Apartment

Location: Belmont Heights, Long Beach, California Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Lisa and her twin daughters live in the bottom floor of a duplex owned by her twin sister Lori Lamont and Lori’s husband Monte Weiss. You may remember Lori and Monte’s home from a few weeks ago. Although Lisa’s style is very different, her home has a similar comfort and California ease.

Name: Marti Palermo and Jarrod Routh Location: Lincoln Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; rented There’s a real effortlessness about Marti and Jarrod’s home: a fresh, comfortable simplicity that immediately puts one at ease. I felt right at home on a Sunday afternoon with sunlight streaming through the windows, Wild Belle on the stereo, and a cold glass of beer.

Name: Sooz Gordon Location: Dundee; Scotland, UK Size: 2 bedroom flat Years lived in: 3 1/2 years; Owned When I went to visit Sooz Gordon (and her excellent cat, Winnie) in a little 1920’s ex council flat in Dundee, the beautiful and dramatic way she’d transformed an ordinary space into such an exciting and dynamic home exceeded all my expectations. Her homemade truffles were pretty nice too.

Name: Sara Tunstall, Digital Producer, and Becky Kastelic, Art Director Location: Wicker Park; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Longtime roommates Sara and Becky make cohesive cohabitation seem effortless. Friends since college, these ladies combine carefully selected additions from estate sales and big box stores together with favorite pieces from their childhood homes to give this historical space a sense of depth and timelessness.

Name: Darla Minnis & Andrew Childs Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; rented Darla & Andrew are both creatives pursuing their dreams; he’s a web designer and she’s a freelance accessory designer. When they first saw this apartment they knew right away they had to have it. In Brooklyn, outdoor space is highly coveted, and this one has an outdoor deck to boot.

Name: Jocelyn Mackenzie, Musician with the band Pearl and the Beard, and Jim Altieri, Programmer/Musician Location: Purdy’s, New York Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented When Jocelyn and Jim decided to leave Brooklyn living behind, they looked northward for their next home.

Name: Charlie Cosby, creative at Farrow & Ball Location: Southbourne; Dorset, UK Size: 860 square feet Years lived in: 3 years I was bursting with curiosity to see Charlie’s house — I tracked her down after falling in love with her incredible flamingo-tiled bathroom on Pinterest. I was even more intrigued when I found out that she is a creative at paint company Farrow & Ball and lives only a short drive away from me.

Name: Jonathan Rubinstein, Founder/Owner of Joe, a coffee roastery and group of retail shops in New York City and Philadelphia; and Sally, age 4 Location: Brooklyn Heights; Brooklyn, New York Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Owned Clean lines define the neat, loft-like space that is Jonathan’s Brooklyn home, a well-edited contemporary apartment.

Name: Eric, founder of Fair Coast Goods & Upholstery, and Kellie, advertising account manager Location: Roscoe Village, Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years (own) Eric and Kellie’s wonderfully bright and modern loft is punctuated by a serendipitous story (bad pun intended!). You see, shortly after moving into their loft, which is a converted pencil factory, Eric launched his own business making handcrafted leather goods.

Name: Hallie Glennie Location: South Loop, Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years; Owned From the rustic wood ceilings crisscrossed by painted red duct work to the castle-sized windows surrounded by floor-to-ceiling exposed brick, her loft is the real deal — that sleek, urban look that suburbanites (like myself) often try to emulate with faux brick panels and prepackaged beadboard, but can never quite capture for lack of authenticity.

Name: Hannah and Dave Bullivant and their daughter Frankie-Rose Location: Brockley; London, UK Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 10 years; rented Hannah and Dave’s south London flat is proof that a little creativity and lateral thinking can turn a down at heel rented property into a cozy family home. The couple moved in ten years ago as students. Since then they’ve embarked on careers as a freelance writer and blogger at Seeds & Stitches (her) and music video director (him).

Name: Elizabeth Tulipana, founder of Anticipation Events + Bad Loo Loo Location: Bucktown; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Putting together a space that functions as both a home and base for her event planning business and Etsy shop came naturally to Elizabeth. A lover of all things vibrant and patterned, her spacious one bedroom apartment reflects her dynamic spirit and boundless creativity.

