The Latest: 2019

Name: Heather Frank Location: Alamo Square Park, San Francisco Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Film, fashion, and French culture are just a few of Heather Frank’s favorite things. The video producer turned turned this classic San Francisco apartment, which sits right above Alamo Square Park, into a space that reflects all of her passions. It’s an eclectic mix of Japanese art, movie posters, vintage furniture, and travel mementos.

Name: Tim Speicher, Director of Marketing and Communications at Victory Gardens Theater in Lincoln Park, and Ellenkate Finley Location: Lincoln Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: almost 9 months; Rented You know a tour is going to be different when you’re warmly invited to check out a cozy crawlspace/adult fort underneath a completely DIY lofted bed!

Name: Eva & Jason Hume Location: Mt. Tabor; Portland, Oregon Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; Owned It’s been four years since Eva, Jason and their French bulldog Santo settled into this perfect little nest in the heart of southeast Portland, Oregon. The neighborhood is made up of an array of eateries, jam-packed coffeehouses, vegan bars, offbeat clothing stores, and vintage oddity shops.

Name: Lauren Spain Location: San Francisco, California Size: 450 square Feet Years lived in: 1 year 8 months; Rented I don’t meet a lot of people my age that really have their shit together, but Lauren is the exception that obliterates the rule. You wouldn’t know it now, but Lauren has had to redecorate her apartment TWICE. Yes, twice. Two months after moving in, her oven caught fire and ruined many of her belongings.

Name: Thayer Allyson Gowdy and Scott Paterson Location: Bernal Hill, San Francisco, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 7 years; Owned Photographer Thayer Gowdy’s carefree style comes together with a mix of clean-lined Danish designs, eclectic accessories, and pieces sourced from her travels around the world. → Re-edited from a tour originally published in 2014 The result is collected without feeling too busy, and modern without losing its sense of warmth.

Name: Jaclyn Simpson, of Jaclyn Simpson Photography Location: Lincoln Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Jaclyn is exactly the kind of wedding photographer you want with you all day during your big celebration: warm, generous, funny, and absolutely genuine. Her live/work space is filled with personal pieces and DIY projects galore, creating an earthy/quirky combination that is distinctly her own.

Name: rabble+rouser, Christina Schroeder, Principal and Founder Location: Blake Street, Denver, Colorado Size: 7,000 Square Feet Years worked in: 3 years There’s nothing quite like an old warehouse space embracing color. It bolsters creativity and just makes everything feel alive. At rabble+rouser, bright blue and orange feature walls keep a space that once served as a furniture workshop feeling new, vibrant, and fresh.

Name: Adam Lopez, Owner of vintage clothing shop October 18th Location: Echo Park, Los Angeles California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented Adam is one of the Angelenos lucky enough to have landed a rent controlled bungalow in the heart of the city. Centrally located in Echo Park, his home is a cozy one bedroom with plenty of space to house his art and vintage treasures.

Name: Rachel Yacapraro, blogger at Taffeta and Cedar, and Brian Willard, Visual Effects Artist at Radar Studios Location: West Town; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 9 years; Owned Warmly considered and lovingly maintained, Rachel and Brian’s flat has the broad, open feel of a loft, while retaining the flow and privacy of a traditional apartment. Luckily for this couple, Rachel and Brian share a similar clean, modern aesthetic with a vintage twist.

Name: Fancy Tiger Crafts Location: 59 Broadway, Denver, Colorado Size: 4,000 square feet Years worked in: 2 years Fancy Tiger Crafts is kind of like a knitwear wonderland. With wall to wall shelves of wool and felt yarns being stocked by lovely ladies in hand-crafted sweaters, it’s definitely a place a shopper can really escape to for a while. But it’s not just a great little shop: it’s a community classroom for sewers, knitters and crafters of all skill levels.

Name: Jim & Doris Location: Honolulu Size: 14,000 square feet Years lived in: Owned It’s always fun to get a sneak peek into really spectacular homes, and today’s tour certainly fits the bill. Tucked away on the island of Oahu, Jim and Doris created a retreat from everyday life that’s as remarkable as it is immersive. As you move through the rooms, it’s hard to believe this house is located in the USA.

