Marisa Vitale

Rory Rockmore, celebrity jewelry designer by night, lives in this Los Angeles loft that’s “dedicated to any early ‘90s movie or sitcom with a ‘cool’ character who lived in a 'downtown' loft.”

The best decorating advice artist Ben Cuevas ever received came from Amy Sedaris. "...[S]he says that she viewed her rental deposit as her design fee — which I think is just brilliant. If you’re renting, but plan to stay put for a while and want to really make your space your own, consider your deposit the fee you pay for being able to live in a space you truly love and can call your own."

Yuka, partner Daniel, and two fur babies, Bear and Penguin, share this colorful 700-square-foot Echo Park rental apartment.

TV writer, actress, author, and producer Franchesca Ramsey moved to Los Angeles fall of 2020, decorating this rental apartment with DIY murals, color, and more.

Francesca owns Francesca Grace Home, a home staging and interior designer company, and her California Craftsman in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood is full of vintage furnishings, modern lines, bold colors, and energetic patterns.

Dani Dazey, the owner and founder of the clothing line, Dazey LA, and the interior design studio, Dazey Den, and her partner, Phillip Butler, live in this colorful, patterned house in Los Angeles with their dogs, Franklin and Yuki.

Peter Quinn and Caitlin Dawson bought this house in Mount Washington three years ago, and recently finished a remodel that modernized the small home, while retaining a lot of the original history and charm

Los Angeles-based interior designer Kara Thomas' small LA apartment is full of ideas on how to make your rental apartment look good.

It's like Lisa Frank meets Hot Topic with a sprinkling of theater kid, rhinestone cowboy, and disco daddy.

Creative director Willow Rothbart's style in her small Los Angeles studio apartment's style is a mix of industrial, minimalist, and a touch of transitional.

Artist Sharlene Kayne calls her style "evolutionary design." She adds layer after layer, piece by piece over time until it's done.

Name: Kajon Cermak and Bob Muellner Location: Marina Del Rey, California Size: 40′ LOA, 13.5′ Beam Years lived in: 3 years, owned Kajon and Bob raised their family in Thousand Oaks, but as their kids got older and their schedules got busier, having to commute to west L.A. for work felt like more and more of a hassle. The couple’s creative solution was a fun one: They decided to simply go all in and live on a 40-foot house boat during the week! If you live in L.A.

Name: Alle Fister and Don Popkes Location: Playa Del Rey, California Size: 4,500 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, owned Alle Fister—owner of Bollare, a communications firm that works with well-known beauty and fashion brands—met Don Popkes 10 years ago. Six and a half years ago the couple got married and bought this house, their first home and a total fixer upper.

Cindy is a jewelry designer and fiber artist and shares this bright North Hollywood home with her husband Matt.

Name: Kristine Claghorn and Mark Harrison and SETI the cat (stands for “Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence”, of course) Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Kristine and Mark knew they were meant to be together when they both bonded over their separate rock collections. She’s a creative producer and artist, he’s a documentary editor, and their cat, SETI, is an expert at being adorable.

Name: Peter and Jana Deeble and their four kids Location: Long Beach, California Years lived in: 7 years, rent to own For 14 years, Long Beach resident Peter Deeble was a math teacher who had a side hobby of designing and building furniture. In the beginning the work was just meant as a way to furnish his and his wife’s (to whom he’s been married for 15 years!) home.

Name: Eloisa Ribeiro and Anderson Ribeiro Location: Venice, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Eloisa Ribeiro is a mom, dog lover, model, actress and the owner of The Wolf Nest, a business that sells one-of-a-kind designed “pillows for pups + cushions for home.” Born in Brazil and raised in Florida and Texas, it was in New York that she met her husband Anderson six years ago. Three years ago, she moved to Venice, California for a lifestyle change.

Name: Sadie and Dana Solomon, and their cat Emma and rabbit Buns Location: Santa Barbara, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, renting Though Sadie and Dana have been living in their 1940s Santa Barbara home for seven years, the couple never stops letting the home evolve and grow in style and design.

Name: Anthony Conley, Elizabeth Hall and Olivia Location: Highland Park, California Size: 922 square feet Years lived in: 11 years, owned When Anthony “Antz” and Elizabeth were first looking to buy a home back in 2006, they never dreamed their journey would take them into LA’s Highland Park. But after 11 years in this dreamy 1923 California bungalow, the creative couple both agree that they lucked out in finding such a family-friendly and community-oriented neighborhood.

Name: Erin Cullerton of Design Agency Co and Melanie McGraw of Monk Provisions Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,250 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned When Erin and Mel felt it was time to look for a home together, they never dreamed they would be able to find something affordable in the Silver Lake area.

