Name: Kennan del Mar, my partner, Allan, and our dog Marsha Location: Lombard, Illinois Size: 1,035 square feet Years lived in: 9 months, renting I live with my partner, Allan, and our girl dog Marsha, an American Cocker Spaniel. Allan is working as a data analyst and I’m an independent artist.

Name: Briana McNamara Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, renting My little home is a studio apartment located in a historic home just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. I live in the quaint space with my plant babes, all 10+ of them. I’m a single, city-living gal, graphic designer by day (and sometimes night) and artist from the mitten state.

Name: Nkiru Azikiwe Location: Monroe, NY Size: 290 square feet Years lived in: 2 months, renting I live in my tiny studio alone. I enjoy the independence and need my own space and alone time to come home to after a long day. I’ve never lived in a place quite this small! However the location is perfect, the price is right, the space is clean, and landlords are great so it was really a no-brainer.

Name: Federico Ciccone and his boyfriend Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Size: 538 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting My home is my safe haven, my refuge from the world. Architecturally speaking, it’s a loft located in the heart of Recoleta neighborhood. Its greatest strengths are the original wooden floors and the large window that illuminates the living/resting area. I’m an architect by degree, creative director by choice.

Name: Jordan Page, husband, Sam; furbaby, Penelope Location: Everywhere! We travel full time. Size: 200 square feet Years lived in: Self-converted it for nine months—have lived in it full time for one month, owned My home is a bus! My husband and I bought a 2003 Chevy Bluebird school bus in December 2017. It was yellow, had all the seats, and it was pretty filthy.

Name: Lindsey Daigle, husband, four kids, a dog, and a cat. Location: Boston, Massachusetts Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, renting We are a family of six: two boys and two girls, parented by Sam, who is an aircraft mechanic, and Lindsey who is a flight attendant who also co-owns a little curated boutique of women’s clothing called Kindred and Kin. We live in Boston, in an old home that has been divided into three units.

Name: Ilana Ozernoy and an adorable black poodle puppy Location: Williamsburg — Brooklyn, NY Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting I live in a one-bedroom apartment in a brand new luxury building in Williamsburg, NY—just one block off the East River. I work as an executive at a global media company now but, for most of my twenties, I was a journalist—a foreign correspondent covering war.

Name: Flora Moreno de Thompson Location: Twain Harte, California Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 8 years, owned The Thompson Lodge is a modified a frame cabin in Twain Harte, California. It was built in 1972 by my husband’s grandparents as a weekend getaway home. It has been in the family for three generations. We have spent a lot of time fixing it up; mostly painting and decluttering the place.

Name: Chelsey Brown Location: New York Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 2 weeks, renting I moved into this 450-square-foot studio exactly two weeks ago. I wanted to create a retreat for myself as I am living there alone and wanted to come home to something homey, chic, and glamorous. The apartment was dark, bland, and boring before I moved in. The last person who lived there had virtually no furniture or interior style in the space—it was pretty depressing!

Name: Olga Komarova, husband, and three kids Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 1,076 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned In 2013 my husband and I inherited this flat from his grandmother. It is situated in a historical seaside area of Valencia—Cabanal. This is a very special place that holds many peculiar buildings in modernismo style (the Spanish version of Art Nouveau).

Name: Colleen Cashio, husband, two sons, and fur baby Location: Drasco, Arkansas Size: 198 square feet Years lived in: 4 months, owned Our Airstream was a labor of love and a full renovation that took two years to finish. It is a 1972 31 footer. We dreamed of having a vintage Airstream for a few years and finally pulled the trigger on one. My husband did all the work. The shell was taken off the frame so framework/welding could be done.

Name: Christopher Beecroft, my wife… and two cats who really wanted to be in the pictures Location: Silver Spring, Maryland Size: 3,200 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, owned Our house is a 1964 split-level with four floors. It has a mix of mid-century modern-ish, Scandinavian-style, and inherited antique furniture. There is a wide range of art, including vintage concert and art gallery posters from the ’60s and ’70s, and some of my own photography.

