Taylor and her fiancé celebrate the perfectly imperfect in their space. They believe it's important for a home to look lived-in. Their apartment has parquet floors, neat archways, black hexagon tile floors, and intricate art-deco touches — and of course, books lying around, mugs left out from that morning's coffee, and all its familiar dings and quirks.

Renter Heather Luciano's advice when it comes to decorating is to be unabashedly you. "Being yourself never goes out of style," she says. "I know a lot of people who worry about what’s in or trendy when it comes to fashion and design, and I’ve just never lived that way. I have always over-accessorized, lived in color and pattern, and have been shopping for antiques since I was in grade school."

Andrea rents this hospital-adjacent apartment out to medical students and traveling nurses, and she wanted it to feel like home for them, "with an atmosphere more eccentric than the typical rental," she says. Because she sourced the furniture secondhand, she could splurge on special finishes.

Vocalist Dana Williams' latest song, "End of the World," has a warmth and coziness to it. It emphasizes slowing down, as does her rental apartment in Los Angeles' Loz Feliz neighborhood.

Steffy Degreff is a lifestyle and fashion content creator and shares things like style hacks and home DIYs on her website, Instagram, and TikTok. She and her family have been renovating this 1974 A-frame cabin in the woods of Upstate New York.

Erinne moved into this apartment right before the pandemic, and she quickly learned several things: She would need separate zones for working and living, she wanted to love the way her apartment looked from every angle, and she actually loves the color pink.

"If I love it, I include it in my home," says homeowner Joy Angela Russell. "I love earthy colors: cognac, cream, olive, mustard, turquoise, and black. I collect art and love a hand-painted wall or two or three."

Anthony Cane, the mastermind behind this simple-yet-genius converted shotgun house lives in one half and rents out the other half. His favorite part is the loft bedroom, which feels (and looks) a bit like a treehouse.

From the light pouring into the apartment to the natural textures and neutral colors, Sara and her wife's condo has majorly zen, calm, boho vibes — especially the relaxation room.

The surroundings of this Arizona home look a little bit like Mars, its owners say, and the reddish orange desert inspired the Southwestern-meets-modern design choices on the inside.

Richal and Jenny's apartment, which they have lived in for 30 years, is in a pre-war, park-adjacent building built in 1931. Their warm, inviting space retains its original crown moulding and has beautiful chevron flooring in each room.

Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham run Ash + Chess, a queer and trans owned stationery and art company. And they added tons of personality to this rental house in Richmond they lived in for two years.

This owner of this historic home wonderfully blends old and new. She says when decorating a historic home, you should keep a running list of items you’re looking for — and measurements: "You never know when you’ll stumble across the perfect fit."

The cabin was built in 1987 by a local musician, and Caley and her family fell in love with the "extremely unique home."

Haley has been able to create distinct sections in their studio that help with the fact that they work from home. "I have a 'bedroom', 'office/workout room', 'living room', and 'kitchen' all without having walls separating them."

Every detail of this rental appealed to Lauren Meichtry, the designer behind Elsie Home, from the high ceilings, wainscoting, built-in benches off the fireplace, green marble countertops in the kitchen, to the ocean view from the primary bedroom.

Emma says the first room she focused on when she moved into this rental apartment was the kitchen, where she added contact paper to the counters, and used baskets to create highly organized kitchen cabinets.

This small backyard rental in-law suite's style is "traditional, simple and charming, yet refined."

"Having lived in a rented 'white box' for a few years where I couldn't put a single poster on the walls, this place turned out the opposite: There's not a single white wall!" says apartment owner Marina Chaccur.

Designer Katherine Thewlis' ranch-style home has charming vintage decor and some unique tree-decorating ideas you'll want to steal.

Musician Katie King's 500-square-foot studio in Hillsboro Village is where she spends time writing and practicing — as well as on other creative pursuits, like painting and macrame.

Homeowner Sandy Jandu describes her home's style as "Escaping the '90s." She explains: "It's a three-bedroom builder-grade from the 1990s, chock-full of 45-degree angled halls and nooks to nowhere. We have worked our tails off to bring it to life, and while our home has a ways to go, it feels like OURS."

