Ashley Maeda lives with her husband and two daughters in the Southern California desert. "I look at my home as my canvas," she says. "There is always a half-finished mural somewhere because I am constantly painting something new."

Spiro Georgi and his husband have always loved the countryside of New England, and five years ago they finally bought their dream house, transforming it with a modern farmhouse/English cottage style. "Plaid is our thing; every room in our house has something in a plaid pattern."

Eric is a lover of black coffee, bourbon, blues, jazz, architecture, and interior design. So when the pandemic offered him a discounted price of rent, he worked to make the apartment of his dreams.

Allison knew she could add character and color to her condo through the decor, and began with a few paint colors to set the tone, eventually layering in pattern and decor to create a home full of personality.

The moment sisters Farah and Vanessa walked into this studio apartment, they knew it was the one and put in an offer the same day! "It was the perfect space with a little balcony."

Sheena and Jason live, work, and travel the U.S. in this completely renovated 31-foot 1977 Airstream Sovereign. "The Airstream was originally left to rot away at a storage facility in a muddy field in Tennessee. It sat for years, slowly being consumed by the earth," explains Sheena.

Krista's 100-year-old heritage house is actually her husband's childhood home. "When his parents decided to retire in 2018 and go on an adventure, we purchased it from them and have spent the past few years transforming and updating it," she writes.

Abby and Ian's home style came down to a "compromise between the two of us. Ian likes moody colors and lots of rustic touches, and while I like these features too, I'm also really into mid-century modern antiques and style."

Hilda's one-bedroom bungalow was originally built as a granny flat in 1999. "Stylistically, I aspire to be a layered minimalist but in reality I land closer to being a pared-back maximalist," she says.

Designer Rebecca Summer and her husband, Sam, have lived in this 1930s building on Lake Merritt in Oakland for 10 years. "I was drawn to this building for all its architectural and ornate details like the arched doorways, 10-foot-high ceilings, and original crystal chandeliers," she writes.

"I grew up in Hong Kong where my mother and grandmother raised me with a strong foundation in Old Chinese Feng Shui," writes Clara Leung, who designed her townhouse around Feng Shui principles... and lots of houseplants!

Tiffany Gholar's home is a space where she experiments "with ideas that I might end up using in projects for clients one day."

Megan Zietz is a content creator and designer, and shares this small NYC rental apartment with her husband, three kids, and two cats.

This San Jose studio apartment has separate spaces for living, sleeping, working, and cooking. "I'm amazed at what the right layout can do in such a small space," explains studio dweller Brett.

Katarzyna Tabath-Sklorz and her family live in this gorgeous "eclectic, farmhouse, boho" style house.

Desiree and her wife didn't want shy away from their Black and Hispanic heritage when it came to their intentional, cozy, and eclectic Harlem studio apartment that boasts as much small-space function as it does style.

Britt downsized to this 773-square-foot apartment after living in a larger home, but found enjoyment and freedom in paring down. "I’m far from a minimalist, but it feels good to have a home that’s truly only filled with items I’m passionate about ⁠— even my toilet brush is pretty!"

This small cabin's interior style is mid-century modern meets vintage camp fusion.

Mitali Gupta intentionally selected colors, furniture, accessories, and lighting to create the atmosphere she and her partner wanted in each room of the apartment they rent.

Leslie and her partner, Amy, have a rainbow media cabinet, a pink neon sign that says "queer," a candle in the shape of a plus-sized woman's figure, and more in their "Sapphic, feminist, cerebral, sensual, Venusian" rental apartment.

Juliana Sarria and her husband are originally from Colombia, their sons were born in Mexico, and after moving around for awhile, the family of four has settled down in this beautiful Barcelona rental apartment.

Jeff and Tim aren't allowed to paint since they're renting, so to bring warmth and color into a sterile, concrete space, they've incorporated warm and organic textures of leather, wood, vintage rugs, and faux furs.

This small studio apartment's style is serene, minimal, dreamy, peaceful, functional, and the view from the balcony overlooking the marina/bay is stunning!

