Apartment

Name: Alma Andreu Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 645,835 square feet Years lived in: Renting 6 Months Alma has a sparkling personality and a sweet, minimal home, and over the years she’s worked different gigs—but writing is her passion. While working as a teacher, she began writing stories for kids. Her tales proved so popular that she decided to write professionally. Her blog is Soy la Forte and her first book is coming out next October.

Name: Krysta Jabczenski and Joel Leshefka Location: Tucson, Arizona Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: Owned for 2 years (We remodeled this property earlier this year.) For Krysta and Joel, Tucson is more than just home. The two artists and shop owners relocated to Krysta’s native Arizona from the Pacific Northwest, and planted roots in the blossoming creative community in the area.

Name: Max Shay, Emily Billings, and their cat, Snowboots Location: South End — Boston, Massachusetts Size: 655 square feet Years lived in: Rented 5 months As you may remember, a couple years ago, Max and I left our city life behind for rural New England where we moved into an old farmhouse with plenty of room to roam.

Name: Erika Brulé Location: Jingletown — Oakland, California Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2 years When Erika saw photos of the Oakland loft she now calls home, she immediately signed the lease without even looking at the space in person. She knew it would provide her with all she needed: a spacious area where she could indulge in crafts and DIY projects, expansive walls where she could hang art she loves, and industrial elements like exposed pipes and brick.

Name: Sydney Krause and Fabrice Bouty Location: Plateau — Montreal, Canada Size: 1,147 square feet Years lived in: Owned 4 years Sydney and Fabrice are a perfect example of how two people with very distinct personal styles can cultivate a harmonized and well-designed home. Fabrice is originally from France and gravitates towards more classic design while Sydney enjoys color, unique lighting and a good vintage find! When Sydney moved in a few years ago, the place was entirely different.

Name: Justin and Anna Spaller + Cat, Oscar Location: Savin Hill — Boston, Massachusetts Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: Rented 1 year Two years ago, Justin and I had no idea we would end up living in an old Boston neighborhood, let alone in a beautiful 19th century Victorian home. At that time, we were Midwest natives turned Brooklynites, planning a big farewell to the city that never sleeps after four years.

Name: Meghan Bogden Shimek Location: Oakland, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: Rented 6 months Meghan’s live-work Oakland loft is very personal and full of inspiration, found in her beautiful fiber weavings, work by her creative friends, or vintage furniture that brings her joy. Though she’s lived in the space for less than a year, Meghan is already enamored with the amount of space the loft provides her, both to create and share with her 5-year-old son.

Name: Kristen Coates and Michael Paddon Location: Historic Downtown — Newport, Rhode Island Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: Rented 3 years Kristen Coates wears many creative hats: gallery and store owner, artist and curator. When she is at work, her mind is focused on bringing art and beauty into the homes of her customers and clients. When she returns home to the apartment she shares with her boyfriend Michael, she isn’t interested in spending time decorating.

Name: Chad Location: Cape Town, South Africa Size: 968 square feet (90 square metres) Years lived in: 6 years, owned A quirky sense of decor (and bold color scheme) instantly draws you in and makes you want to explore this playful Cape Town home. Chad, a young freelance designer, director and entertainment consultant cleverly transformed his parents’ basement into a gorgeous apartment.

Name: Caitlyn Murphy Location: Trinity Bellwoods — Toronto, Canada Size: 600-ish square feet Years lived in: Rented 6.5 years Caitlyn is a visual artist living and working in Toronto. She moved to the city nearly a decade ago, landing herself a one-bedroom apartment within a short distance from the art school she was attending.

Name: Dawn Tan and Darren Lee Location: Yarraville — Melbourne, Australia Size: 2647 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2.5 years Dawn Tan is a Melbourne-based artist and school teacher who draws inspiration in art from her love of food and travel. Darren is a mostly desk-bound policy wonk but also photographer who is very fascinated by his travels with Dawn.

Name: Jan-Nicolas and Vincent Location: Plateau Mont-Royal — Montréal, Canada Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: Owned 2 years As soon as you enter, Jan-Nicolas and Vincent’s home can’t help but leave an impression. The staircase leading up to their third-story flat is painted a bright, happy yellow. This is the first of many elements that bring a warmth and vitality to their 1000 square foot home.

Name: Adriana Sierra and Victor, plus their sun parakeet Fibi Location: El Monte Norte — San Juan, Puerto Rico Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2 years When your apartment is surrounded by the lush foliage of Puerto Rico, it’s only natural to bring the outdoors in. Adriana’s San Juan apartment does just that, showcasing thriving plants, natural wood elements, and even a parrot with bright and colorful plumage.