Name: Calvin Gilbreath Location: Capitol Hill, Washington DC Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned “Natural” is an apt term for the look and feel of Calvin’s Capitol Hill apartment — not just for the materials that make it up, but his innate ability to mix (and repurpose) high and low decor into a truly fashionable space. And I’ve never wanted to steal someone’s bathroom trash can until I toured Calvin’s home.

Name: Lesley Greening Lassoff of Aardvark, and her two lurchers Ernie Spartacus Crabtree and Peggy Pansy Pearl Location: St Leonards, UK Years lived in: 5 years Lesley is one half of the creative force behind Aardvark, the printmakers who came up with the warm and witty Kill Your TV manifesto. She lives in the seaside town of St Leonards on Britain’s south coast in a converted Victorian Sunday school with her two lurchers Ernie and Peggy.

Name: Alison Hotchkiss Location: Mission; San Francisco, California Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Event Planner Alison‘s home is a reflection of her finely honed aesthetic, cultivated both by years in the wedding and event industry and her travels throughout the world. When quizzed on her resources she was as likely to drop the name of an exotic locale as a big box store.

Name: Zoie Kingsbery Coe, founder of Kid & Coe Location: Marylebone, London Size: 1000 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; owned The location of Zoie Kingsbery Coe’s central London home is hard to beat. Situated in a tranquil and beautiful old mansion block, the apartment is tucked away, yet right in the heart of Marylebone with all the buzz of the city just moments away. The flat is the London home of Zoie, her husband and their two kids.

Name: Jesica Ryzenberg Location: Alamo Square, San Francisco, California Size: Studio, 450 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented When the door to Jesica’s apartment swings open, you are greeted enthusiastically and welcomed in wholeheartedly (even when you happen to show up on the wrong day).

Name: Amy Desmond of Victory Market Vintage & Handmade Location: Andersonville, Chicago, Illinois Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 4 There are charming apartments and then there’s Amy’s apartment, which is so charming it should come in locket form.

Name: Kim Knoll and Kyle Eertmoed, graphic designers at Knoed Creative Location: Ravenswood Manor; Chicago, Illinois Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 7 years; Owned Kim and Kyle know a thing or two about space. As graphic designers who started their own company, Knoed Creative, they spend endless hours thinking about how forms and language communicate across visual dimension.

Name: Oliver (graphic designer), Sherrie, and Cookie (a four-year-old Pekingese) Location: Bronx, New York Size: 525 square feet Years lived in: Under 2 years; Rented After living and volunteering abroad, Oliver and Sherrie had to start their home from scratch. Their experience in a third world country had a big influence on the way they approached furnishing their apartment.

Name: Andrew Samuel and Anne Greenwald Location: Ukranian Village; Chicago, IL Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 3 months, rented I visited Drew and Annie’s apartment on the first snowy day of the season, when everything outside was still and white. Annie was out of town, but Drew, who used to work at several independent record labels and who now works at Intelligentsia Coffee, played the perfect wintertime host, serving up warmth, conversation, and great music.

Name: Mike Rugnetta & Molly Templeton Location: Bed Stuy, Brooklyn NY Size: 1,350 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; rented Molly Templeton is better known as her internet personality Mememolly, and Mike Rugnetta is a composer, programmer and performer who hosts PBS’s web series Idea Channel. This ultra media-savvy duo are often busy at work (so busy that Mike had to miss the portrait shot), so when they retreat back home they want their place to feel playful and fun.

Name: Elena and Judd Location: Amsterdam Oost (East) Size: 83 square meters (about 893 square feet) Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Elena’s Italian heritage and Judd’s Wisconsin roots combine with their love of architecture, vintage street finds, and mid-century details to create a fantastic masterpiece of a home. Welcome to Elena and Judd’s beautiful Amsterdam space!

Name: Michelle, Juliette & Nicolas Sauzier Location: SOMA; San Francisco, CA Size: 1,266 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Michelle and Nico are one of my favorite couples in San Francisco. They met in a very kismet-type of way: Michelle spotted Nico, a French expat with his own interior architecture and design business (Design By Nico), in a friend’s photo and was instantly smitten.

