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For an interior designer, there’s nothing like having a blank slate to design and a client who puts their full faith in your process. Sandy Baisley and Natasia Smith, co-owners and principal designers of Re-Find, had found that exact dream scenario with Julie. “Our client was moving into this home with no previous items for a fresh start,” Sandy shares.

When it comes to choosing a dark paint color, DIYer Danie Berger (@diyinprogress_) says, “Transitioning a space from bright and airy to dark and dramatic can feel intimidating.”But she says it can be rewarding, design-wise; the key is “layering tones within the same family so the space [feels] cohesive rather than chaotic.

If you’re a renter wondering where you should spend your budget on decorating your apartment, take Alli’s (@actuallyalliDIY) advice: “I like to try to save as much money as possible on the removable renovations,” she says. “I tend to invest more money into the decor items because those items can move with me and be used in future spaces.

Older homes have unique charm because the layout includes special details that, typically, aren’t seen in modern builds today. Historic homeowners Alexander Rigby and Bobby Naugle, who live in a Pittsburgh townhouse built in 1900, have a gorgeous parlor room. The front room has a fireplace with an original wood mantel and green tiles, plus large stained glass above the front window.

I love fireplaces for their cozy ambience, but there was a time when they were more utilitarian than aesthetic. In my 1895 rowhouse, for example, there were originally fireplaces in every room for functional heat.Once radiators were installed, those fireplaces became unnecessary, and previous owners decided two fireplaces were plenty. But instead of leaving the other six fireplaces open to admire, they simply covered them up with drywall. Horror of horrors!On one hand, I get it.

For better (see: these 20 incredibly chic studios) or worse (see: not being able to fall asleep due to a light coming from a random kitchen appliance), studio apartments famously do not have a distinct sleeping zone. But that doesn’t mean they have to stay that way. Renter Ashley Buchanan (@historyinhighheels) created a cozy bedroom with plenty of clothing storage in her 480-square-foot studio apartment in D.C.“Technically, there was no bedroom before!” Ashley says.

A crisp white color scheme can help rooms feel bigger and brighter—but in some spaces, that’s just not enough. The only upstairs bathroom in Alli Devlin’s home suffered from an always-cramped feeling, thanks to the tiny windows and poor layout.Another drag: The 1978 home had seen few updates over the years, and the bathroom was no exception.

Blank white spaces, given their expansiveness and endless potential, can be tricky to decorate — especially if it’s a long hallway. But luckily for plant enthusiast Paige Tailyn, she knew she wanted to create an experience for her hallway that would make guests “feel suddenly engulfed by their surroundings,” she says.