Name: Dora and Oliver Location: Eixample Quarter — Barcelona, Spain. Size: 1.291 square feet Years lived in: Rented for 5 years Dora and Oliver are like colorful, fascinating characters from a novel. They’ve filled their eclectic Spanish home with travel souvenirs, great design…and dancing! Dora is a fashion designer currently working for Uterqüe; Oliver is partner and design strategist at The Bold Studio.

Name: Juliana Ciccarelli Location: Toronto, Canada Size: 715 square feet Years lived in: Owned 2 years Within moments of first entering her loft, Juliana knew this space would be her first home. Conveniently located within a part of the city where she works and plays, Juliana has spent the past two years slowly and consciously designing her home. Undoubtedly, its selling feature is the over-20-foot windows that pour light into the space and offer a view of the city.

Name: Celine and Christian Coly (and their son Damase) Location: East Bay — Dublin, California Size: 1,250 square feet Years lived in: Rented 1.5 years Celine and Christian’s East Bay apartment is bright, airy, chic. Most importantly, it’s cozy and comfortable for the couple, their 9-year-old son and guests.

Name: Rose Schreier Location: Rosehill—Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: Rented 6 years Six years ago, Rose was hunting for a cute and affordable vintage apartment in Chicago. When she drove by her current home with a “For Rent” sign outside, she jumped on the opportunity to check it out. She nearly flipped when she saw it: the owner of the property had left the interior virtually untouched since the 1960s.

Name: Mireya and Arnau Location: Collblanc — Barcelona, Spain Size: 753 square feet Years lived in: Rented for almost 2 years When a home’s door opens for the first time, it’s always a fantastic moment. When I came Mireya and Arnau’s home, the first to greet me effusively was Gustav, their white cat with one blue and one green eye. As soon as you arrive he either wants to give you kisses on your nose or gently bite your feet.

Name: Jesse and Cali Green Location: New Center — Detroit, Michigan Size: 980 square feet Years lived in: Rented 1.5 years Jesse and Cali’s apartment building is inspiring, not only because they’ve created a beautiful modern and minimal home without splurging, but because of its deep history in Detroit. The building opened in 1926 as a home to graphic artists working in all of the nearby industries, General Motors in particular.

Name: Jennifer Carolina Tredinnick Location: Piedmont Avenue — Oakland, California Size: 788 square feet Years lived in: Rented 7 years Jen loves all of the natural elements of her home: the plants, the original built-ins, the exposed wood, and the permanent golden hour the stained-glass window creates in the living room. She also lives just a couple of blocks from Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue, a commercial neighborhood where some of her favorite boutiques are located.

Jen says her Oakland home’s style is like a modern cabin with strong ’70’s vibe. If you love bold patterns, vintage furniture, and lots of plants, you might find the links below useful to incorporate a similar style in your home.

Name: Mark Andrew Hamilton and Bergþóra Jónsdóttir Location: Montreal, Canada Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: Rented This Montreal rental is shared by two artists with a great eye for design and finding wonderful treasures in random thrift stores and pop-up flea markets. As housemates, they created a cozy home despite the limitations of the apartment — you’ll notice there’s no living room!

Name: Adam Kuhn Location: Little Italy — Toronto, Canada Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: Rented 3 years Finding an apartment in Toronto is no easy feat, so when Adam stumbled upon this gem in Little Italy he was ecstatic and relieved to have finally found a place to call home in the city. One of his favorite things about the neighborhood is the mix of dwellers from renters, owners and families — all folks that say hello to one another on the street.

Name: Sandra Lobos, Juan Carlos Ferrer, and their cat Mimí Location: Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: Renting 4 months It’s a surprise that Sandra and Juan Carlos‘ apartment in Puerto Rico is so minimal, considering the two have such playful, exuberant personalities.

Name: Joe and Kim Klomes, plus their cats Laszlo & Eames Location: Logan Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 690 square feet Years lived in: Rented 8 months Kim and Joe’s Chicago apartment is inspiring for many reasons, but most importantly, it shows both their personalities and illustrates the true potential of patience and collaboration when decorating a home.

Name: Joana Santamans Location: Eixample — Barcelona, Spain Size: 2,152 square feet Years lived in: Renting for 3 years Church bells ring nearby as I stand in front of Joana’s front door — her home seems like it’s in some small village rather than in the center of Barcelona. An illustrator and painter, Joana established her atelier inside her Barcelona home so she could spend more time with her family while creating her art.