Name: Tim Naus Location: Albany Park, Chicago, Illinois Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; Rented Tim had to rescue the model building from being demolished, so he found his way into the abandoned school and grabbed the plastered to-scale model of Independence Hall. A similar one rests in the Smithsonian American History Museum, but this one was completely original, a true treasure.

Name: Jesse Leake, Photographer Location: Lower Pacific Heights; San Francisco, California Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 10 years; Rented The antithesis of the proverbial bachelor pad, photographer Jesse Leake’s well-considered space is evidence that stereotypes are meant to be broken. A reflection of his globetrotting, artistic endeavors and eye for the offbeat, the space hits all of the right notes.

Name: Adi Edlen Location: South Waterfront; Portland, Oregon Size: 1,597 square feet Years lived in: 2 years Adi’s condo, located high above South Waterfront in Portland, Oregon, is as chic and glamorous as it gets. It combines soft, beautiful colors, a killer view, an ever expanding collection of artwork, and good old fashioned DIY projects. One moment Adi’s hosting a small, sophisticated party, and the next she’s chasing a toddler who’s running out of the nursery.

Name: Evan Pohl Location: Upper East Side, Manhattan Size: 295 square feet Years lived in: 18 months; rented It’s not always easy to edit your life down to under 300 square feet, but Evan Pohl makes it look effortless. Not only is he faced with the challenge of small space living; landlord restrictions keep things limited with a strict no-paint rule.

Names: Bianca Sotelo, Blogger at A Fabulous Challenge and Editorial Manager for Apartment 34 & Craig King, Assistant District Manager, G-Star Location: Alameda, California Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented I love interiors that set a certain mood and turn the innate quirks of the space to their advantage. The style mix in Bianca and Craig’s place does just that. Bianca and Craig live in a garden level unit and their design embraces the naturally dim interior.

Name: Esthera & Gus Preda-Engle, along with cat Lotlita Location: Fossambault-sur-le-Lac; Quebec, Canada Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Esthera, a videographer at Boat People Vintage, and Gus, a professional snowboarder, are quite the talented couple. Esthera and Gus’s home truly embodies their style and heritage: Esthera is a first generation Romanian-French-Canadian, and Gus is half Native American.

A truly bittersweet tour for me – walking around Megan and Mike’s lovely home knowing that boxes waited in the other room ready to pack up everything and officially close their Amsterdam chapter – made this a sad day, but a happy one knowing we shared some nice memories in this canal-side flat.

Name: Jessie and Jon Location: Brooklyn Heights; New York, New York Size: 710 square feet Years lived in: 7 months; rented Within every couple-cohabited space there is a love story: the how, when, and why a house adapts to contain the spirit of the two people who have worked together to share it and create for themselves a home.

Name: Sarah Becker, of Sarah Becker Skincare Location: Pacific Heights; San Francisco, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Rented Upon stepping into Sarah’s apartment, your eye is immediately drawn around the room, resting on carefully arranged collections of found objects and curiosities, colorfully patterned textiles, and a collection of paintings culled from the local flea market.

Name: Sarah & David Location: Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York Size: 1 bedroom + outdoor patio Years lived in: 10 months; rented Sarah and David’s apartment is the perfect example of a great tenant/landlord relationship. Their apartment had great bones to begin with, with exposed brick, a beautiful chandelier, and lots of lovely traditional moldings that provide a nice contrast to the soon-to-be married pair’s modern taste.

Name: Sarah Glicken of Develop Agency Location: Potrero Hill; San Francisco, California Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Sarah’s loft is open and expansive without losing a sense of warmth, and keeps the relaxed sensibility of a space that feels truly lived in while still maintaining a strong point of view and style.

Name: Ekaterina Yaschuk of Meystyle Location: Waterloo; London, UK Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; owned Tucked away at the top of a flight of narrow and twisting stairs, over one of the best tapas restaurants in South London, is the glamorous and glossy apartment of the equally lovely Ekaterina, a wallpaper designer with a difference — she makes bespoke papers and fabrics studded with LEDs and crystals. I admit, I was hoping for floor to ceiling shimmering opulence.