Name: Camilla Larsson and family Location: Nyköping, Sweden Size: 1,539 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, owned Welcome to Scandi Week—Apartment Therapy’s seven-day focus on all-things Scandinavia (often defined as the countries of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway). Sometimes it seems like the whole world is obsessed with trying to copy this corner of the globe, from its timeless style aesthetic to its now-famous coziness rituals.

Name: Sarah Ward, my husband Dave, and pup Oliver Location: Calgary, Alberta Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 8 years, owned Our home is a 1920s Craftsman bungalow located in Calgary, Alberta. We have lived in the home for about eight years and have slowly brought it to where it is today.

Name: Hayley Dickson Location: Lower Pacific Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting I’ve always wanted to have my own space, but was worried with Bay Area rent prices I would never be able to afford it. So when I came across this studio in my price range and in a neighborhood I liked, I jumped at the opportunity!

Name: Carolyn Seuthe Location: Los Angeles, California Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting My apartment is a one-bedroom in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles, an area with a lot of incredible, historical properties. When I was looking for this apartment, I had just moved back to my hometown after four years in Washington, D.C., where I lived in one of those really giant, sterile-seeming apartment complexes.

Name: Kate Carter, my dogs, Duke and Bash Location: Manchester, New Hampshire Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned I am a former architect who works in construction, so buildings are really an interest of mine. This house has been my dream since I was a kid. It’s efficient but packs a punch of style and history. My realtor claimed it was the smallest house in Manchester, and she couldn’t imagine why I loved it so much!

Name: Sarah Lyon and a roommate Location: The Dupont Circle/Logan Circle neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 11 months, renting I absolutely love my current apartment. It took awhile for my roommate and me to find this space, but without sounding too cliché, it was truly worth the wait.

Name: Anna Johnston, My partner and our Maine Coon cat Location: Washington, D.C. Size: 680 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Our condo building is directly across from Union Station in Washington DC so we can actually hear the trains from inside. The building is aptly named Pullman Place after the historic Pullman train cars. The building itself is brand new and has about 40 different units. We live on the second floor and we are lucky enough to have one of the few units with a balcony.

Name: Courtney Equall, husband, three little kids, and a cat Location: Bend, Oregon Size: 1,817 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Our family moved back to Oregon last year after spending a few years in Texas for my husband’s work, and we bought our house before we had even seen the property in person! The house was in our dream location and is on the river, which we didn’t even think we would be able to find in our price range so we just went for it.

This traditional Vermont ski cabin is a well-designed space that's more than just a place to take your snow boots off in.

Name: Carolyn Rebuffel Flannery and husband Location: San Rafael Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned When we first saw the fabulous bungalow home at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, we were smitten. The interiors were mostly original and there was a giant blue farm sink in the kitchen, original to the house. Regretfully, the sink was completely impractical but we are turning it into a potting sink in the garden.

Name: Christina Dobrinski, my husband, our three boys—Jack (5), Wyatt (3), and Adler (4 months)—and our pup Murphy Location: Sacramento, California Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned When we bought our Spanish Revival home in the older Land Park neighborhood of Sacramento—a home that hadn’t been updated in nearly 70 years!

Name: Kelly Love, my boyfriend Chris Location: London, England Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Our home is a two-bedroom Victorian conversion in the Greenwich borough of London, built in the 1870s. It has beautiful high ceilings with the original cornice details and bay windows in the two main rooms, which flood the space with light. We also own the main hallway and big old front door of the house plus the front garden, which is often communal in conversions.

Name: Cara Hyde-Basso, husband, and our dog Oso Location: Highland Park, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned My husband and I are architects who met while living in Brooklyn. We have since moved to the Chicago area where we bought our first home, which is our first project together as designers. The first phase was a complete gut renovation of the kitchen and opening it up to the adjoining living and dining rooms.

