up in Los Angeles. After attending undergrad at Cal Arts, she moved back in 2008 and has been in this quaint back house in Highland Park ever since.

Name: Carly Koppen and husband James Koppen Location: Columbus Park — Kansas City, Missouri Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, renting Carly signed the lease for her Kansas City house, sight-unseen, almost five years ago. But after seeing the photos of the pink tiled bathroom and the home’s charming details—like the rounded archways—she knew she couldn’t pass up this gem.