Name: Jacqueline Clair Location: Upper East Side, New York City Size: Approximately 400 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented If you take a peek at New York City blogger Jacqueline Clair’s Instagram account you’ll see plenty of images that are well-composed, colorful, chic, and fun. The same could be said of her Upper East Side studio. Her taste reads clean and polished, with touches of whimsy and romanticism.

Name: Lesley Greening Lassoff and Pea Crabtree of Aardvark Location: Hastings Old Town, Sussex, UK Size: “It’s one room in an old brewery.” Years worked in: 6 years in business and 3 years in this studio Step inside the wonderfully wonky world of Lesley and Pea, creators of old-style letterpress prints, enthusiastic tea drinkers, and champions of all that is homemade, folksy, imperfect and authentic.

Name: Mikola Accuardi, photographer and blogger at Portland Supply Co., Randall Garcia, designer at Wieden + Kennedy, and baby Valentino Location: Southeast Clinton; Portland, Oregon Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, 5 months ; Rented Mikola and Randall’s apartment is one of those spaces I swooned over, but never actually get to visit, until today.

Name: Isaac Larose and Florence Provencher Proulx Location: Le Plateau; Montreal, Canada Years lived in: 9 months; Rented If everything you wore looked just like your home, I’d be wearing a kilim rug and antlers on my head — doesn’t sound so cool, right? It’s rare to find a home designed in such an authentic manner that becomes a true reflection of the resident’s personal style, but Isaac and Florence’s home is the exception.

Name: Hope & Pete Colling Location: Terra Linda, California Size: 1955 sq ft. Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Pulling up to Hope and Pete’s home I can’t help but notice that I’ve entered a place where all of the homes are perfectly landscaped in gravel and native plants and maintain a uniform sense of modern, minimalist design. It’s almost Stepford-ish in its perfection, if the Stepford wives took their cues from Dwell magazine.

Name: Mandy and Matt Location: Amsterdam, Centrum Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented Before packing up their belongings and moving back to the United States, Mandy and Matt wanted to share their lovely Amsterdam canalside home.

Name: Karen LaShelle (nonprofit director) and Deborah Esquenazi (documentary filmmaker) Location: Cherrywood; Austin, Texas Size: 2,100 square feet Years lived in: 9 years; owned It’s been five years since we first toured Karen’s house in Austin. Since then, her 2 bedroom/1 bath house has undergone some big and meaningful changes.

Name: Nancy Sickbert-Wheeler, Andrew Wheeler, and their dog Bailey Location: Evanston, Illinois Size: 2 bedroom + finished basement Years lived in: 19 years; owned Metal, enamel, and film: all three media require a creative eye, a deft touch, and a sense of possibility.

Name: Lisa and Richard Location: Museumplein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Size: 1,150 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Lisa, from the States, and Richard, from the Netherlands, bought their first home in Amsterdam in 2012. Their vision was to create “a space that had character but was still minimal and not overloaded with artifacts.” They also wanted a home with a cozy feel, or as the Dutch would say, “Gezellig”.

Name: Stephen Turner Location: The Beaulieu River; Hampshire, UK Size: 6 meters long, 3.6 meters wide Years lived in: 9 months At the head of a creek somewhere in the South of England, a weird and wonderful structure bobs up and down on the tide. It is a giant wooden egg, polished smooth by the wind until it shines like silver. A round window on the top and a hatch on the side are the only clues that this may be something more than an otherworldly sculpture dropped down in a remote salt marsh.

Name: Amanda Bullock & Justin Taylor Location: Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York Size: 1.5 bedroom; 600 square feet (estimated) Years lived in: 11 months; rented Amanda Bullock and Justin Taylor like books. Amanda came from the book publishing world and is now the Director of Public Programming at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe; Justin is an acclaimed author and teaches creative writing at a number of universities in the city.

Name: Nick Fanelle & Spiro Georgi Location: Andersonville; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented There’s no reason you can’t enjoy both the vibrancy of city life and the peacefulness of a rural retreat. Now, if you were to find an urban townhouse on a farm, it might strike you as a bit odd, but bringing the rustic, worn-in feel of the country into a Chicago apartment turned out to be just the thing for Nick Fanelle and Spiro Georgi.