Name: Samantha Ladwig, my partner and our cat, Ingrid Location: Port Townsend, Washington Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 3 months, renting My partner, our cat, and I moved from Los Angeles last December. I had been working as a film cataloger at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for a few years, while freelance writing part time. I wanted to jump ship and freelance full time, so we saved up for a year and moved back to Seattle, with all 20-some plants in tow.

Name: Joe Gast and Willow the Weimaraner Location: Leschi — Seattle, Washington Size: 1,690 square feet Years lived in: 25 years, owned My 1908 Leschi cottage was a victim of several ill-conceived remodels and plenty of deferred maintenance. A transplant from Ohio, with an Ohioan’s modest budget, I purchased the house because it was in my price range and it was located on a magical stairway, steps above Lake Washington.

Name: Hannah Leonard, my husband and two kids Location: South Jordan, Utah Size: 1,775 square feet Years lived in: 3.5 years, owned My husband and I moved from Portland, Oregon, to Utah back in 2014 and settled on a beautiful, up-and-coming new community called Daybreak. I was six months pregnant with our first when we moved, so this is the home we became a family in. We decided to go with a new build so we could have control over the finishes.

Name: Hank Geer and girlfriend Location: Santa Monica, California Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting We live in a guest house in Santa Monica, surrounded by an avocado tree, a lemon tree, and an orange tree. When we moved in it was mint green and covered in fleur de lis. Hank took his love for furniture and turned our apartment into his first interior design project.

Name: David Becker Location: Ottawa — Ontario, Canada Size: 420 square feet Years lived in: 4 years in flat, 24 years in main house, owned The original house is a 1,200-square-foot, one-and-a-half story house built in the early 1950s. When I found myself living there alone (widowed empty-nester), I decided that, though the house is not large, it was larger than I needed. I renovated the house and designed an addition that contains a studio apartment above an attached garage.

Name: Natalie Papier, husband, two kids, cat Location: Oak Park, Illinois Size: 3000 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, owned Our home is a historical Victorian in Oak Park filled with love and eclectic pieces we have curated over the years. It’s a mix of our family’s quirks and personalities. We have a 10-year-old son, Kellen, and a 7-year-old daughter, Maddie. My husband, Alan, and I have a love for art and music and we love incorporating that into our home.

Name: Jordon Rahmil, my husband Etai, our two cats and our GoldenDoodle Cricket Location: Piedmont neighborhood — Portland, Oregon Size: 1500 square feet Years lived in: Almost 2 years, owned Our home, which I lovingly call the #1927funkycottage on Instagram, was built in 1927 in the Piedmont neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. It’s a three level home, with a finished basement we recently remodeled, and it’s two-bedroom, one bathroom.

Name: Laakea Laano and my Jack Russell Terrier Location: Oakland, California Size: 720 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned I’m so blessed to live in this neighborhood. My Jack Russell (a.k.a. The Boss) and I can walk to the movie theater, coffee shops, Fenton’s, used bookstores (they still exist, yay!), and, of course, the pet store. My apartment gets a lot of natural light but stays cool because of all the redwood trees around the building.

Name: Rhoby Schempp and Wilson (older male cat) Nonna (warrior princess female kitty) Location: Rio Rancho, New Mexico Size: 865 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, owned I landed in New Mexico January of this year (2018). After living many places, having many adventures, and significant deaths in my family on the East Coast, I decided to head west! I have always loved the four corners and traveled across country many times in my youth.

Name: Nicole Balin and two pups Location: San Anslemo, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned I moved into my bungalow/ranch style home in 2015 after living in LA for 15 years with my two dogs. My hobby and passion has always been interior design and I started and run my own boutique PR firm for interior designers, product designers, and musicians. My mother was a decorator in the 1970s and design is in my blood.

Name: Kelly Rodgers Location: Parkhill Neighborhood — Denver, Colorado Size: 382 square feet Years lived in: 9 years, owned In 2014 I took my first trip to France and fell in love. I admire all the details of French living; the small spaces, moldings, doors, fireplaces, and the chevron floors. I adore all things French and have become a proper Francophile. After that trip, I started to think about what I could do differently as a single independent woman and decided I needed a master plan.

