Stephanie and her husband purchased this pre-war triplex that's packed with cute features, renting out two of the apartments while living in one.

Ryan's rental was in bad condition: "the walls were a terrible shade of crimson, and there were dribbles of dust-stained wax on all the wash basins. Two days of elbow grease, hot water, and many bottles of cleaning agents later, the house was good to move in to."

The apartment came with a loft bed, which allowed Isabelle Eshraghi to create an entire living room and study space within the cramped square footage.

Since being trapped inside because of quarantine, Jessie Ruane found solace in painting (and painting...) all her walls and redefining her style.

Mindy King and her husband began an addition in 2020, doubling the size of their home, adding a mudroom/laundry, sunroom/reading nook, and bedroom and bathroom suite. "We designed it all ourselves and lived through the construction while working from home and sheltering in place."

Alexa shares this rental apartment with a roommate, and says it's been "the perfect place to hang out with friends and survive a pandemic when there is nowhere to go."

Designer and children's book author September Scott describes her style as playful. "I’ve always loved incorporating old pieces with new and find that doing this adds much more personality and character to a space."

After downsizing to this 1000-square-foot house, Miranda Wulfekoetter gave this 1954 ranch home more personality, going on a DIY journey.

Jo Ann and her boyfriend lovingly and painstakingly renovated this 1959 cabin with their own personal tastes and whimsies. It's called "Little Apple A-Frame."

You'll fall in love with designer Laquita Tate's entire house, but especially the all-black living room, with black walls, a black fireplace, and two black Article chairs.

Although the apartment has a mini fridge and no oven, Gina Luisa is able to cook full meals with a toaster convection oven and built-in hot plates on the counter.

Sarah describes her studio apartment as a mini palace. "It has the regal feel of a a kingdom (very much inspired by Palace of Versailles), the allure of a Parisian apartment on a summer afternoon, with a rich and luxurious decadent decor."

Laurel created a layered, romantic vibe in her rental apartment inspired by the psychic shop on the ground floor. She painted each room a deep, textured color, hunted down cheap vintage furniture, and added excessive amounts of rugs, curtains, fairy lights, and incense.

The rental duplex has all the original details, including an arched picture window, hardwood floors, and Spanish tile.

"It’s all about collecting pieces slowly and filling up your home with things that represent you and your personality."

"Dedicating time and attention to designing spaces that are happy, healthy, and supportive is the ultimate form of wellness and self-care we can give ourselves and our family. There is a lot of power in good, intentional design."

This artist's home is like a colorful play palace.

From doubling the shades as a projector screen to a side table that can double as a coffee table, Vivian spent a lot of time taking measurements for this micro condo. "Just inches can make a huge difference for small spaces."

There's also an amazing space-saving and functional IKEA product that makes studio living easier!

Jamila's home is a 1976 Coho Chris Craft "floating condo" that she can take out on the open seas and is a "gem with vintage mahogany throughout."

Every inch of this cottage is adorable, inside and out.

When Julian moved into this rental apartment the walls were beige and the terrace was just an empty concrete space. But he got the landlord's permission to repaint the flat and decorated it on a shoestring budget with pieces found online, at local auctions, and on eBay or Gumtree.

Picking a favorite room is an easy choice when living in a studio since all of your furniture is in one room!

Clay Crider and his husband, Julian Kline didn't plan on having a monochromatic living room, but they "fell in love with the paint color and then the two blue couches, and it all started to fall into place."

Daria and husband, Faizal, decided to use Peranakan patterned cement tiles for the kitchen and balcony floors because they're just "beautiful and evoke a sense of old-school Singapore charm that we both love."

Architect Samantha Stein and her fiancé moved from a studio apartment to a slightly larger apartment in the middle of a pandemic (and while on a budget) but the result is quite dreamy despite the challenges.

The apartment initially didn't have a lot of opportunity for light outside of the gorgeous natural light during the day and one light source in the kitchen, so the renter's parents installed under cabinet lights and lights behind the bed frame.

Ashley scoured the internet for storage solutions for every inch of this apartment; there wasn’t one space that wasn’t fully utilized. They basically live in a hotel room that they've decorated!

Wendy Nguyen moved into this room in an attic after relocating to Vietnam from London, and the small space boasts plenty of tropical sunshine, a fantastic space-saving loft, and artificial greenery to create a cute cottage core vibe.

Buying this house was a stretch for designer Amber Kaye's budget, so she had to decorate resourcefully by buying second-hand/vintage, upcycling furniture, and painting bathroom tiles.

Karen and her husband are interested in DIY and try to be sustainable, so they've bought preloved things or reupholstered furniture rather than buy new. She made curtains and cushions, painted furniture, and even painted a rainbow headboard.

Brendan used a bookshelf to divide his narrow studio apartment, carving out a cozy little cocoon of a living room, and a bright little "millennial jungle" bedroom nook.

Despite being one room, Liza Taney feels like she's created a place that feels like home in her super small New York City studio apartment.

This flat is naturally beautiful with large windows, lots of natural light, and exposed brick, but renter Sruthi Ramesh made the space infinitely more lovely and cozy by adding light textiles, a mirror for light to bounce off of, and nice lighting.

This magical 1930s studio apartment has original Spanish details including French glass doors, hardwood flooring, built-in wood bookshelves, purple-tiled bathroom, and glass door knobs. "The courtyard is accessed through French doors right off of the kitchen and feels as if you've entered a Nancy Meyers movie."

"Don't be afraid to paint it and use exciting color. It's amazing how you can express yourself by declaring your home."

Myriam uses mirrors, lots of plants, and her favorite color orange to make her small rental studio apartment a cozy and warm place where she can forget the outside world.

Léa purchased very few new things for her apartment. The owner left the couch, bedframe, and kitchen island, and she scored deals on Marketplace and items from her parents. But she also rented her entire dining set, leather chairs, and kitchen chairs through a furniture rental company called Pivot.

Despite the 499 square footage, its overall layout renders the space surprisingly open and comfortable.

She used electric appliances and makeshift counter and storage to craft a kitchen, and also managed to fit storage for clothes, books, tchotchkes, couch, TV, and coffee table in the teeny "living room."

Now that Ricardo is working from home, he reimagined one of his closets to create a sleeping nook with a platform bed with storage, allowing more room for a work station.

Michael got creative when it came to compartmentalizing functions without ruining the openness. Multi-functionality is at play everywhere: His desk doubles as a nightstand, bench as a coffee table, and dining table as counter space.

Molly Robbins thoroughly frequented all of the great antique shops in the neighborhood to find great anchoring pieces like a mid-century modern lamp, dainty vases, Lucite nesting side tables, and a statement marble coffee table.

Fashion stylist and editor Audree Kate Lopez used storage furniture to turn a small one-bedroom apartment into a home with a living room, separate office, bedroom, and walk-in closet.

Christina was drawn to this apartment's details (like the funky bathroom tile), but some details were outdated and tired, so she added removable peel-and-stick floor tiles and faux peel-and-stick subway tiles to her kitchen to give it a renter-friendly upgrade.

Ginger Curtis of Urbanology Designs converted an old musty shed into a beautiful bungalow and quite an inspiring place to retreat.

Mika and Ryen spent many nights brainstorming and designing the layout of this van to make it a cozy and functional home for their family of six!

Creative technologist Amy Wibowo's small San Francisco studio apartment is packed with personality, including a mermaid headboard of her dreams.