Name: Molly Trask and Trevor Price (plus dogs Eleanor Roosevelt and Martha Washington and cat Abigail Adams) Location: Durham, North Carolina Size: 1,040 square feet Years lived in: Renting 1 year Molly writes: “Our home is a 1,040 square foot converted warehouse apartment in the oldest standing building in Durham, NC, an old tobacco town currently undergoing a brilliant revival.

Name: Kendra Gilbert Location: Tower District — Fresno, California Size: 1,250 square feet Years lived in: Rented 1 year Kendra’s apartment is in Fresno’s historic Tower District neighborhood, which features some of the area’s most beautiful housing — preserved apartment buildings, craftsmen bungalows, and beautiful mansions.

Name: Helen Levi Location: Fort Greene, Brooklyn Size: Less than 1000 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2.5 years Editor’s note: We’re re-running this tour because Helen Levi is launching a new dinnerware line on June 14th and we’re excited! Her work is beautiful, earthy and a favorite of mine, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for 2018.

Name: Anna Alfaro Location: Eixample — Barcelona, Spain Size: 807 square feet Years lived in: Owned for 1 year Anna greets me with a hug when I arrive to photograph her home, and the autumn sun fills her house with warm light. It’s such a lovely scene, the house itself seems to hug you. Anna has spoken about how pleased she is with the results of her apartment renovation, and now seeing it in person I can only feel envy!

Name: Carmen Chavarri and Tom Mills Location: Ottawa, Ontario Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented Carmen Chavarri is one of our fabulous photographers here at Apartment Therapy, and she toured her Ottawa apartment last summer before they moved to the Philippines! “This was our home for only one and a half years, and yet it became such a personal and comfortable space that we find ourselves reminiscing about it every day,” she writes.

Name: Silvia Location: London Size: 710 square feet Years lived in: Owned 1 year For years, Silvia worked with a top minimalist-leaning Italian architect, so when she and her boyfriend bought this two-bedroom apartment in North London a year ago, she knew she “wanted to create a minimal and calm interior, without being too cold.

Name: Victoria, Nikolai and Maya Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Size: 1,230 square feet Years lived in: Owned for 1 year Nikolai and Victoria met during their last year in university and moved around Amsterdam quite a bit until they settled down in this lovely two-floor apartment. After renting five apartments over the last 10 years they felt ready to buy their own place.

Name: Morgan Schemel Location: Utrecht, Netherlands Size: 1000 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2 years My partner and I moved to the Netherlands in January 2015 with two suitcases and some family photos. We had to wait more than four months for the rest of our shipment to arrive and used that between time to explore the local thrift stores and markets for unique pieces to fill our home.

Name: Jill and Warren Location: Roncesvalles — Toronto Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: Renting 4 months As soon as Jill and Warren stepped into their new loft, they were sold! Moving from a newer condo in the downtown core, this space – with a good story and some history behind it – really appealed to them. Initially from the West End, Jill knew the charm of the neighborhood and has now introduced Warren to a new part of the city.

Amy's only lived here for little over a month, but she's created an eclectic space, filled with unique furniture and accessories from antique stores, estate sales, and her travels.

Name: Lucas Ortega Navarro Location: Vicente Lopez — Buenos Aires, Argentina Size: 495 square feet Years lived in: Rented, 1 year After living in a much bigger place (where he never felt at ease), Lucas finally found his home a year ago in this one bedroom apartment over an avenue in the Vicente Lopez neighborhood. The furniture that seemed to be floating all over his old apartment now felt at home in this much cozier place.

Name: Kate Sykes Location: Raleigh, North Carolina Size: 840 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2.5 months To find her new apartment, Kate bypassed typical rental search engines and opted to drive around her ideal neighborhood in Raleigh, scouting beautiful facades and “For Rent” signs. That’s how she landed this home just three months ago. How she managed to pull it together so quickly and skillfully speaks to her background in design.

Name: Irwin Gueco Location: The General Scott — Washington, DC Size: 495 square feet Years lived in: Rented 6 years / Owned 2 years “Your home should tell your story,” says Irwin. And everywhere you look in his home there is a good story, providing insight into Irwin’s personality. Filled to the brim with carefully selected mementos, artwork and furniture, his home feels like a lovingly curated museum. Which is fitting, because he spends his days at a museum.

Name: Farida Location: IJburg — Amsterdam, The Netherlands Size: 968 square feet Years lived in: 11 years; owned A twenty-minute ride by streetcar will take you from the bustling Amsterdam center to IJburg, a cluster of six artificial islands in the IJ lake. Surrounded by water, it feels like being on an island holiday. Even though it’s still a part of the Amsterdam-Oost (Amsterdam East) borough!

