Name: Timothy Kolstad Location: San Jose, California Size: 1,888 square feet Years lived in: 27 years (on and off); Owned for 2 years Timothy never expected he’d end up back in San Jose living in his childhood home. He inherited the house two years ago, and since then, he’s worked hard to remodel the space and make it his own, which he says hasn’t been an easy task on a limited budget.

"Have you ever looked at an apartment in the pitch black without heat? It's not great."

Name: Timothy Scheel Location: Humboldt Park — Chicago, Illinois Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting If you told Tim his apartment reminds you of your grandma’s apartment, he’d likely take it as a compliment. Over the years, he’s inherited a ton of pieces from his family and bought from many estate sales, so the space exudes a comfortable, lived-in feeling.

James and Lauren are two artists living in Oakland, and their apartment is perfect for work and play.

Alex and Sean refuse to leave any walls bare in their Oakland apartment and share a love for mid-century furniture, classic TV, and cheesy movies.

Name: Kenyatta Forbes Location: Bronzeville — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,450 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned Kenyatta is inspired by patterns in nature, textures, and bold and bright colors, all of which can be found in her Chicago apartment. “I think the thing I love most about my home is the elements of history, memories, and design,” Kenyatta says. “I love how they all come together and couldn’t exist without each other.

Name: Natasha Harden Location: Bella Vista — Oakland, California Size: 725 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Natasha—a Virgo—credits her Zodiac sign for her heightened sense of detail. “I can spend hours thrifting, and trust me, I always find something cute,” she proudly says. “I usually just walk around in a thrift store and I let patterns and textures speak to me.

Name: Jimmy Brower, Damien Merino, and their dog Joey Location: Gaskill — Oakland, California Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Jimmy and Damien instantly fell in love with their Oakland apartment. The bond was so strong that they signed the lease before they even looked inside. Risky — yes — but they don’t regret a thing about the decision, as they find themselves drawn to the natural energy of the space more and more each day.

Name: 3 roommates (plus their cats Boogie and Sammie) Location: California Size: ~600 square feet Years lived in: 5 years These three roommates live in a two-bedroom attic apartment in a historic mansion that was converted to apartments. The space has its perks, such as the walls painted yellow and its convenience to downtown Oakland and public transit. But the awkward attic space also has its drawbacks: small windows resulting in low light, weird ceilings angles, and a tiny kitchen.

Name: Susan and David Location: East Bay, California Size: 2,250 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned Susan and David’s East Bay home comes with intact natural features, Douglas fir beams and cabinets, and a functional floor plan. Why anybody would list this mid-century home as a “tear down” on the market is a mystery. Luckily, Susan and David stumbled upon the listing when a sale fell through.

Name: Eduardo Valadez Arenas Location: Fruitvale — Oakland, California Size: 400 square feet (plus adjacent work studio) Years lived in: 4 years, renting After coming to the U.S. from Mexico city, Eduardo settled in Thousand Palms, California, a small desert town just east of Palm Springs. This upbringing in small desert towns throughout California continues to influence his personal style, art aesthetic and home design.

Name: Rachelle Padgett Location: Berkeley, California Size: 525 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting In Rachelle’s living room, a rich and colorful rug is layered on top of another, creating a kaleidoscope of colors on the floor. Bright turquoise sheets in her bedroom complement the framed photo of a bright French Quarter house she took on a recent trip to a jazz festival.

Name: Jessica Henry Location: Duboce Triangle — San Francisco, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Jessica likes to collect things that remind her of a specific time and place, like the leather butterfly chair she got in Argentina, or the bedroom mirror she found at a San Diego thrift store. All of those mementos combined with eclectic accents — and lots and lots of greenery — are what makes her place special.

Name: Kirstie Maryott Location: Lower Pacific heights — San Francisco, California Size: 420 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2 years Kirstie has bounced around from state to state the past few years of her life, including stops in Colorado, Virginia and Georgia. A California native, she has called the Bay Area home for the last two years, where she lives in a charming studio on the top floor of a building in the Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood.

Name: Johnny Matcham Location: Tower District — Fresno, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Johnny grew up surrounded by vintage. His father collected vintage radios, cameras and old advertising signs. His mom had a large collection of cookie jars and vintage kitchen decor. His grandparents had a house full of kitsch treasures: tiki mugs, risqué lady figurines, and novelty bar ware. Growing up, Johnny’s bedroom was filled with vintage art and toys.

Name: Shelbie Engelgau, Blake Cox, MJ Tantingco, Myles Huff (and fifth roommate Brian, who isn’t featured in the tour) Location: Oceanview — San Francisco, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 months, rented Shelbie’s move into this San Francisco apartment required no driving: She and her roommates only had to schlep their furniture up a small flight of stairs from the unit below into this newly remodeled four-bedroom upstairs unit.