Name: Marianne Tolosa and my husband, Jamie, and our two cats, Pickles and Suki. Location: Falls Church, Virginia Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 4 years owned, but we just created the co-working space 3 months ago When looking to buy our home one of our most important criteria was finding a house with a cozy entertaining space.

Name: April Christenson, husband Mike, and two cats Liz Lemon and Maeby) Location: NE Portland, Oregon Size: 609 square feet Years lived in: 9 months, owned My husband Mike and I (along with our two cats Liz Lemon and Maeby) moved from Omaha, Nebraska, to Portland, Oregon in 2015. We initially downsized from a 2400-square-foot house in the suburbs to a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Portland. After renting for a couple of years, we decided we wanted to own our own place again.

Name: Paleny Toros and husband Location: Van Nuys, California Size: 1,592 square feet Years lived in: 8 months, owned My husband and I bought our 1958 ranch style home in May of 2017 and spent six months remodeling before we moved in over Thanksgiving weekend. We did major work in the kitchen, dining room, and two bathrooms, and some minor changes in the two bedrooms, living room, garage, and sunroom.

Name: Crystal Meyer, and my husband, Garrett Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Size: 475 square feet (400 if you’re not counting closets or the bathtub) Years lived in: 3 years, renting My husband and I are both mechanical engineers—he works designing power plants, and I work at a roller coaster design company. Our engineering brains definitely drive our space to be functional. Our possessions reflect our hobbies: We both love reading, playing board games, and playing the piano.

Name: Alyssa Low, Collin Koetz and two cats, Shiloh and Smalls Location: Evanston, Illinois Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned Alyssa Low and Collin Koetz met in design school and got married in 2014. They live with their two Maine Coon cats, Shiloh and Smalls. After renting in Lakeview for a few years, Alyssa and Collin decided to buy their first place in Evanston.

Name: Jason Potter, my dog, Bear Location: Provincetown, Massachusetts Size: 288 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned My home is located in the quirky, the queer, the magnetic village of Provincetown, Massachusetts. On my property is an infamous 16-by 18-foot, three-season cottage known by locals as the “Love Cottage.” The Love Cottage has been my full-time summer home since 2015, when I purchased the property.

Name: Lilly Giraldo Location: Seabright — Santa Cruz, California Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting I currently live in a two-bedroom apartment in the Seabright neighborhood of Santa Cruz. I moved to Santa Cruz fresh out of college and I remember thinking, “When I grow up I want to live in Seabright,” and 20 years later (and after kind of growing up), I found this lovely apartment.

Name: Emily Kellerman Location: Ditmas Park — Brooklyn, NY Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting This was the big solo no roommates move. I found a dream apartment in Ditmas Park Brooklyn. I was sold on the pink bathtub, moldings and unique entryways. It has been an absolute treasure to surround myself with everything I love and create a nest all of my own.

Name: LaurieAnne Gonzalez, husband Taylor, and dog Hazel Location: Arcadia Neighborhood — Phoenix, Arizona Size: 952 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned My husband and I rented our little 1950s 952-square-foot ranch home for a year before buying and renovating it to become our own. Before we renovated, the house was very dark and closed off with a lot of wasted space.

This modern-inspired California house draws inspiration from an effortlessly laid-back style.

Name: Heather Vander Zwaag Location: Rittenhouse Square — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 10 months, renting I moved to Philadelphia after spending almost a decade in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and four years in New York.

Name: Amanda Moss and two cats, Pony and Minji Location: Hochelaga neighborhood — Montreal, Quebec Size: 1,372 square feet Years lived in: 13 years, owned This sunny space is both my home and the studio for my eponymous clothing brand. The high ceilings and large windows of this corner unit make working from home an absolute dream. Over the years I’ve filled it with plants and mid-century modern treasures. The space is shared with two sweet cat sisters named Pony and Minji.