The Latest: 2019

Name: Caitlyn Cartlidge Location: Frederick, Maryland Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned This house was a dump when I bought it. Stained wall-to-wall carpet and garish high-gloss paint, zero appliances in the kitchen, missing most of its doorknobs, and with a barely usable bathroom whose walls matched the color of the anti-freeze in the pipes pretty well.

Name: Florencia Location: Villa Crespo — Buenos Aires, Argentina Size: 465 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Florencia was living in a studio apartment in Villa Crespo when she started the search for a home to buy. It was important to her to stay in the neighborhood, since many of her friends live here, too.

Name: Walter and Adam Ryon Location: San Leandro, California Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, rented Walter was working and living in Abu Dhabi when Adam first spotted the building they now call home. Finding a home from a distance was difficult, but when Adam drove by the building, Adam thought this one might be a good fit. It was a quintessential 1950s apartment building that was recently updated, and Adam felt their style was reflected both on the inside and outside.

Name: Alex Crabtree and her husband Adrian Location: London Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 1 1/2 years A print in the bathroom declares: “Your home should tell the story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love.” And this exuberant, eclectic London apartment, lavishly filled with collections and curios, beautifully tells the story of property, kitchen and interiors public relations expert Alex Crabtree.

Name: Amelia Stockdale and Kayne Assan Location: Busselton, Western Australia Years lived in: 2 years, renting After returning from traveling and living all over Australia two years ago, Kayne and Amelia were lucky enough to be offered this beach shack to rent in Busselton through a friend. Busselton happens to be Kayne’s hometown, and at first this rental was supposed to be a temporary visit before their next adventure.

Name: Elsie Tuttle, Leslie Salisbury, Tierney Furlong Location: Tower Grove South — St. Louis, Missouri Size: 1,626 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Elsie’s home has made something of a name for itself. Called the “Humphrey Homestead,” after its street address in St.

Name: Karlijn, Daniel and their cat Harrie Location: Utrecht, the Netherlands Size: 1,076 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Karlijn is a teacher at a school for children with special needs. It’s a very rewarding job, though at times it can also be pretty challenging. When a day has been especially strenuous, she loves to unwind in the lovely home she shares with Daniel and their cat Harrie. In fact, decorating the house they bought three years ago has become quite a passion.

Name: Naeem, Cecelia and their two daughters, Amelia and Sophia Location: Mowbray — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 1,076 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Naeem and Cecelia had to put in new floors, ceilings and walls in this Victorian cottage, the first house they’ve owned together as a couple. “It was a challenge but also great, because we started with a blank canvas,” writes Cecelia.

Name: Irmak Karayal and Spencer Ramsey Location: East Harlem — New York, New York Size: 550 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, renting “Everyone who steps into our apartment says something along the lines of, ‘This is the perfect little apartment for you guys!’ We hear the words ‘perfect little’ all the time,” says Irmak — one half of the couple that lives in this East Harlem apartment. This description couldn’t be more true.

Name: Amanda Jaffe, Kate McCann, Carina Romano Location: Fleischmanns, New York Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: Less than a year, owned Sometimes friends get together and profess their love of the same tall mountains and winding roads. For Amanda, Kate and Carina (me!), these confessions and conversations resulted in buying a dream getaway together in the ever-inspiring Catskill Mountains.

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: Anna, Jason and Freddy Location: Ballard — Seattle, Washington Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned After buying their Seattle home five years ago, Anna and Jason spent about two years updating elements that likely hadn’t changed in decades — all new windows, refurbished kitchen counters, new paint throughout — and the list goes on.

Name: Deepali and Naveen Kalia, Annika, 8 and Akhil, 2 Location: Hillsboro, Oregon Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 12 years, owned Deepali and Naveen began their life together in a traditionally Indian way — through an arranged marriage. She had just finished studying fashion design in India at NIFT, and moved to Oregon to join Naveen who works at Intel.

Name: Jeanie Engelbach and pup Tater Tot Location: East Village — New York, NY Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 24 years, renting “I’ve been collecting since I was five years old,” admits Jeanie Engelbach, “and coupled with a design aesthetic based on my nine-year-old self — candy, comics and cartoons — the apartment feels like a tightly curated mini pop culture museum.

Name: Siobhán Gallagher & John F. Malta Location: Ridgewood, New York Size: 520 square foot Years Lived In: Siobhan: 3 years, John: 1 year, renting Imagine: world’s cutest couple of professional illustrators living together in a gallery-like home filled with their friends’ magnificent art! Siobhán Gallagher, senior designer at Abrams Books and author of IN A DAZE WORK, and John F.