Law student Madi's studio is the first time she's lived without roommates and so her first time with total freedom to decorate however she wanted. "Naturally, this meant pink, plants, and disco balls!"

Tim and Ravi's condo is located on the top floor of a building built in 1897, so it needed a lot of work. The remodel lasted two months and was completed in January 2020.

Lisa has always been drawn to East Coast beach style, and was inspired by Nantucket for this home — hence why it's been dubbed "The Grey Lady."

The backdrop of Cindy Zhang's rental apartment is very minimal, but there are lot of decorations that give off pops of fun color.

Kelsey Bush's home is a direct reflection of her personality. "I love to be creative and get my hands dirty. So having the ability to design my own space has been very rewarding. I love mixing patterns and style and old with the new. Color is my comfort zone."

Hannah Conklin is a teaching assistant on a budget, and when it came to decorating her rental apartment, she incorporated items that were thrifted, handed down from a family member, or rescued from the side of the road.

Equana Davis is passionate about historic architecture and the whimsical consumer brand, Anthropologie, and both passions are on full display in her gorgeous Atlanta condo she's owned for over three years.

Most of the art on the walls of this rental apartment is by Frances herself, and scattered throughout are dozens of ceramic hands, rocks, and other “treasures” her diver husband brings back from dives.

The morning light that shines through the living room and hits the disco balls on the couch is such a beautiful sight to see!

The home's style is modern, vintage, eclectic, boho, and classic.

The credenza under the TV holds board games, Play Doh and art supplies, as well as napkins and placemats. The sideboard in the dining area is actually a dresser that holds clothes.

This penthouse loft is in a famous old factory building that has been renovated, so Gwendolyn and Ron are surrounded by exposed brick walls and beautiful wooden beams that give the whole space a charming feel.

It's mid-century Boho meets Palm Springs in this small but cute home-away-from-home.

Ineke Nordt used to rock bright colors in her previous homes, but found that light, natural colors calm her down. Her home in The Netherlands is light, bright, natural, Scandi, and bohemian.

Kabba makes custom men's suits, and since the start of the pandemic transitioned to working from home, meaning his rental apartment had to serve multiple functions.

Miranda has leaned into slow furnishing her apartment recently. "Almost everything has been hunted off FB marketplace, or my neighborhood antique shops," writes Miranda. "This way each piece feels intentional and meaningful and I like to think they each have storied lives to them!"

This cottage was a family endeavor for Leigh and Mark. "My father spent countless hours helping, my mother would come randomly to help paint siding or bring cookies, and my aunts would do the same," Leigh says. "We spent hours chatting about the past and the future, listening to their suggestions (sometimes ignoring their suggestions), and building something that was us, but also them."

Former graphic designer Siân currently works in the NHS as a Mental Health Practitioner, and says that making home personal is incredibly important for mental health and overall well being.

The vast majority of pieces Heather and Dennis have collected for their home are thrifted or secondhand.

Dominique's vibe is reflected throughout this home, from "the art that is everywhere to the deep, bold color palette."

This gorgeous house has had a lot of cool residents — like Jungalow's Justina Blakeney — before its equally-as-cool current residents Cristina and Brittany made it their home.

When this couple first moved into this rental, it had white walls, white cabinets, and not a lot of personality. But with paint, peel-and-stick tile, and affordable furniture finds, they've created a colorful and cozy home.

Interior designer and TV host Camille Charland and husband Jeffrey did all the work themselves on their “English cottage meets Nordic countryside" 650-square-foot space they live in part time with their baby and two dogs.

Murals and custom furniture have become a central aspect of all Megan's designs. "I’m always planning projects that require furniture or lighting that either don’t exist or I am unwilling to buy; building my own customizations (furniture, lighting, etc.) has helped me put a home together that really isn’t like any other."

Jo's biggest love is mid-century furniture, adoring the sleek styles that still look modern to this day. This love extended to kitchen design, where she worked with the company Plykea to create retro-looking plywood kitchen cupboards.