Name: Jonathan, graphic designer and founder of Pulp and Pixel Location: Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie, Montréal Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: Rented 1.5 years Graphic designer Jonathan has a great eye for design, and he’s carefully collected decor for his rental apartment that reflects his personality. His home is something like a Rainbow Chips-Ahoy! cookie: mostly plain with pops of color throughout.

Name: Lori Location: Downtown — Detroit, Michigan Size: 1,195 square feet Years lived in: Rented 1.5 years Lori’s downtown Detroit apartment is a good example of a space that appreciates functionality and modernism, but still manages to be a warm, welcoming home. She used her move to this space as a fresh start, and prioritized incorporating local designers’ work into the mix. From art to custom-made furniture, Lori’s love and support of her city is on full display.

Name: Paul Giordano and Simon Mathis Location: New York, New York Size: 625 square feet Years lived in: 15 months, rented This extremely welcoming home in Manhattan is full of vibrant colors, natural textures, and personalized treasures. Though on the small-ish side, big windows let in a lot of light, and charming architectural features like a brick wall add tons of charm. But it’s Paul and Simon’s ability to mesh styles and colors that has created such a warm, eclectic home.

Name: Sara, Kyle, and Monty the dog Location: Forest Hill, Toronto Size: 750 square feet| Years lived in: Renting 10 months. (They lived in the one-bedroom unit directly next door for 5 years.) This space proves that we should never judge a home by its exterior. Built in the late 1960s by architect Uni Prii, this apartment building was described as “space age” by Spacing Toronto. However, Kyle and Sara have created a home that leans far more toward cozy vintage than futuristic.

Name: Kallie Seniff Location: Logan Circle in Washington, D.C. Size: 456 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented Kallie’s colorful studio apartment couldn’t be more representative of her personality. She’s an energetic, thrifty person and she found a way to combine these traits into a home so stylish that it makes me wild with envy.

Our Style: Jonathan Adler goes dumpster diving at the Golden Girls' estate sale.

Name: Kenny and Robbert Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands Size: 969 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, rented Robbert and Kenny are quite the complementary pair — Robbert’s practicality balances out Kenny’s flair for the dramatic — and their Utrecht attic apartment wonderfully reflects that balance. Located on one of the main canals of Utrecht, this building was once a warehouse and dates from the 15th century.

Every ounce of artist Hillery's place is dripping in warmth. There are stacks of cozy blankets to curl into and Mali the dog appears perpetually huggable.

Name: Tomoko and Michael Yates and cat Mochi Location: Clinton Hill — Brooklyn, New York Size: About 400 square feet Years lived in: 3.5 years, renting Tomoko and Michael met in Austin (in fact, you might remember the Austin house tour we did of his old apartment), but moved into their Clinton Hill apartment about three and a half years ago. The couple, respectively from Japan and Texas, describe their home’s style as simple and cozy.

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: Elyse Location: Ville-Marie — Montreal Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 6 months Elyse’s apartment is a museum of small objects that are decorative rather than strictly functional. In fact, she calls it her “tchotchke heaven.” The bright light pouring in through big windows and the clean white walls prove to be the perfect gallery for her collection.

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: Christina and Matt Location: Novi, Michigan Size: 720 square feet Years lived in: 3 years Just married, these newlyweds are both in creative fields: Christina is a talented wedding photographer and Matt is a copywriter. Their creativity is on full display in their apartment, like Christina’s photographs, which are sprinkled around each room. They also got creative to transform a plain, cookie cutter space into a bright, airy, romantic home.

Name: Tim and Ren Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands Size: 1076 square feet Years lived in: Renting 2 years When you enter Ren and Tim’s light-filled Amsterdam apartment, you can physically feel yourself relax as the hustle and bustle of city life is shed at the door. Part Nordic, part mid-century, their apartment boasts clean, simple lines and minimalist aesthetics.

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.

Designer Jared Frank lives in Casa Larissa, an opulent, whimsical rental filled with trompe l'oeil frescoes, theatrical accessories and a one-of-a-kind sense of style.

Name: Debbie and Devin Location: Lansing, Michigan Size: Approximately 1600 square feet (including the studio space in the attic) Years lived in: 3.5 years, renting Debbie and Devin met on the East Coast before moving to Chicago, where we toured their apartment and first saw this creative couple’s home style. From photography, to jewelry making to music, their Chicago home displayed their handiwork, and so does their current home in Michigan.

