Rachel Schwartzmann, the author of “Slowing,” lets her Brooklyn Brownstone’s historic details — like moldings, wood floors, and fireplace — shine thanks to her minimal decor style.

Greer is a graphic designer and has filled her home with artful, meaningful pieces that inspire her work.

These Parisians used color to transform their Lisbon apartment, and now it has cozy and comfortable English cottage vibes.

It’s taken Hollie just over a year to design her colorful and maximalist rental home.

The warm and artsy home also has high ceilings and an open floor plan.

It’s not hyperbole to say that I’ve been completely in love with this fabric designer’s home since the moment I saw it.

Including wood floors with a patterned inlay, antique glass doors with brass hardware, arched doorways, intricate moldings, cast iron radiators, and a mauve-tiled fireplace.

Designer and author Nasozi Kakembo completed a renter- and budget-friendly DIY in nearly every room of this “white and beige box” townhouse to transform it into a cozy and beautiful home.

Salome Mergia's Upper West Side studio was furnished a lot from places like Housing Works, Salvation Army, Goodwill, and other vintage spots.

After decluttering and downsizing, Matthew Jeffers embraced this small studio’s natural flow to create a personal retreat — what he calls “functional tranquility.”

Mauriel Davis considers herself a “city homesteader” not just for her apartment’s rustic “farmhouse-chic” look, but also because of the scratch-made meals and homemade bar soap she whips up in the kitchen.

Tour this eclectic and contemporary New Jersey apartment with lots of color and pattern.

Mother Spooky Witch transformed this formerly basic Austin house into a modern and gothic home.

Now this family of four’s house has an industrial modern style with a “dash of moodiness and a whole lot of color.”

Apartment Therapy’s video producer Margaret and her husband, Alex, have made a dreamy, cozy home for their two young daughters in this small Washington Heights apartment.

Shaped like a “T” and with original picture molding lining the hallway, this NYC rental apartment has a “modern folk, moody modernism” vibe.

Jasmine Espinoza actually grew up in this building and was able to get a deal on this small but cozy studio apartment: $1,500-a-month rent!

Natalie, her wife, and their dog have moved eight times within the last 12 years, but I feel like this beautiful small studio might be their home for a while.

The large bay window and the flood of natural light immediately sold Emily and her partner, Andrew, on this 700-square-foot Los Angeles house.

After El lost her husband, she fell out of love with this house. “What started off as a small project to take my mind off my grief turned into a passion and a love of painting and color!”

This Arizona native lucked out with this rental dream spot: a 1920s Spanish duplex with a private patio, an avocado and lime tree, and an original fireplace mantel.

Sydney Fazende says it took a lot of trial and error with furniture arrangements (and custom pieces) to maximize her small SoHo apartment.

This rental apartment before Madeline Warshaw moved in was “sad, drab, landlord special.” Not anymore!

Except for a few pieces of cookware, all of the furniture, wall art, linens, trinkets, rugs, and even plants have been found secondhand in this stylish rental apartment.

Two artists mixed Mediterranean-inspired minimalism, a Scandinavian approach to storage, and hints of space-age design elements in this hip Barcelona apartment.

This native New Yorker has personalized her small rental apartment with renter-friendly DIYs and “98% secondhand finds.”

Dalton and Dave transformed their blank, white shoebox of an apartment with art and vintage treasures.

Although just a rental, Devin and Jess have put their stamp on their 1970s bungalow in Portland, Oregon.

This vibrant 1076-square-foot rental apartment in Brussels has high ceilings, lots of light, and fun furnishings.

This modern loft reno features concrete columns, high ceilings, exposed beams, great brickwork, and cool plywood shelves.

This Finnish graphic designer and illustrator has used Finnish design in her small and bright Portuguese rental apartment.

These first-time homeowners worked with pros to renovate a worn-down Brooklyn house originally built in 1910

Interior designer and stylist Justin Coakley and his partner, Zunaid, renovated this 1930s property, creating a more open-plan feel by taking down walls and converting a loft into a bedroom with incredible walk-in wardrobe.

Lynette has designed the perfect home for entertaining in the two-bedroom apartment she owns in Singapore.

Eishi describes this home’s style as colorful, silly, and fun. “It’s definitely a bit over the top, which we love, and it definitely cheers us up and lifts our mood.”

Merçè’s grandmother lived in this 721-square-foot apartment — located in the center of Barcelona — her whole life, before leaving the small, two-bedroom space to Merçè two years ago. While in a great location, the apartment was pretty antiquated and “not-so-well-designed,” not to mention that Merçè wanted to add her own style to the space.

See photos of the minimal and organic modern renovated home of designer Casey Keasler, founder of design firm Casework.

See every colorful and eclectic detail of the gorgeous small Columbia rental apartment that won 2023’s Small/Cool Contest.

Teju’s rental came with typical NYC apartment challenges like old infrastructure, window issues, uneven floors, and weird walls.

Emilia and her husband had a tight budget for these renovations, which is why they did most of the labor themselves.

See inside a Barcelona apartment that was renovated to modernize it, but still kept the historical character. And the pink kitchen is a must-see!

This couple hired architects to redesign their apartment for themselves, their 8-year-old daughter, and her grandparents.

At first glance, this home might appear to be maximalist, but the style is actually more of a reflection of the family. There’s a fry-themed room, a skateboard bedroom, and plenty of other personal touches.

See photos of this 388-square-foot Warsaw, Poland, apartment that uses color in a minimal, Parisian-inspired way.