This headboard idea is So. Simple. It’s an uncomplicated DIY project that adds minimal and modern pizzazz to a bedroom or a guest bedroom. Creating architectural interest, the headboard ledge is now perfectly suited to store and display art, plants, lamps and more. This is the bedroom in Puno and Daniel’s LA loft. Using leftover material from their kitchen cabinet remodeling project, the couple built a headboard with a lip along the top that doubles as a shelf.

Name: Samantha Santana and James Lively Location: Jefferson Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 619 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, 2 months, owned When Samantha and James first moved into their historic, 93-year-old Spanish bungalow, they knew they would be doing most of the renovations and remodeling themselves. It was a long haul, especially since their home was inhabited by squatters before they moved in.

When Puno Puno (yes, you read that right, her name is Puno Lauren Puno!) and Daniel Chin Yee moved into their Downtown Los Angeles loft earlier this year, they knew they’d found their dream home. First, because of all the added space (their previous apartment was a modest 600 square feet to this loft’s 1,500). And secondly, because of the huge amount of light pouring in from the wall-to wall, industrial-height windows that line their corner unit.

They used to make kombucha in their small apartment. The success of the company allowed them to buy this beautiful home.

Name: Jaimee Dormer + Adam Lodynsky Location: Pasadena, California Size: 672 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Jaimee Dormer and her husband, Adam, moved to LA three years ago in search of new opportunities (and better weather) and have since created not just a home — but a truly unique space to work and relax. Jaimee, the founder of Coast to Coast Vintage, allows her love for color and patterns to run free throughout the space.

Name: Steph Rager Location: Highland Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting On her personal website, A Dapper Line, Steph Rager describes herself as “50 percent muralist, 30 percent illustrator, 15 percent sign artist, and 5 percent champagne drinker.” It’s hardly a surprise that, like her art, her home is a brilliantly laid-back mix of color and crisp lines.

Name: Ben Tetro and Kenesha Sneed Location: Altadena, California Years lived in: 1.7 years, renting Ben and Kenesha’s Altadena cottage is a dream oasis for any design lover looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. With exposed wood ceilings, an original brick fireplace, and a backyard full of fruit trees, their home offers a welcoming environment and plenty of charm. Editor’s note: This tour is worth a revisit because Kenesha is, frankly, so talented!

Name: Michelle Paul Toney and James Toney III Location: Chinatown — Downtown Los Angeles Size: 1,115 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting Michelle and James’ lives seem to revolve around downtown LA. After meeting in the Arts District one fated Tuesday night, the couple have since been married, started the Los Angeles-based company Morrow Soft Goods with two friends, and moved into the beautiful and brightly lit Chinatown apartment where they currently reside.

Name: Linda Hsiao, Kagan Taylor and Scallion the Cat Location: Highland Park — Los Angeles, California Years lived in: 2 years, renting Linda and Kagan’s Highland Park home is a perfect reflection of their combined creative collaborations and organic aesthetics. The space is filled with handmade treasures, meaningful art, and friend’s crafts to create a truly cozy and original style.

Name: Lourdes Hernandez and Zach Leigh Location: Highland Park, Los Angeles Size: 1900 square feet Years lived in: 18 months, owned Creative duo Zach and Lourdes started their relationship as musicians — they met one night at The Largo while playing a show. But recently their creative energies have gone in another direction: Refurbishing an old church in Los Angeles’ Highland Park.

He's a programmer; she's a designer. And they both live and work in this big and bright LA loft.

Name: Robert Ingraham Location: Eagle Rock — Los Angeles, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, renting When Robert, a passionate filmmaker and director from the Midwest, found himself caught between who he was and who he wanted to be, he knew he needed an apartment that did more than just house personal objects. He realized his largest sources of inspiration — music, film, literature — were missing from his daily routine and his surroundings.

Name: Salvatore and Amina and Worf and Princess Leia, the couple’s dogs Location: Downtown Los Angeles, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting Amina is a firm believer that your home “should be the ultimate happy place.” And the Downtown Los Angeles rental apartment she shares with her husband Salvatore (and pups Worf and Princess Leia) certainly shows that she practices what she preaches.

Turning a driveway and storage area into a beautiful lounge for adults and children alike seemed like an impossible feat for Ali and Evan. Luckily they had a great friend, Lake, who knew exactly how to transform this space! From Lake Sharp of array.la: The lean-to structure immediately creates a sense of privacy and much needed shade, but still allows for airflow and light. The look of the patio is centered around the colorful Laotian lanterns that Ali showed me at our first meeting.

Ali and Evan's Los Angeles home is filled to the brim with eclectic art from all over the world

Name: Eva Goicochea and Ian Goicochea Location: Greenpoint — Brooklyn, NY Size: 1300 square feet Years lived in: 3 months, renting What happens when two creatives — one from California/New Mexico and the other from Arizona/Oregon — come to New York together with four animals? They make some serious West Coast meets Southwest minimalist magic. Ian and Eva met nine years ago through a mutual friend.