Name: Gilles, Ismérie and Alexie Location: Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, Montreal Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 3 years Ismérie, founder of The Little Spot and owner at L’Atelier du coin de la rue (“The workshop around the corner” a creative space for DIY passionate Montrealers), opened up her family home for us and shared their little universe.

Name: Suzanne of Decogirl Montreal Location: Downtown, Montreal Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 9 months Suzanne is an interior decorator working in Montreal who excels at creating luxurious decor where exuberance, drama, class, color and comfort all mix together to create intriguing and wonderful spaces. Suzanne finds inspiration for every project in Coco Chanel, Bunny Williams, and Jonathan Adler, to name a few.

Ivana likes simple things. She loves the sensation of an empty space. And her condo reflects that; the style is simple, modern and minimalist.

Name: Florence and Julien Location: Plateau Mt-Royal — Montreal Size: 980 square feet Years lived in: 8 months Florence is the founder of Me Myself & Montreal, a blog that provides the best spots in Montreal to visit. She also organizes “discovery” events for its readers. The Montreal apartment she shares with Julien is bright and radiant and the large windows provide the best views of the city, like the Mount-Royal, the city center and the Olympic Stadium.

Name: Morgane Location: Villeray; Montreal Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 6 months; rented Working in an art gallery and having a natural talent for decorating, Morgane’s apartment is a true reflection of herself and her love for art. The space is airy, well balanced, delicate, monochromatic, with a touch of natural tones, unique pieces and personal touches. For her, everything resides in the small details. She puts great care on choosing each piece that she brings into her home.

Name: Laurence and Alexandre Location: Petite-Patrie; Montreal Size: 940 square feet Years lived in: 1 year Alex and Laurence were looking for an unusual place. A merge of the functional “Batcave” and the artistic grandiloquence of the Mysore Palace in India. They found this apartment, with enough wall space to hang all of Alexandre’s artworks (from past exhibitions) and Laurence’s numerous travel souvenirs. The apartment is full of architecturally strange surprises.

Name: Pierre-Etienne Pilon and his two kids Location: Ile-Perrot, Quebec Size: 3 bedrooms Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Decorator Pierre-Etienne Pilon has decorated his entire home with secondhand furniture that he has refurbished himself. He is passionate about Mid-century Scandinavian furniture, and he loves to wander around here and there in search of beautiful pieces. “It is a bit like treasure hunting,” he says.

Name: Nick and Julia and their three children Location: Toronto, Ontario Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 8 years Modern, colorful and striking, this renovated home is full of great architectural features, elegant design and clean lines. Nick and Julia love the family- and party-friendly home they were able to create with the help of Solares Architecture, a firm that renovates and builds environmentally integrated homes.

Name: Lauren Pirie Location: Bloorcourt — Toronto, Ontario Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 6 months; Rented When I first entered Lauren’s apartment, I was immediately captivated by all of the art that covers the wall of the long corridor; Lauren’s work is truly enigmatic and delicate. The corridor then led me to the kitchen/living room/studio space.

Name: Justin and Meg Location: Toronto, Ontario Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented When Justin and Meg walked into this house—after visiting about 60 houses and doing six months of research—they knew immediately it was the one. A lot of people wanted this place, and they had to basically beg the landlord daily until he finally gave in and let them have it.

Name: Julien Location: Hochelaga-Maisonneuve — Montréal, Canada Size: 466 square feet Years lived in: 4 months; Owned Newly-single Julien had to find a place that would meet his love for lofts and small spaces while integrating elements that appealed to him; he found this studio for sale and fell in love with it. He then had to make sure his vintage finds and every piece of furniture he owns would fit in 466 square feet—it was a challenge!

Name: Danielle Location: Hochelaga-Maisonneuve; Montreal, Canada Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Owned When I first entered Danielle’s condo, I immediately noticed the calm and peaceful ambiance. Maybe the cooled air inside had something to do with it, on a can’t stand the heat and humidity sort of day! But regardless of temperature, Danielle’s place is seriously awesome. Although the condo is a garden level unit, it remains lit all day by the large windows.

Name: Eloïse and Jose Location: Verdun; Montreal, Canada Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented It’s always impressive to enter a big, open, high-ceilinged living space, filled with huge windows, abundant natural light, and a massive brick wall. Despite these delightful architectural features, it could be quite challenging to make this type of room feel cozy, balanced, and comfortable, but Jose and Eloïse achieved it by simply using a few helpful tricks.

Name: Amie, Emma, and Francesca Location: Toronto, Ontario Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented When these three met at University three years ago during orientation week they decided: “forget the dorm, let’s share an apartment together”. They found this 500 square foot downtown apartment on their only day of searching and they knew that they had to have it (especially after seeing the next one on their list).

Name: Marc-Andre & Alexandre Location: Griffintown, Montreal, Canada Size: 710 square feet Years lived in: 6 months; Owned Have you ever dreamed of designing and building your own home? If you are not an architect nor a designer (or if you don’t plan on hiring one), you may rarely encounter the opportunity that Marc-André and Alex just had. They bought their condo from plans, so they were able to sit down with the interior designer of the builder’s company (three times!

Name: Violaine, Gaëtan Havart & Hubert Location: Mile End; Montreal, Quebec Size: 825 square feet Years lived in: 4.5 years; Owned Violaine and Gaëtan live in one of the most desired neighborhoods of Montreal, and their condo is stunning. As a Belgian architect now living in the city, Gaëtan designed the new kitchen and bathroom in his spare time. The result is unique and simply gorgeous.

Name: Myriam Granger & Sebastien Burns Location: Villeray; Montreal, Canada Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented I’ve known Myriam & Sebastien, owners of the Boutique Archive, since the opening of their store in Villeray three years ago. The space is truly amazing and the products are of great quality.

Name: Anabelle, Edward and Fifi Location: Mile End; Montreal, Canada Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 1 1/2 years; Owned Upon entering Anabelle and Edward’s apartment, I immediately noticed the numerous qualities that make this space a quiet, comfortable and very “homey” home. Brick walls, hardwood floors, moldings, wood elements, architectural details, and many books make this condo a place full of charm, character and style.

Name: Raphaëlle Location: Little Italy; Montreal, Canada Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Rented Raphaëlle found this apartment six years ago. She instantly fell in love with its size, the amount of natural light that comes in, the location and its affordability. Located above the popular Jean-Talon food market (where her cat happily strolls everyday), the apartment is a great place for Raphaëlle, a talented cook who loves to host dinner parties.

Name: Marie-Lyne and Karlo Location: Villeray; Montreal, Canada Size: 575 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; owned We settled in an up-and-coming neighborhood where young families and first-time buyers choose to live for its affordability and convenience. Our condo is near Jean-Talon market and is surrounded by trendy coffee shops, fashionable restaurants and local boutiques.