Name: Mimi Shim Location: Fort Greene, Brooklyn Size: 720 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Owned Mimi shares this colorful, light-filled Brooklyn apartment with her husband and two cats. The space manages to feel comfortable and welcoming and yet chic and well edited. The lack of clutter and well designed living space are a testament to this couple’s attention to detail, and the results are nothing short of charming.

Name: Candice and Jason Rose Location: Mission, San Francisco, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 6 weeks; Rented Candice and Jason moved into their current apartment six weeks ago — yes, six weeks. But you would never know it when you walk through the front door. The space feels warm, collected, and well organized.

Name: Heather Frank Location: Alamo Square Park, San Francisco Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Film, fashion, and French culture are just a few of Heather Frank’s favorite things. The video producer turned turned this classic San Francisco apartment, which sits right above Alamo Square Park, into a space that reflects all of her passions. It’s an eclectic mix of Japanese art, movie posters, vintage furniture, and travel mementos.

Name: Tim Speicher, Director of Marketing and Communications at Victory Gardens Theater in Lincoln Park, and Ellenkate Finley Location: Lincoln Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: almost 9 months; Rented You know a tour is going to be different when you’re warmly invited to check out a cozy crawlspace/adult fort underneath a completely DIY lofted bed!

Name: Lauren Spain Location: San Francisco, California Size: 450 square Feet Years lived in: 1 year 8 months; Rented I don’t meet a lot of people my age that really have their shit together, but Lauren is the exception that obliterates the rule. You wouldn’t know it now, but Lauren has had to redecorate her apartment TWICE. Yes, twice. Two months after moving in, her oven caught fire and ruined many of her belongings.

Name: Thayer Allyson Gowdy and Scott Paterson Location: Bernal Hill, San Francisco, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 7 years; Owned Photographer Thayer Gowdy’s carefree style comes together with a mix of clean-lined Danish designs, eclectic accessories, and pieces sourced from her travels around the world. → Re-edited from a tour originally published in 2014 The result is collected without feeling too busy, and modern without losing its sense of warmth.

Name: Jaclyn Simpson, of Jaclyn Simpson Photography Location: Lincoln Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Jaclyn is exactly the kind of wedding photographer you want with you all day during your big celebration: warm, generous, funny, and absolutely genuine. Her live/work space is filled with personal pieces and DIY projects galore, creating an earthy/quirky combination that is distinctly her own.

Name: Adam Lopez, Owner of vintage clothing shop October 18th Location: Echo Park, Los Angeles California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented Adam is one of the Angelenos lucky enough to have landed a rent controlled bungalow in the heart of the city. Centrally located in Echo Park, his home is a cozy one bedroom with plenty of space to house his art and vintage treasures.

Name: Rachel Yacapraro, blogger at Taffeta and Cedar, and Brian Willard, Visual Effects Artist at Radar Studios Location: West Town; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 9 years; Owned Warmly considered and lovingly maintained, Rachel and Brian’s flat has the broad, open feel of a loft, while retaining the flow and privacy of a traditional apartment. Luckily for this couple, Rachel and Brian share a similar clean, modern aesthetic with a vintage twist.

Name: Jacqueline Clair Location: Upper East Side, New York City Size: Approximately 400 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented If you take a peek at New York City blogger Jacqueline Clair’s Instagram account you’ll see plenty of images that are well-composed, colorful, chic, and fun. The same could be said of her Upper East Side studio. Her taste reads clean and polished, with touches of whimsy and romanticism.

Name: Mikola Accuardi, photographer and blogger at Portland Supply Co., Randall Garcia, designer at Wieden + Kennedy, and baby Valentino Location: Southeast Clinton; Portland, Oregon Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, 5 months ; Rented Mikola and Randall’s apartment is one of those spaces I swooned over, but never actually get to visit, until today.