Name: Leela, Chris and Violet Location: Bedford Stuyvesant — Brooklyn, New York Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Leela describes her family’s Brooklyn home as a constant work in progress. When the she and Chris purchased the whole building about four years ago, lots of work needed to be done. Their full gut renovations left them with a “Brooklyn industrial recycled Scandinavian” duplex, though.

Name: Anna Lane, her husband Chris and their two children Noah and Rose Location: Los Angeles, California. Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, renting When Anna and her husband moved into this house, she was determined to create a homey, warm place to live. The previous tenants of this rental had a vastly different design style than Anna, but she painted, bought furniture from flea markets, did some gardening and even updated the floors.

Name: Andrea Howe Location: Seal Beach, California. Size: 2,300 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, owned When Andrea Howe and her family started searching for a house, nothing they found was what they were looking for. This house had one thing going for it though: “The decision of purchasing this one was the tree in the backyard,” says Andrea.

Name: Wendy Goodman Location: Greenwich Village — New York, New York Years lived in: 1997-present Wendy Goodman’s New York apartment feels particularly storied, and not just because it’s full of books. A born and raised New Yorker, she’s called this Greenwich Village apartment home for 20 years, and it shows — her place has that layered, easy feel that homes that have been lived in, and loved, for many years begin to take on.

A designer's colorful vision springs to life.

Name: Sharita Harcharan, her husband Shai, their children Jason, Ryan, Justin and Jasmijn Location: Capelle aan den IJssel, the Netherlands Size: 1,076 square feet Years lived in: 16 years, renting Upon entering the Harcharan home, one instantly feels relaxed and completely at ease. It’s hard not to with all that light, the pale hues and the various tactile elements.

Name: Helga Stentzel, her husband Kirill and their boys Misha (8) and Timmy (3) Location: West London Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Helga Stentzel, or @made_by_helga as she’s better known on Instagram, lives in London with her husband and their two boys Misha and Timmy. Originally from Russia, Helga came to London to study graphic design at Central Saint Martins a decade ago.

Name: Amy Chan Location: Chelsea — New York, New York Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: Renting Amy Chan, the founder of Renew Breakup Bootcamp and a relationship columnist, has a philosophy when it comes to designing spaces. “Spaces have energy. Your body can feel the energy of the space once you walk in — listen to that. I saw over 20 apartments before I found this one, and when I stepped inside, I just knew it had to be mine.

Name: Sara Blake Location: Greenwich Village — New York City, New York Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned Sara’s Greenwich Village apartment exudes cool — prints by her friends and artists she admires fill her space. The illustrator, designer, and creative director moved in about five years ago, and her renovations (plus investing in custom furnishings) have created a beautiful, functioning home in only one room.

Name: Sonia Gil and her partner Tony Vazquez Location: Miami Beach, Florida Size: 2,000 square feet Years Lived In: 2 yrs, owned It’s not hard to see why Sonia’s Miami Beach home is her pride and joy. The renovation of this 2,000-square-foot home was a labor of love, but the end result is a sleek, modernly styled space that exudes a cozy warmth. And it’s the perfect home for Sonia and her partner Tony.

Name: Tam-Anh and Ricky Location: Jack London Square — Oakland, California Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting At the end of 2016, Tam-Anh and Ricky decided to move in together, so they scoured Craigslist for apartments and began their search for a new home — an arduous task in the Bay Area’s competitive rental market. A few listings in, a description caught their attention: original loft, exposed brick, floor-to-ceiling windows, walk-in closet, fireplace.

Name: Melissa Hon Tsai and Gary Tsai Location: South Pasadena, California Size: 3,101 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned Melissa Hon Tsai is an interior designer and architect who favors a modern, minimal aesthetic. But when she designed and built her family’s three-bedroom home from the ground up, she had to marry her own modern taste with her neighborhood’s mid-century modern appeal.

Name: Denise and Andy Palma (+ kids Layla, Hailey, Lily and Mia) Location: Huntington Beach, California Size: 1,289 square feet Years Lived In: 3.5 years, owned Entrepreneur and design guru Denise Palma’s happy Huntington Beach home is everything sunny California dreams are made of. Denise, who shares her home with her husband Andy and four girls Layla, Hailey, Lily, and Mia, first launched her beloved boho home goods site Eclectic Goods last summer to the internet’s delight.

Name: Sydne Summer Location: West Hollywood, California Size: 740 square feet Years Lived In: 10 years, owned “After ten years of living in my condo, I was ready for a fresh start,” writes fashion and beauty blogger Sydne Summer. “My renovation started because I needed to replace my hardwood floors after some bad storms. What began as a small project turned into a three-month complete renovation. Even though it was beyond exhausting, it was totally worth it!

