Apartment

Architect Anjari Ganguly (@thatyellowtrunk) has always believed in the saying, "Creativity is intelligence having fun." Her apartment, full of plant-filled colorful workstations, is the perfect playground for content creation and DIYs.

Gabriela's goal was to make her apartment place cozy and welcoming with new and thrifted pieces that bring personality, warmth, and fun to the space while maintaining a relatively neutral palette.

It's not just the entryway (which was turned into a cozy and much more functional spot) that got a refresh... every room was updated without breaking the bank.

These grand prize winners have a warm, colorful, and cheerful space they DIYed themselves.

The period charm in Danielle's Upper East Side apartment is a dream: original hardwood floors, exposed white brick, a painted tile backsplash in the kitchen, and a wood burning fireplace.

One of Khadija Gulzar's talents is finding pieces that look and feel expensive but are actually quite affordable, like the sofa she snagged for much less than a more expensive one she had been eyeing.

Chris wanted a place that felt worn in, like a favorite jeans. "A place with character, sort of the antithesis of a new development made with IKEA furnishings."

Ginger Tayler's home's style is "Old Hollywood and Palm Springs architecture, Jayne Mansfield's house, the Playboy mansion, 1970s decor, log cabins, and old motels. Particularly American ones."

Jenny and Cory have rented this small one-bedroom apartment in New York's Upper East Side for 14 years... and it's had to change and adapt with the addition of a 4-year son and 1-year-old twins. 

Lara Jojo had been dreaming of an exposed brick wall apartment for as long as she can remember, and scored the rental of a lifetime with this Seattle space!

Victoria and Zach have tried to curate a space that feels cozy and intentional and filled with items that are sentimental.

Holistic nutritionist Dave Coast shares a 1920s classic Venice bungalow with his partner, George, and their dog, Stanley.

When it came to decorating this Oakland apartment, interior designer and artist Sophia E. Aguiñaga painted the entire space, and surrounded herself with pieces that inspire and start conversations: like art by Black artists and artists of color, queer artists, and pieces purchased from Black- and woman-owned shops.

Adam worked with Kim White to design this 715-square-foot rental apartment that came with a unique element: a small platform bed area that instead got transformed into a perfect home office.

There are all-white walls, an open concept for the living area, the kitchen was moved to what used to be the entrance, the bathroom was fully renovated, and Sebastian also built a home office from the former bathroom and closet.

Alyse Eisenberg hacked IKEA storage pieces to look more expensive than they are, found items at scrap yards, vintage stores, and second-hand stores, and DIYed art to design this large rental apartment she shares with her husband.

Artist and content creator Symphony J. loves hidden storage for the less-cute everyday essentials, and shelves for the curated clutter.

Not only was this homeowner on a tight budget, this apartment's makeover was finished in a week!

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

Maggie has made her small apartment look and feel like a fantastic home without a huge price tag, optimizing every area for storage and adding shelving.

This one-bedroom apartment comes with a beautiful canal view, and Busra and Pieter have kept their small rental home's style minimal, with nods to the '90s.

With only 600 square feet, Celeste and Lucas had to get creative to fit as many functions into their small home as possible, employing an interesting furniture arrangement to do so.

Maya Goldfine breathed life into her rental home by embracing a mixture of textures, color, and styles, which was primarily inspired by a trip to Mexico City.

13-foot ceilings give this rental a lofty feel and highlight classic architectural details, from the crown molding to the original wood shutters to the deco fireplace.

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

Restauranteur and Mediterranean lifestyle company owner Sequoia Del Hoyo loves "earth tones, texture, patina, natural grain, and all things that get better with age."

Josh and Matt struggled to decorate their home while ensuring they didn’t damage their rental... so they make their own home decor and art that's easy to install AND remove.

Designer Tiffany Miller-Baker didn't let the fact that her Brownstone apartment is a rental limit her home's design style.

When it comes to decorating, Michelle works with colors and black art and pop culture art that she loves.

Architect Jill Porter says her Brooklyn apartment had zero original details when she bought it 16 years ago. But after a makeover it now has color, pattern, and most of all joy and charm!

It was important for Kaitlyn that her apartment be "dually comfortable and creative." She describes her style as "refined maximalism."

This apartment's reading nook is the perfect '80s Art Deco glam spot.

Katie's home's style is: "Grandmillennial maximalism with a touch of Scandinavian minimalism."

Linsdey Son's rental apartment style is a "funky-fresh pop dream."