Name: Isaac Larose and Florence Provencher Proulx Location: Le Plateau; Montreal, Canada Years lived in: 9 months; Rented If everything you wore looked just like your home, I’d be wearing a kilim rug and antlers on my head — doesn’t sound so cool, right? It’s rare to find a home designed in such an authentic manner that becomes a true reflection of the resident’s personal style, but Isaac and Florence’s home is the exception.

Name: Mandy and Matt Location: Amsterdam, Centrum Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented Before packing up their belongings and moving back to the United States, Mandy and Matt wanted to share their lovely Amsterdam canalside home.

Name: Lisa and Richard Location: Museumplein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Size: 1,150 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Lisa, from the States, and Richard, from the Netherlands, bought their first home in Amsterdam in 2012. Their vision was to create “a space that had character but was still minimal and not overloaded with artifacts.” They also wanted a home with a cozy feel, or as the Dutch would say, “Gezellig”.

Name: Amanda Bullock & Justin Taylor Location: Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York Size: 1.5 bedroom; 600 square feet (estimated) Years lived in: 11 months; rented Amanda Bullock and Justin Taylor like books. Amanda came from the book publishing world and is now the Director of Public Programming at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe; Justin is an acclaimed author and teaches creative writing at a number of universities in the city.

Name: Sibylle Location: Berlin, Germany Size: 1,076 square feet Years lived in: 8 months; rented Sibylle is at it again but this time in a different part of the map. We saw the first tour of her home in Montreal that was filled with her funky DIY style. Now that she has moved across the world to get back to her roots in Berlin, we are getting another peek into her fun and eclectic decor world.

Name: Erin of Apartment 34 Location: Mission/Potrero Hill , San Francisco CA Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years Anyone who follows Erin’s lifestyle blog Apartment 34 will know that her style is synonymous with clean lines and tasteful restraint, with a touch of glam and global influence. Her loft follows suit with beautiful bones, and airy style and refined textures, with perfectly styled accessories bringing things up a notch or two.

Name: Jose Campos and Oliver Herbert, co-owners of SUPERMERCADO SHOP (plus pet finches Selena and Harry) Location: Converted Victorian Tram depot, Southeast London Size: 1200 square feet Years lived in: 2 years Jose and Oliver can attest to the fact that finding a flat in London isn’t easy.

Name: Micah Clasper-Torch, designer and artist Location: Bed-Stuy — Brooklyn, New York Size: 260 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Tours photographed on rainy days always have a way of making me extra aware of the true coziness of a place. Micah’s space contains within in it such a wonderful sense of who she is and the things that make her happy and productive.

Name: Will, Rebekah, & Liam Hasting Location: Paris, France Size: 1,400 square feet; 3 bedrooms Years lived in: 8 Months In Paris’ 14th arrondissement, not far from the Place Denfert-Rochereau, is a little family home with a lovely view.

Name: Irma Zandl and Brad Kahlhamer Location: Lower East Side, Manhattan; New York, New York Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 20 years; Owned Light, open and airy, Irma’s Manhattan loft feels like an oasis in the heart of downtown. Upon entering, it is immediately clear that the art that fills this home has all been chosen with a strong eye for talent and a great love of the work. To spend time in this gorgeous space is at once calming and inspiring.

Name: Carlos E. Fernández-Dieppa Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York Size: 670 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; rented Carlos Fernández takes the expression “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” to a whole other level. Carlos is a resourceful and highly intelligent designer who never lets a single item go to waste. His custom pieces are thoughtful and functional, with a playful flair.

Name: Myka + Georges Haddad Location: Laurel Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, rented Myka of the blog Modern Sequins shows us how great style can translate from fashion to the home. With pieces collected from years of event styling and her signature sparkle throughout, the apartment that she calls home with her husband George is only out-shined by one thing… …Her wardrobe!

Name: Laurence Guilloud & Fabrice Le Dantec, photographer and journalist for the blog L’Instant Parisien Location: Paris, 9ème Size: 755 square feet Years lived in: 6 months; Rented One minute you’re in a busy shopping district, and then you turn into a quiet side street and find yourself in front of Laurence and Fabrice’s building.