Name: Homepolish Location: NoMad, New York, New York Size: 1,000 square feet Years worked in: 1 year When you’re a design team known for creating fabulous office spaces for high tech and high profile clients, the pressure can really be on when it comes to your own workspace. This was Homepolish’s challenge — and one that they’ve risen to with comfort and grace. The folks at Homepolish are known for mixing vintage treasures with modern and classic pieces.

Name: Dave Widmer, CB2 eCommerce Brand Director and Chad Ross, Crate and Barrel Visual Merchandising Team Lead Location: Andersonville; Chicago, IL Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Never hesitate to walk through a bright green front door: I promise you, only good things are waiting for you on the other side. In the home of Chad and Dave every last detail from the foundation to the roof and everything in between was meticulously thought about and designed.

Name: Meg, Joe, & Wells Piercy and their toy poodle Jack Location: Uptown; Chicago, IL Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; owned In Meg and Joe’s living room, there’s a blackboard with a family friend’s delicately drawn reminder to “live life in full bloom,” and the Piercys have certainly taken this advice to heart.

Name: Sibylle Location: Berlin, Germany Size: 1,076 square feet Years lived in: 8 months; rented Sibylle is at it again but this time in a different part of the map. We saw the first tour of her home in Montreal that was filled with her funky DIY style. Now that she has moved across the world to get back to her roots in Berlin, we are getting another peek into her fun and eclectic decor world.

Name: Matt and Mel Location: Fairfax, Virginia Size: 816 square feet Years lived in: 10 mos; Renting Is it ever the case where you visit the home of designers and find that their space isn’t the coolest one on the block, filled with creative design and a beautiful harmony of eclectic trinkets? Never! And the graphic home of designer and animator Matt and Mel is thankfully no exception.

Name: Erin of Apartment 34 Location: Mission/Potrero Hill , San Francisco CA Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years Anyone who follows Erin’s lifestyle blog Apartment 34 will know that her style is synonymous with clean lines and tasteful restraint, with a touch of glam and global influence. Her loft follows suit with beautiful bones, and airy style and refined textures, with perfectly styled accessories bringing things up a notch or two.

Name: Jose Campos and Oliver Herbert, co-owners of SUPERMERCADO SHOP (plus pet finches Selena and Harry) Location: Converted Victorian Tram depot, Southeast London Size: 1200 square feet Years lived in: 2 years Jose and Oliver can attest to the fact that finding a flat in London isn’t easy.

Name: Micah Clasper-Torch, designer and artist Location: Bed-Stuy — Brooklyn, New York Size: 260 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Tours photographed on rainy days always have a way of making me extra aware of the true coziness of a place. Micah’s space contains within in it such a wonderful sense of who she is and the things that make her happy and productive.

Name: Caro Ritchie of Corita Rose Location: Shaftesbury; Dorset, UK Size: 400 square feet Years in business: 4 years Caro Ritchie’s studio, located in the heart of one of Britain’s most ancient towns, is an explosion of riotous color and bold prints. Stepping inside is a bit like cracking open a piñata and releasing the colorful candies and confetti in its centre.

Name: Will, Rebekah, & Liam Hasting Location: Paris, France Size: 1,400 square feet; 3 bedrooms Years lived in: 8 Months In Paris’ 14th arrondissement, not far from the Place Denfert-Rochereau, is a little family home with a lovely view.

Name: Irma Zandl and Brad Kahlhamer Location: Lower East Side, Manhattan; New York, New York Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 20 years; Owned Light, open and airy, Irma’s Manhattan loft feels like an oasis in the heart of downtown. Upon entering, it is immediately clear that the art that fills this home has all been chosen with a strong eye for talent and a great love of the work. To spend time in this gorgeous space is at once calming and inspiring.

Name: Gigi Eligoloff, editor of Gransnet, her husband John and their children Kit and Delphi Location: Barnes; Southwest London, UK Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 1 and half years; owned When the money for Gigi’s kitchen fund was stolen, she didn’t despair. She got straight onto Gumtree (UK’s answer to Craiglist) and tracked down another kitchen at a fraction of the price.

