London

It's gone from being a dark flat (every wood surface was a very dark brown—including the kitchen cabinets—and the walls were grey) to one that's light and fun.

This couple turned a studio's huge rooftop terrace into a second level, creating a two-bedroom home. It's only 620 square feet, but it uses every square inch of space.

London-based home interiors writer, stylist, and award-winning blogger Cate St. Hill believes "living simply is about being mindful of the things we put in our home, where they come from, how they’re made and how they make us feel."

The initial brief was straightforward: bring the interior back to its origins by stripping away the carpets to see what was underneath!

Originally from Hong Kong, Sheyee has owned this 575 square foot flat for three years. Far from family, she's filled her home with sentimental pieces and good memories.

The flat's style is "Eclectic London meets American West."

This small London apartment has big windows, hardwood floors, and some smart budget decorating ideas.

This flat is tiny, but it's in the center of London, has lots of windows, and the owner has made lots of smart small space choices.

This small and cozy home was renovated almost entirely by the owners themselves.

Sophie’s room for Lula is imbued with personality and love: I’m a composer and violinist based in London, UK. Waiting for my little Lula to arrive I really wanted to create a unique room that reflected my own style – a combination of classic antique pieces and more quirky or vintage finds – and that allowed me to bring together lots of little treasures collected on the road.

Name: Gary Marshall Location: Poplar Dock Marina, London Size: 92 square meters (or just under 1000 square feet) Years lived in: 3 Months Have you ever dreamed of living on a boat? I know I have. But while it sounds romantic, I’ve always been worried about having to live in a too-cramped space or a home filled with too many “nautical” themes. Gary’s houseboat blows any preconceived notions about a houseboat right out of the water! (Pun very intended.

Name: Ruth Steadman Location: Crystal Palace, London Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 9 years, rented This high-ceilinged apartment in a large early-Victorian house is home to writer and psychotherapist Ruth Steadman and her cat Tallulah. Although it’s rented, in the nine years Ruth has lived here she’s managed to create a home that feels truly her own.

Name: Sally Morgan-Flower Location: East London Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 3 and a half years This beautifully-restored apartment, brimming with unique historic details, occupies one floor of a converted 1850s pub in the heart of London’s East End. Its renovation is an ongoing labour of love for owners Sally and David, who set out to stay true to the apartment’s original aesthetic yet at the same time create a lived-in home that feels comfortable and not too precious.

Name: Aine Donovan and Eloise Jones Location: East London Size: 1200 square feet Years lived in: Owned for less than a year How much can happen in eight months? For this couple in London, Aine Donovan and Eloise Jones, turns out quite a lot. In this short period of time they have bought a house, gutted it, knocked down a few walls, painted every single surface, made beautiful furniture and even built a kitchen from scratch, all whilst being pregnant and preparing for a baby.

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: Irina Melsom and Hans Askheim (and kids Aleksandra, Markus) Location: Bethnal Green — London, UK Size: 1000 square feet Years Lived In: Owned for 4 years Originally from Norway, artists Irina and Hans have shared this Victorian three-bedroom terrace in East London with their daughter Aleksandra and son Markus for four years.

Name: Maaike Mekking and Michael Aveling (and Alma, Rosa) Location: Sydenham, London Size: 758 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned Art director/Photographer Maaike Mekking and her husband Michael Aveling live in this cute little Edwardian cottage in South East London with their two young daughters Alma and Rosa.

Name: Andrew Griffiths Location: Borders of Crouch End — Islington, London Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned “Where you can, invest in some pieces that will always make you smile” says homeowner Andrew Griffiths, and it’s easy to see how he’s put this philosophy into practice in the North London apartment he shares with partner Luke.

Name: Josie and Jules Location: South East London — UK Size: 677 square feet Years lived in: Owned 1 year Seeing this home’s style might give you déjà vu. Josie and Jules first showed off their small space maximizing skills when we toured an Edwardian flat in South East London they remodeled in 2015. It was a top-to-bottom renovation — the layout was reconfigured, and light and function were added to a dated space.

