The Latest: 2019

Name: Soogee, husband Tae and their three kids Location: Okemos, Michigan Size: 2376 square feet (including the basement) Years lived in: 3 years Soogee wears a lot of hats. The mom of three kids, she also helps her husband run a couple of family businesses. The couple are also avid foodies, and they enjoy making delicious Asian- and European-inspired cakes and pastries. She’s also a decorator and realtor!

Name: Shauna Glenn and Jeff Jones Location: Fort Worth, Texas Size: 4,111 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned If Alice (of Wonderland) had a house in the 21st century, this is what it would look like. With each room drenched in bright colors and bold patterns, you can’t help but feel happy walking around this home. Shauna and Jeff have picked up items from their travels around the world, adding statement pieces to each room to give them character.

Name: Joel and Jessica Nickerson and their two daughters Location: Denton, Texas Size: 2,000 square feet Years Lived In: 8 years, owned Jessica has filled each room of her home with unique finds, DIY elements, and vintage pieces to create a warm and welcoming environment. On her blog, House Homemade, she shares her passion for creating a cozy home and demonstrates how to recreate her favorite DIY pieces.

Name: Mallory Guraya Location: The Marina — San Francisco, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting For over a year, Mallory has called this adorable little studio in the hip Marina neighborhood her home. The broadcast producer was born and raised in California and has East Indian roots. Her style gravitates toward bold colors, rustic trinkets, and dhurrie rugs, while adding touches of the Golden State through beach accents like seashells.

Name: Christine Knapp and Brooke Osecki Location: Maplewood — St. Louis, Missouri Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: Owned 1.5 years Most university students facing a three-month lease in a summer sublet would barely bother tacking a poster to the wall. Not Christine Knapp. I have never known her to live in a place more than a week without thoughtfully making it her own, even if it meant working within a student budget.

Name: Raquel Lynn and Adam Korbesmeyer (plus Mango the Pomeranian ) Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Originally from Ohio (and after a short stint in New York), Raquel and her husband Adam found their way to Los Angeles two years ago. Situated in Silver Lake, this recently renovated apartment is in a great location, but the couple needed this space to be more than just a home base for exploring Los Angeles.

Name: Elle Ruhstaller and Alex Ristevski Location: Piedmont Avenue — Oakland, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Elle can’t really pinpoint a specific style for the Oakland apartment she shares with her partner Alex. “It’s a mash-up of what I like most from many different eras,” she said of her apartment’s decor.

Name: Liesel and Pieter Crafford and their children, Jack and Gabi Location: Vredehoek — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 315 square meters Years lived in: 13 years, owned Liesel and Pieter fell in love with this house the moment they saw it, although what you see today is very different to how it originally looked. It was once the home to a mosaic artist, and nearly every single wall was a different, vivid color.

Name: Sarah Bishop Location: Cape Town Size: 463 square feet Years lived in: Owned, 6 months Situated just off bustling Long Street in the heart of Cape Town, you’ll find a small Moroccan-inspired oasis. As an entrepreneur, Sarah travels between London and Cape Town for work and needed a comfortable place to live when in South Africa. So she purchased this apartment six months ago with her business partner; they take turns sharing the space between them.

Textures, clever DIYs and lovely macrame fill this modern home in the Netherlands.

Name: Anne, Dave, Pascale and Liam Lowell Location: Orinda, California Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned After living in San Francisco for 20 years, Anne, her husband and two children moved north over the Bay Bridge to Orinda — a small town in the lush hills of the East Bay. It was the better schools that convinced the couple to make the move over the bridge. They found and nestled down in a beautiful house surrounded by leafy trees.

Name: Danielle Walsh and Greg Brownstein Location: Laurel Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting Traveling is fun, but can also be hard work — especially when you’re a senior editor at a travel magazine. So your home needs to be something you love coming back to; a place you can take a vacation from vacation.

Name: Margot and Luc Location: Utrecht, Netherlands Size: 538 square feet Years lived in: 2 years (I moved in with Luc a year ago, he has lived here for 2 years) Margot and Luc’s travel-inspired apartment will fill you with wanderlust the second you step through the door!

Name: Nolan and Natalie Smith Location: Plaza Midwood — Charlotte, North Carolina Size: 1,136 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting In the times of meeting your mate online, Natalie and Nolan did it the old-fashioned way — through mutual friends in Nashville, Tennessee. The couple has now made a home in Charlotte, North Carolina, in a “plain” apartment they’ve added tons of color and life to.

Name: Kari Lopez and Vien Do Location: East Village, Manhattan Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Kari and Vien moved up a few floors recently. First, the couple lived in a studio apartment on the third floor of this building for about a year and half. But now they occupy a light-filled one-bedroom unit on the 12th floor (with a balcony!).