Name: YC Chen, Kennie and Jami Location: Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong Size: 1,020 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, owned YC Chen is the Creative Director and founder of hoo, an interior design company in Hong Kong. YC and his wife Kennie moved into this two-bedroom apartment in Pok Fu Lam over two years ago with their son Jami, who was a toddler at the time. The most important thing for them was to create a space that is totally stylish and child-friendly.

Name: Nathan Lump and Charles Runnette Location: Park Slope — Brooklyn, NY Size: 900 square feet plus terrace Years lived in: 1 year, 2 months, owned Where does Travel + Leisure magazine’s editor-in-chief Nathan Lump live when he’s not combing the world to find fabulous far-flung locales? In an airy, comfy Park Slope apartment he recently renovated with his husband Charles Runnette, a fellow killer content creator who works at the Mustache Agency (and a traveler, too).

Name: Erin Walsh Location: East Nashville — Nashville, TN Size: 724 square feet Years lived in: 4 months, renting “It’s not easy mastering the art of being minimal and warm, but I think Erin’s East Nashville rental apartment does it. And even more impressive, she did it in just four months! This is a tour greatest hit, but I think it’s worth another look.

A lot fits into this 550 square foot Philly rental: a drool-worthy fireplace, brick walls, hip furniture and tons of plants.

Name: Teri Clar and Patrick Choquette, plus their dog, Nami Location: Arlington, Virginia Size: 925 square feet Years lived in: 3.5 years, Rented (1 of them including Patrick!) Ombre bedroom accent walls in Crushed Velvet and a moody, modern den in Hale Navy? Check and check. Welcome to the home of interior designer and business owner Teri Clar. Teri resides in in Arlington, Virginia with her fiancé, Patrick and their dog, Nami.

Name: Anne, Christian and dog Watson Location: Sant Gervasi – Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, rented Anne was studying in Amsterdam when she fell in love with her now husband Christian. When he asked her to move to Barcelona, she didn’t hesitate. But finding the perfect apartment didn’t come easy for the couple, who first squeezed themselves into a tiny rental while waiting for the right property.

Name: Courtney Webster and Brandon Aguiar Location: Providence, Rhode Island Size: 950 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, rent Courtney Webster (who’s behind the lifestyle blog jeune amour) and her artist husband Brandon Aguiar fell in love with this Providence apartment’s 15-foot high white walls, giant loft windows, exposed brick and the open living space.

Name: Philip, Amanda, Jasper and Boogers the cat Location: Downtown Nashville, Tenneessee Size: 1,400 Square Feet Years lived in: Own- 3 Years Constructed in the 1800s and the oldest building on the block, it was love at first sight when Philip, Amanda and Jasper moved to Nashville about three years ago. The Knoxville natives wanted all the perks of downtown living: the luxury of walking to work or to restaurants and stores, just steps away from their front door.

Name: Kym Pesola Location: Lower Pacific Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting “I wouldn’t say ‘no’ to a real dining table and more space, but it’s actually cozy to gather around on the floor and the sofa when friends come to visit.” In one sentence, media relations manager Kym Pesola sums up big pros and cons of studio apartment living: the intimacy it can offer and the lack of space.

Name: Kota Kobayashi Location: Clinton Hill — Brooklyn, New York Size: 575 square feet Years lived in: Owned 2.5 years Kota’s grandfather’s life hobby was Bonsai, the Japanese art of growing trees in containers. From him, Kota’s mother got a passion for gardening. Not surprisingly, Kota has a love of plants, as well. “The fondness for the green is in my blood. I could not help myself but to be surrounded by plants.

Name: Raquel Lynn and Adam Korbesmeyer (plus Mango the Pomeranian ) Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Originally from Ohio (and after a short stint in New York), Raquel and her husband Adam found their way to Los Angeles two years ago. Situated in Silver Lake, this recently renovated apartment is in a great location, but the couple needed this space to be more than just a home base for exploring Los Angeles.

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: Sarah Bishop Location: Cape Town Size: 463 square feet Years lived in: Owned, 6 months Situated just off bustling Long Street in the heart of Cape Town, you’ll find a small Moroccan-inspired oasis. As an entrepreneur, Sarah travels between London and Cape Town for work and needed a comfortable place to live when in South Africa. So she purchased this apartment six months ago with her business partner; they take turns sharing the space between them.

Textures, clever DIYs and lovely macrame fill this modern home in the Netherlands.

Name: Danielle Walsh and Greg Brownstein Location: Laurel Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting Traveling is fun, but can also be hard work — especially when you’re a senior editor at a travel magazine. So your home needs to be something you love coming back to; a place you can take a vacation from vacation.