Name: Carlos E. Fernández-Dieppa Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York Size: 670 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; rented Carlos Fernández takes the expression “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” to a whole other level. Carlos is a resourceful and highly intelligent designer who never lets a single item go to waste. His custom pieces are thoughtful and functional, with a playful flair.

Name: Myka + Georges Haddad Location: Laurel Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, rented Myka of the blog Modern Sequins shows us how great style can translate from fashion to the home. With pieces collected from years of event styling and her signature sparkle throughout, the apartment that she calls home with her husband George is only out-shined by one thing… …Her wardrobe!

Name: Laurence Guilloud & Fabrice Le Dantec, photographer and journalist for the blog L’Instant Parisien Location: Paris, 9ème Size: 755 square feet Years lived in: 6 months; Rented One minute you’re in a busy shopping district, and then you turn into a quiet side street and find yourself in front of Laurence and Fabrice’s building.

Name: Sophia Hansjacob Location: 11th arrondissement, Paris, France Size: 355 square feet Years lived in: 2 years Sophia Hansjacob lives in what might be the perfect Paris apartment. This little flat has it all: beautiful details, huge casement windows, wood floors (in the bedroom), and the very best part: a balcony with a view over the rooftops of Paris.

Name: Kelly Furman Location: Graceland West; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; owned Kelly is a colorful person, vibrant in personality and exuberant in spirit. Her home, which she affectionately calls the “tree house,” captures the poise, humor, and grace with which she approaches the world, but it does so with an understated elegance.

Name: Jeff and Erin Mooney, and Hank the dog Location: Rice University Area, Houston, Texas Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 2 years Erin and Jeff’s apartment, which occupies the second floor of a duplex in a neighborhood not far from Rice University, has all the spaciousness you would expect from a much larger home. They’ve judiciously filled their home with just enough furniture to make things cozy, while still leaving the space room to breathe.

Name: Zainab Ahmed and husband Farhan Ahmed (and for six months of the year, Farhan’s mom who divides her time between Pakistan and here) Location: Business Bay, Dubai Years lived in: Renting 3 years The rental apartment Zainab shares with her husband (and an occasional visiting mother-in-law) is considered large by local Dubai standards.

Name: Beth Puscheck, owner of Blue Cottage Hill Location: Villa Park, Illinois Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 6 months; owned Who else lives here: Beth’s boyfriend & their dog, Aaron A professional beautician by day, Beth’s always had an eye for style. And from the moment she and her boyfriend bought their 1926 cottage in the Chicago suburb of Villa Park only 6 months ago, she’s been taking her talent home and completely transforming the formerly uninspired space.

Name: Jake Pedziwiatr and Bridget Mahoney Location: Whittier, Denver, CO Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; owned Around town, Bridget is know as one of Denver’s best barbers. To her friends and Instagram followers she is known as the queen of power tools, master of weekend DIY projects, and just a plain bad-ass.

Name: Abigail Ahern, her husband Graham Scott, Mungo the miniature schnauzer, and Maude the Welsh terrier Location: Dalston; London, UK Size: 2,200 square feet Years lived in: 13 years Imagine if Vermeer and Rousseau got to share a canvas, the Dutchman filling it with his trademark dark interiors, soft light filtering in through a window, and the Frenchman adding lush ferns, copious flowers, birds and animals peeking through the foliage.

Name: Jim and Laura Nelson Location: College Hill, Providence, Rhode Island Size: 3,400 square feet Years lived in: 4 1/2 years; owned There had been no talk of moving in the Nelson family when a house in Providence caught Laura’s eye in the newspaper one Saturday in 2009. Pictures of the sun-drenched kitchen and unusually large backyard jumped off the page. And the charming College Hill colonial, built in 1772, was a mere two blocks from Laura’s childhood home.

Name: Caro Ritchie of Corita Rose, her husband Josh and their three children Blue, Tiger and Kit. Location: A village near Shaftsbury; Dorset, UK Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 21 years The Ritchie’s family home in a former-brewery in rural Dorset is a riot of color and pattern. You may remember Caro Ritchie from Corita Rose’s Vibrant and Colorful Studio, where she creates bold and brilliant fabrics under the name Corita Rose.