Ms. Pink and Mr. Black share this three-bedroom flat set over three levels in a Victorian house conversion with three sons, and their cats, Coco and Tommy.

The most challenging thing about this home was making it functional with so little space, but this couple was able to fit two desks, a ton of shelving, and smart under-bed storage.

These two siblings own a start-up interior design studio and homeware shop and live together in this chic London space. And they weren't shy with color!

Vintage fashion and home decor seller Barbie Roadkill says her Chicago condo's style is: "Golden Girls' meets Lydia’s house in 'Beetlejuice' meets a box of crayons."

Haley Boyko, a footwear designer and freelance illustrator, shares this three-bedroom apartment with her partner, Nick Sylvester, and their three dogs, Maya, Emma, and Penny.

Mallory was immediately drawn to this apartment for its unique features and history as a classroom — it retains its original hardwood floors and has large, paned glass windows.

Emma Jane Palin and her partner, Joshua John Parker, ripped out floors, sanded back floorboards, laid vinyl tiles, painted walls, removed textured wallpaper and much more to transform this rented coach house.

Stacey Appel has adored '60s-'70s fashion and interiors since she was a teen, and it shows in the way she's painted and decorated her small rental apartment!

AT readers went absolutely WILD for the floor-to-ceiling bookcase in this Oslo loft; it's our most-liked photo of all time on Instagram!

This apartment is one of three located in a house built in 1900, and many original charming historic details like exposed brick, a built-in bookshelf, and original doors were preserved.

Logan West says he's a maximalist who values minimalism.

Courtyards, curved staircases, and stunning balcony views... this French Quarter rental apartment is a dreamy New Orleans home for a family of four.

This food blogger's home features DIY ideas like a divider wall, a unique furniture layout to, and an attractive way to hide an ugly shower rod.

Name: Kayleigh Kahn and my partner and all our plants!Location: Inner Sunset — San Francisco, CaliforniaType of home: ApartmentSize: 600 square feetYears lived in: 1 year, renting Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: My partner and I both work for a local grocery company (which is how we met!), so this year has been quite the whirlwind for us.

When it came to decorating this 800-square-foot rental apartment, photographer Nesrin Danan chose a mix of mid-century modern meets Scandinavian vibes to create a soothing sanctuary.

This cozy, scandiboho, cheerful, and DIY-packed home is full of great crafty ideas for small spaces.

Designer Antonio Deloatch describes his rental apartment's style as "curated relaxed luxury."

Alexx and Rob joke that they styled their living room so that their cat, Meoweh, would look good anywhere in it.

For the past 10 years, Abbe Wright's small rental apartment has been her sanctuary during a hurricane, breakup, a death in the family, and job changes. But it's also been where she's celebrated new jobs, gathered travel collectibles and family heirlooms, and found love.

Angelo and his boyfriend's strongest ability to decorate their small apartment is refurbishing old furniture to fit a more modern style (like their kitchen table, coffee table trunk, kitchen chairs) and they love creating art and furniture from scratch.

Katelan Foisy painted all the backdrops in her rental apartment, which mixes theatricality with luxury hotel vibes. "I always wanted to live in a theater and this is the way I bring that dream to life."

Sarah's been in their apartment for only a year, and shares it with cat, Margo, and a "seasoned collection of flora. While small in size, it fits us perfectly."

Inspired by the beauty of tropical nature and the vibrancy of Mexican culture.

Sarai Reed, April Lawrence, and their dog, Lambo Reed-Lawrence, share this small one-bedroom condo. Their style is equal parts mid-century modern-inspired, uncluttered, and full of plants, which translates very nicely into a style you could call Lush Minimalism.

"I believe walking into my home is like entering an experience," renter Candice Sing says.

Jeremy, our dogs, and Meghan moved to this Spanish-style bungalow apartment in Los Angeles five years ago from Louisville, Kentucky bringing only two vintage pieces of furniture and a large collection of art, records, and books.

Paul — better known as @plantmepaul on Instagram — shares this small rental apartment with a roommate, beautiful brick walls, natural light, and tons of plants!

A lot of the objects in Emily and Jay's home reflect a combination of science and art — you'll find an abacus or a model of a T-Rex head next to one of Emily's sculptures or a musical instrument.

Salomé identifies as a maximalist who loves pink and mixing and matching prints, patterns, and textures.

There are eclectic art piece from local contemporary artists mixed with exquisite New Orleans antiques and family treasures.

Faith moved here with no furniture, and it was both overwhelming and exciting for her to design an apartment with DIYs and fun furniture finds.

Noah's home features shades of saturated gorgeous greens.