Name: Elle Ruhstaller and Alex Ristevski Location: Piedmont Avenue — Oakland, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Elle can’t really pinpoint a specific style for the Oakland apartment she shares with her partner Alex. “It’s a mash-up of what I like most from many different eras,” she said of her apartment’s decor.

Name: Cai Haun and Britt Maton Location: Oceanview — San Francisco, California Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 5 months, renting Having a complete and comfortable home is really important to Cai. She’s moved at least once a year, every year, since she was 13, so adapting quickly has never been an issue. But because of the frequent moves, she noticed she wasn’t putting much effort into her homes as she’d like to (since she would inevitably move out within a year).

Name: Estefania and Chris Palomarez Location: Cleveland Heights — Oakland, California Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 8 months, rented Estefania says she had a plain looking apartment a few months before their house tour. But she and her partner Chris pushed themselves to work their way down each room, painting the walls and building pieces that suit their style (and are functional).

Name: Meg Woodcheke and Conor Acomb Location: Oakland, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: Rented 8 years by Conor (Meg moved in 2 years ago) Meg doesn’t find much fun in buying furniture sets for her apartment, which she shares with her boyfriend Conor. “I think the real joy is in finding pieces from here and there and making them work together,” she says.

Name: Leo and Daniel Location: Dolores Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 1,250 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2.5 years Leo and Daniel consider themselves fortunate to live in a stunning, spacious San Francisco apartment overlooking the city’s skyline. Daniel’s parents own the building, so he and his sister (who lives in the unit above the couple) got first dibs.

Name: Austin Carrier, Alex Mutter-Rottmayer, and their dog Ziggy Location: Sonoma, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Austin and Alex say their apartment is like the scene in Alice in Wonderland in which the Mad Hatter is calling for people to change seats. It’s very likely that the couple’s wine country apartment is already styled completely different than how it looked during this house tour.

Name: Cheyenne Cannon Location: West Oakland — Oakland, California Size: ~250 square feet (part of a 2-story, 4-bedroom house) Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented Though Cheyenne doesn’t get to claim an entire apartment to herself, her small workspace and bedroom provide the bright light, privacy and inspiration she needs. She lucked out when the private second floor bedroom opened up.

Name: Jory Dayne Location: Tenderloin — San Francisco, California Size: 525 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented The bustle of the street scene just outside Jory’s doorstep is a contrast to the warm, serene studio apartment he calls home. A flood of light pours in through bay windows, reflecting off the cluster of plants in the corner.

Name: Sylvia De Marco Location: Ocean Park — San Juan, Puerto Rico Size: 2,500 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2 years Live a Great Story. The front of Sylvia’s house boldly displays the slogan on a pink wall, with potted plants and bright flowers on the wall ledge. The facade says a lot about what guests will find upon entering. Like her bright and hip Ocean Park neighborhood, Sylvia’s home is filled with an array of colorful furniture, lively plants, and unique art.

Carlos’ Puerto Rico apartment is filled with bright, colorful furniture and playful accents, such as video game consoles from his childhood and mustache throw pillows. His sophisticated home—which is 23 stories high with gorgeous views of Puerto Rico’s beaches—doesn’t take itself too seriously. Check out the sources below to shop the style for your own home.

Hannah and Marc’s vibrant and textured Nashville home showcases modern accents and bold paint colors, and infuses them with traditional elements. The end result is a style they call “Modernized Traditional” — a successful way of mixing contemporary pieces in a traditional space. Check out the links below to shop the style for your home.

When Pamela, Michael, and their son Max moved into their 1906 historic Portland home, the floors were layered with soot and grime, the ceilings had water damage and rot, and there were literally holes in the floors. The couple did a major renovation, and now, the home shows off beautiful original features plus finishes of their choice. It’s also filled with gorgeous furniture, accents, and art the family loves. Check out the links below to shop some of those pieces.

Kate and Jennifer’s shared space is equal parts modern and cool, but also classic and romantic. In their 1,000 square foot condo, you’ll find bold colors and clean lines mixed with traditional furniture and accents. Shop the style below to get this sophisticated yet edgy look in your home.

Tiffany and Alan’s Austin bungalow is chic and playful, inspired by Tiffany’s background in fashion and the couple’s travels. Most impressive is that the couple has only been in the space for nine months. You can easily get this warm, beautiful look in your home using the links below. Shop the style!

Matt and Amanda’s Pasadena home doesn’t have one specific style. But they think that if the Kennedys went camping, this is how it would look: craftsman elements, mid-century furniture mixed with rustic accents, and even a little bit of glam. Combined, those elements create a cozy home the couple can enjoy in their quiet, tree-lined neighborhood. Shop the style below!

Kathryn and Emilio’s North Carolina home doesn’t feature one specific style. It showcases a harmonious blend of traditional, contemporary and modern styles that provides the family and their guests with a breath of fresh air. Guests are also delighted to find surprises in every corner if they look close enough, such as the Art Deco floor lamp in the living room or geometric lamps in the bedroom. You can now shop the style using the links below!