After spending years in rental homes that had to be neutral, Maggie Overby isn't holding back in this her forever home. She's adding lots of layers of pattern, color, and DIYs.

The only thing that came in Julie Gordon's rental studio apartment was a small stove, fridge, and three cabinets. But after some major TLC, a few great peel and stick finds, and lots of patience, she's turned this shoebox-sized into a cozy, beautiful, and organized home.

Kristina's apartment is packed with rental-friendly ideas and secondhand finds — almost nothing in her home was bought brand new.

Apartment dweller and art advisor Rachel Elliott's apartment is filled with original works, some of which she planned specifically for her space with the artist. Rachel says: "If you have the opportunity to meet the artists you are collecting and collect from emerging artists, do it! These are relationships that can last a lifetime."

In 2017, Hurricane Irma destroyed Rob's house in St. Augustine, and just two days later he decided to rebuild with a single family house constructed of shipping containers.

The homeowner, Jonali, says they are drawn to neutral textures and tones, and they add eclectic accessories for a bit of fun and color throughout.

The home was designed in 1969 and completed in 1970 by Fred Blecksmith, and some of its original details include a built-in vanity and light fixtures in the bathrooms, a hidden closet and bar, and gorgeous old growth redwood paneling.

Leonor and Pablo live in this apartment that they have filled with secondhand and sidewalk finds along with beautiful retro furniture.

Because Hayley Ward's period home in Dublin has historic charm, she was drawn to a dark, bold color palette.

"My home is a physical diary of the places I’ve been and the objects and memories I cherish, a place to remind me of the incredible beauty I’ve found during the adventures of my life," Ashley Urban, an eight-year resident of Los Angeles says.

When she and her husband first bought it, Kara Haren's apartment had cranberry painted walls, a kitchen that hadn't been touched in 20 years, and flimsy and cracked windows. In the six years they've lived there, they have renovated each room to feel special and specific to them.

When Julia Drye and her husband moved into their 1830s home, it was a blank slate, flipped by previous owners several years before. And out of necessity, Julia tackled the home's makeover on a budget.

Anastasia Casey, the founder of boutique creative agency IDCO Studio, says her goal for designing spaces is for them to "feel collected and elevated, with each piece telling a story."

It packs so much style (and so many mementos!) into 578 square feet.

"We wanted our space to feel warm and sanctuary-like, which I think led us to choose more earthy tones, especially in the living room," homeowner Emily says of the Philadelphia home she shares with her partner, Hayley. "We lovingly identify as plant mothers, and our plants have acted as kind of a baseline decor aesthetic in each room."

This cute white stucco house that was built in 1939 with really unique Spanish-style architectural features has been layered with calming neutrals to create a cozy and chic home.

Linda Miles had to design her small home on an extreme budget, so almost everything was bought from neighbors on OfferUp or at Swedish secondhand stores.

"Our homes are reflections of our personalities, and the colors and textures we are most drawn to land on our backs, on our walls, and beneath our feet," homeowner Dana Taylor says.

This New Jersey bungalow has original built-in shelves, a "Wes Anderson bathroom," and wood paneling galore.

Renter Jiske Kosian describes her apartment as eclectic, goofy, colorful, original, and Jugendstil (the German iteration of the Art Nouveau movement).

With plans for a larger gut reno in the future, Katrina and her family to still wanted to make their old, shabby home look good for them NOW. Using smaller, high-impact but low-budget ideas helped transform the space from blah to “I really want to hang out here."

This bungalow required a complete gut job, and aspiring designer Rita Melkonian designed the new floor plan from scratch to fit her family perfectly.

Josua Kärnbo completely transformed this dated, run-down, and small Stockholm studio apartment, turning it into a stylish and modern one-bedroom apartment, and doing it on a budget!

When designer Gianna Marzella-Vazquez refreshed this townhouse she shared with her family, she paid special attention to the main bedroom, devising a clever IKEA cabinet hack that looks custom and much more expensive than it actually cost.

It's honestly stunning both inside and out!

Robyn Pope and her husband's house was flooded in a hurricane, and after they redesigned it, incorporating both local Florida artists along with many vintage finds from all over the US.