Name: Erin and Mike and their two kids (ages 6 and 3) Location: Riverdale — Toronto, Ontario Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, owned This three-story, century home in Toronto is filled to the brim with stylish thrift hauls, DIY projects, and chic details. The combination of all those fixings make this house a pleasure to visit. It’s clear that Erin and Mike have put their hearts into making this the perfect luxurious family home for their small family.

Name: Melissa Morgan Location: Pleasanton, California Size: 380 square feet Years lived in: Renting 4 years Melissa’s been renting this tiny 380-square-foot rental for four years — a long time to try and squeeze your life and stuff in just one room. Does she ever get sick of small space living? “All the time!” she admits. “At least a few times a week I crave more space to have a sofa, a bigger bathroom to take a bath, and a bigger kitchen to cook anything I want.

Name: Michelle and Alex Gage Location: Havertown, Pennsylvania Size: 2000 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned “Everything needed to go!” That’s how interior designer Michelle Gage describes the Havertown house she and her husband bought three years ago. Because it’s in the suburbs, they were able to get more for their money — 2000 square feet — but Michelle reports that though large, it was, well, hideous. And she means all of it.

Name: Lisa Martin Location: Ville-Marie, Montreal Size: 540 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented Her travels in South America — seeing the colorful culture and world-renowned traditional crafts — have heavily influenced Lisa Martin’s Montreal apartment. Though small (just under 550 square feet), the space feels light and airy, thanks to clean white walls and a minimal aesthetic (and the small bits of color sprinkled throughout).

Name: Estefania and Chris Palomarez Location: Cleveland Heights — Oakland, California Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 8 months, rented Estefania says she had a plain looking apartment a few months before their house tour. But she and her partner Chris pushed themselves to work their way down each room, painting the walls and building pieces that suit their style (and are functional).

Name: Margherita Terrone Location: Montreal Size: 860 square feet Years lived in: 6.5 years, owned Maggie is NOT a fan of the “dull modern beige and white interiors that dominate design blogs,” as she describes. As art director for Werkliv, she layers color and texture to create vibrant spaces on a daily basis. Not surprisingly, she applies this design philosophy to her own home. Here, she’s achieved a fresh contrast to dull beige — and without spending a lot of money.

Name: Jackie Blair Location: Lake Orion, Michigan Size: 882 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented Jackie is a photographer and social media creative who loves to travel. She lives in a townhouse condo with her son and her new puppy. By keeping her condo neutral and simple, she has turned it into a peaceful hangout spot where they can all play and relax. Though living in the rented space comes with its challenges, Jackie strives to add the family’s personality wherever possible.

Name: Claire and Kasey Location: Mission District, San Francisco Size: 675 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Claire and Kasey chose this apartment because of the light; it’s warm and abundant. “When we came to look at the listing it was mid-day and I didn’t have to do more than open the front door to know that I wanted to live here.

Name: Pelin Binnet, Tim Kimball and their three cats Jiggy, Catherine Deneuve, and Henry Kittinger Location: Downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, renting Pelin (creator of the design, retail and beauty blog The Dapper Post) and Tim have a history with the building they currently live in. After arriving from Turkey, it was in this building that Pelin first lived.

Name: Fritha and Tom Quinn Location: Bristol, UK Size: 1000 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, owned Lifestyle blogger Fritha Quinn — also known as Tigerlilly Quinn — lives in a two-bedroom Victorian terrace with her husband Tom and their two adorable children Wilf and Mabli. The couple bought this home seven years ago when it was in a bit of a state, and since then have slowly taken time to renovate and make it their own.

Name: Meg and Joe plus Lady and Benny (Dachshunds) Location: Royal Oak, Michigan Size: 1,350 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Embracing the quirks — uneven floors, for instance — of an almost 100-year-old house is a challenge for people in the profession of precision. Like Meg and Joe, who are both graphic designers in the Metro Detroit area.

Carla is a shop owner, photography historian, writer and editor with a passion for art and her black roots.Her colorful Seventh Ward home is bursting with history.

Name: Carly Berlin Location: West Village, NYC Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Part home, part professional art studio, Carly’s long and narrow West Village apartment is outfitted minimally but filled with warmth and personality. Carly has a gift for seeing the beauty in the smallest of details, and her ability to set up her home from that perspective means she’s made a million small but successful decisions.

Name: Lisanne and Romy Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands Size: 430 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting (Romy moved in half a year ago) Lisanne and Romy share a tiny apartment — only 430 square feet! — in the heart of historic Utrecht. With space maximization in mind, these roommates purchased appropriately sized furniture. Elements that match the women’s personalities fill the cozy Dutch canal apartment.