Name: Alex Steele and Peter Wallner Location: Piedmont Avenue — Oakland, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, rented For being in such a busy Oakland neighborhood, Alex and Peter’s apartment feels really calm, serene, and secluded. “We fell in love with its private tree house charm, and how seemingly hidden it was for being so centrally located on a main drag in Oakland,” Alex says.

Name: Beatrice Fischel-Bock, CEO & Co-Founder of Hutch, her dog Ellie (and a roommate, her friend Lizzie, not pictured) Location: West Hollywood, California Years Lived In: 2 years, renting It was love at first sight when Beatrice saw this West Hollywood rental home in 2015. “It had so much character and was perfect for what I was looking for. I really wanted a place that had some integrity, and especially a place that was very California,” she describes.

Name: Chantal Berkelmans, husband Pieter, their daughters Annabel and Lois Location: Eersel, the Netherlands Size: 6,458 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned (and self-built) For a long time Chantal believed she wasn’t creative or handy. She always felt envious of people who seemed to make the loveliest items (seemingly without much effort). When Chantal was pregnant with her first child, she remembers a period when she was terribly ill and could only lie in bed all day.

Name: Emily Ley, husband Bryan, toddler twins (Caroline + Tyler) and first-grader (Brady) Location: Tampa, Florida Size: a little under 4,000 square feet Years Lived In: almost 3, owned It was becoming a mom that led Emily to the life she leads today: A designer, author, and the creator of the wildly popular Simplified Planner.

Name: Tanya List, hubby Ry and daughter Reid Location: Muskoka — Ontario, Canada Size: 1500 square feet Years Lived In: 4 years, owned You saw a sneak peek of Tanya’s beautiful home in a house call last year, and now you can get a longer look and read more about her home. Tanya writes: We moved from Toronto to Muskoka about four years ago. The city was lovely, but once we had Reid, I craved moving home to my hometown of Muskoka.

Name: Erin and Creighton Barrett Location: Charleston, South Carolina Size: 3,600 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned “Initially the first thing that sparked our interest in this particular house was the ’70s style ‘sunken’ living room,” admits Erin Barrett. “This is something that my husband has always wanted and was super excited about. It sort of sealed the deal for us.

Name: Salvatore and Amina and Worf and Princess Leia, the couple’s dogs Location: Downtown Los Angeles, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting Amina is a firm believer that your home “should be the ultimate happy place.” And the Downtown Los Angeles rental apartment she shares with her husband Salvatore (and pups Worf and Princess Leia) certainly shows that she practices what she preaches.

Name: Amelie Mancini, Rami Metal, and their daughter Babette Location: Crown Heights — Brooklyn, NY Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: Rented, 2 years Before getting pregnant with their daughter, artist and designer Amelie Mancini and her husband Rami Metal called Greenpoint, Brooklyn home. They loved where they lived, but knew that their tiny apartment (less than 400 square feet total) wouldn’t accommodate a growing family.

Name: Liz Sparacio Location: Northern Liberties — Philadelphia, Pennslyvania Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, renting Liz resides in a natural-light filled loft space that was origionally part of an old textile factory in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Name: Danielle Moore and Bryan Wang Location: Berkeley, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned You can feel the beachy California vibes in the air when entering Danielle and Bryan’s little Craftsman in Berkeley. Maybe it’s the open-space layout of the living area and the hanging macrame planters combined with soft colors.

Name: Sadie and Dana Solomon, and their cat Emma and rabbit Buns Location: Santa Barbara, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, renting Though Sadie and Dana have been living in their 1940s Santa Barbara home for seven years, the couple never stops letting the home evolve and grow in style and design.

Name: Anthony Conley, Elizabeth Hall and Olivia Location: Highland Park, California Size: 922 square feet Years lived in: 11 years, owned When Anthony “Antz” and Elizabeth were first looking to buy a home back in 2006, they never dreamed their journey would take them into LA’s Highland Park. But after 11 years in this dreamy 1923 California bungalow, the creative couple both agree that they lucked out in finding such a family-friendly and community-oriented neighborhood.

Name: Drew Vuong Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 600 square feet Years live in: 7 years, renting With the constant sunny Los Angeles weather, Drew Vuong wanted to incorporate his love of outdoors and patio living in the inside of his home. He has created a great space for entertaining, leisure, and displaying his favorite artwork both personal and collected.

Name: Mona Hamilton Location: Plateau Mont-Royal Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Mona is a 24-year-old retail florist by day and an aspiring web comic artist by night. And she had always lived with her parents in Toronto…until she decided to “kick-start her adult life” by moving to Montreal after visiting in the summer. For her, this apartment allows her to create and curate a space where she can foster her own growth.