Name: Sophia Hansjacob Location: 11th arrondissement, Paris, France Size: 355 square feet Years lived in: 2 years Sophia Hansjacob lives in what might be the perfect Paris apartment. This little flat has it all: beautiful details, huge casement windows, wood floors (in the bedroom), and the very best part: a balcony with a view over the rooftops of Paris.

Name: Kelly Furman Location: Graceland West; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; owned Kelly is a colorful person, vibrant in personality and exuberant in spirit. Her home, which she affectionately calls the “tree house,” captures the poise, humor, and grace with which she approaches the world, but it does so with an understated elegance.

Name: Jeff and Erin Mooney, and Hank the dog Location: Rice University Area, Houston, Texas Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 2 years Erin and Jeff’s apartment, which occupies the second floor of a duplex in a neighborhood not far from Rice University, has all the spaciousness you would expect from a much larger home. They’ve judiciously filled their home with just enough furniture to make things cozy, while still leaving the space room to breathe.

Name: Zainab Ahmed and husband Farhan Ahmed (and for six months of the year, Farhan’s mom who divides her time between Pakistan and here) Location: Business Bay, Dubai Years lived in: Renting 3 years The rental apartment Zainab shares with her husband (and an occasional visiting mother-in-law) is considered large by local Dubai standards.

Name: Chris Corrado and Jenny Kaplan Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: Chris 7 years / Jenny 10 months It’s not often that I walk into someone’s home and feel instantly inspired. To begin, the combination of their two separate styles merge effortlessly. Their home is filled with bold and unique pieces that are beautiful yet practical for everyday use.

Name: Katie and Matt with their cats, Fritz & Pepper Location: Washington Heights, New York City Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: Katie 2.5 years, Matt 6 years; Rented When Katie moved into her two bedroom home in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, she had her work cut out for her. At the time it was occupied by her fiancé and two roommates—the living room doing double duty as common space and as a bedroom.

Name: Robyn and Drew Location: Logan Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,250 square feet Years lived in: 5 months Robyn and Drew’s vintage graystone apartment is filled with more than just cool-looking pieces, it’s filled with original vintage finds and soul for days. They choose their belongings thoughtfully and they take their time; they scour Craigslist and local vintage stores—they celebrate secondhand furniture for its craftsmanship and unique style.

Name: Lauren & Mikko Location: Punavuori; Helsinki, Finland Size: 473 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; owned When Lauren and Mikko bought their 473 square foot apartment two years ago, they completely renovated the entire space to create the most efficient layout possible. So despite the small footprint, this bright Helsinki apartment feels spacious, and is chock-full of personal touches.

Name: Holley, Dining Editor for the Washington Post Express, and Audrey Location: Mt. Pleasant, Washington DC Size: 1200 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; renting One can only imagine the stream of fun ideas and shared secrets that two cool, creative women who are equally inspired by the Anthropologie-meets-Kinfolk aesthetic must dream up.

Name: Saara Helkala Location: Helsinki, Finland Size: 430 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; rented Just beyond the small, shadowy entryway to Saara’s loft-style apartment, daylight beckons through two grand windows on the main wall of the living space. While the natural light in Saara’s apartment—during the months that the sun actually shines in Helsinki—is really remarkable, it’s just one of the many inviting things about her space.

Name: Lauren Svenstrup of Studio Sven Location: Andersonville; Chicago, Illinois Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 2 years When Lauren’s House Call was featured this summer, readers were intrigued by her wonderful mix of vintage and modern, so I was thrilled when Lauren gave an enthusiastic “yes” for a full tour. On my recent visit to Lauren’s home, I was inspired by the distinct yet harmonious moods and tones she’s achieved in one relatively small space.

Name: Erin and Chris Location: Heritage Hill; Grand Rapids, Michigan Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; rented Erin and Chris like to keep things simple and neat. Upon entering their home, I was impressed by the lack of clutter. No piles of mail, no stacks of books, no leaning towers of magazines. That’s because the couple is wise about storage. They purchased iconic IKEA furniture pieces with clean, simple lines and lots of storage.