Name: Meg Woodcheke and Conor Acomb Location: Oakland, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: Rented 8 years by Conor (Meg moved in 2 years ago) Meg doesn’t find much fun in buying furniture sets for her apartment, which she shares with her boyfriend Conor. “I think the real joy is in finding pieces from here and there and making them work together,” she says.

Name: Suzanne Bryan and Peter Carlstrom Location: San Francisco, California Size: 258 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned The basement level of Suzanne and Peter’s San Francisco house is where their garage is located, but there was also a basement room when they purchased it three years ago. Well, the word “room” is a little too generous for what the space was before.

Name: Shelbie Engelgau, Blake Cox, MJ Tantingco, Myles Huff (and fifth roommate Brian, who isn’t featured in the tour) Location: Oceanview — San Francisco, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 months, rented Shelbie’s move into this San Francisco apartment required no driving: She and her roommates only had to schlep their furniture up a small flight of stairs from the unit below into this newly remodeled four-bedroom upstairs unit.

Name: Li Ward and husband Dan Location: South End — Boston, Masschusetts Size: 1,380 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, owned Li Ward and her husband Dan initially met through their work as computer science professionals, but after a decade in the industry, Li decided it wasn’t the right future for her. Around 2009, Li took the plunge into full-time freelance photography after seeing a West Coast friend succeeding at the same thing.

Name: Ruthie Schulder, her husband and twins. Location: Brooklyn, New York Size: 2,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned A house becomes a retreat from the world and a place of comfort when you add meaningful things to it. The elements that reflect what’s important to you and your family. Ruthie and her husband’s Brooklyn house had space on its side when they purchased it.

Name: Kirk and Anna Nozaki, Naomi, and pups Keiko and Buster. Location: Ojai, California Size: 1,800 square feet Years Lived In: 3 years, owned Kirk and Anna moved from Silver Lake in Los Angeles to Ojai in 2014 to raise their daughter Naomi. Anna grew up in a small town in Alaska that was full of nature and had a supportive, tight-knit community. They wanted the same for their daughter.

Name: Todd Location: Montrose — Houston, Texas Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 3 1/2 years, renting As someone who works at an architecture firm, it makes complete sense that Todd would choose to live in the lively and hip Montrose area in Houston, Texas. Living in a neighborhood that has access to art, culture, amazing food and nightlife was more important to Todd than space.

Name: Jana, Mariano and their children Phadi and Christ Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Size: 2,200 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned This tour deserves a long look because Jana is a fashion blogger and costume designer whose personal style and philosophies are inspiring.

Name: Megan Martinez and Caleb Light-Wills Location: Santa Monica, California Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting When Megan moved to Los Angeles seven years ago from New York, she didn’t feel like she was really home until she found what she now calls her, “Boho Beach Bungalow” two years ago. As a blogger and designer, Megan’s home became the perfect canvas to create the beachy vibe she longed for while living on the Westside of LA.

Name: Andrew Griffiths Location: Borders of Crouch End — Islington, London Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned “Where you can, invest in some pieces that will always make you smile” says homeowner Andrew Griffiths, and it’s easy to see how he’s put this philosophy into practice in the North London apartment he shares with partner Luke.

Name: Rene Valdez Location: Lakeview — Chicago, Illinois Size: 320 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, rented The tiny size of this studio apartment hasn’t stopped designer Rene Valdez from hosting and entertaining friends. He actually hosts a Christmas party for 30+ people every year. In only 320 square feet! For everyday gatherings, he removes the books from the coffee table, transforming it into a cocktail table. The closet stores over-sized pillows for extra seating.

Name: Sarah and San Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands Size: 699 square feet Years lived in: Rented 1 year Sarah and San’s serene Utrecht apartment is a modern minimalist’s dream come true. Decorated mainly in black and whites, the space feels peaceful and uncomplicated. The apartment is located on the ground floor, so keeping the space as light as possible was very important to the couple.

Name: Joseph Luk Location: Downtown, Toronto Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; owned Have you ever felt that your home has a dual personality depending on the time of day? The season? Joseph does. During the day, the space is bright, airy and open. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the city, giving the illusion that you’re in the clouds. Transitioning into the evening, the lighting is dim and moody — perfect for having a mellow night in.

Name: Dana and Mitch Location: North of Nashville, Tennessee Size: 1,030 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Dana and Mitch have settled into a small neighborhood full of local charm after buying their first home a year ago. The two-story house is on a small, quiet street, across from a church. And it’s around the corner from quite a few antique shops, which is where Dana loves to shop.

Name: Johnny Matcham Location: Tower District — Fresno, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Johnny grew up surrounded by vintage. His father collected vintage radios, cameras and old advertising signs. His mom had a large collection of cookie jars and vintage kitchen decor. His grandparents had a house full of kitsch treasures: tiki mugs, risqué lady figurines, and novelty bar ware. Growing up, Johnny’s bedroom was filled with vintage art and toys.