Name: Pui Lee Location: Turnpike Lane — London, UK Size: Roughly 700 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting London-based illustrator Pui Lee is the founder of lifestyle brand Scout Editions, and lives in a two-bedroom Victorian terrace flat in North London.

Name: Anouska Tamony and her partner Scott Location: East Dulwich — London, UK Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned Anouska shares a stunning London flat with her partner Scott. A light-filled home set in a turn-of-the-century terraced house (built in 1898), there are two bedrooms, a wonderfully wallpapered bathroom, a sitting room and a spare bedroom used as a study and guest room.

Name: Isabella and Oscar Location: Wembley, London Size: 870 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 year, owned Having grown up, studied, and worked in Hong Kong, Isabella and Oscar went on a trip of a lifetime to Iceland, fell in love with Europe and decided to relocate to London together to pursue their dream of traveling around this little continent.

Name: Laura Burkitt and Ben Sarner Location: Queen’s Park, London Size: 1,229 square feet Years Lived In: 18 months, owned Laura Burkitt, a lifestyle and event stylist, bought this two-bedroom flat in Queens Park, London with her boyfriend a year and a half ago. “We bought the apartment as we wanted a garden flat, and decided to do an extension and renovation to make more of the space.

Name: Violet Victoria Dent and Harry Dent Location: Notting Hill, London Size: 588 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, renting Millennial pink, rose quartz — whatever you call it, pink is definitely having a moment. One designer in London loves it so much she’s surrounded herself with plenty of shades of pink in the maisonette she shares with her husband in Notting Hill, London.

Name: Alex Crabtree and her husband Adrian Location: London Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 1 1/2 years A print in the bathroom declares: “Your home should tell the story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love.” And this exuberant, eclectic London apartment, lavishly filled with collections and curios, beautifully tells the story of property, kitchen and interiors public relations expert Alex Crabtree.

Name: Helga Stentzel, her husband Kirill and their boys Misha (8) and Timmy (3) Location: West London Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Helga Stentzel, or @made_by_helga as she’s better known on Instagram, lives in London with her husband and their two boys Misha and Timmy. Originally from Russia, Helga came to London to study graphic design at Central Saint Martins a decade ago.

Name: Claire Swindale Location: Blackheath — Southeast London Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 15 years, owned Claire Swindale is fearless. She spent eight years seeing the world (with a prolonged stint in Nepal) where she trekked around Mount Everest and explored the countryside from the back of a truck.

Name: Pippa Small Location: North Kensington, London Size: 1076 square feet Years Lived In: 7 years, owned As a successful jewelry designer and business owner, Pippa Small travels a lot. To exotic places like India, Bolivia, Nairobi, and in fact, was just about to dash to New York with her four-year-old twins the day after our shoot. So travel definitely plays a big part in her home, with lots of colors and items that were picked up from all over the world.

Name: Donna Wilson, husband Jon and two young kids Location: Leytonstone, East London Size: 1200 square feet Years Lived In: 4 years, owned Designer Donna Wilson is known for her colorful homewares and textile designs, and her husband Jon is a furniture designer who makes bespoke furniture for shops and galleries.

Name: Liam and Emma Paton, with children: Finn (4) Violet (1) Location: Stoke Newington, London Size: 1700 square feet Years Lived In: 5 years, owned Emma Paton, a fashion buyer-turned-blogger (her blog is called Finlay Fox), and her musician husband Liam live in Stoke Newington in London with their two children Finn and Violet. It took them over two years to find and secure this double-fronted Victorian house; they completely gutted and renovated it with an architect friend.

Name: Ottoline de Vries, Michiel van Soest, and children Caroline (10) and Tom (8) Location: North London, UK Size: 1938 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Ottoline de Vries founded the London-based Dutch design company (named Ottoline) in 2010, growing it into a prominent purveyor of fabulously patterned homegoods like wallpaper, furniture, lampshades, throw pillows and art.

Name: Yoko Kloeden, her husband and their three kids Location: Richmond — London, UK Size: 1,560 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned Originally from Japan, Yoko founded London-based Yoko Kloeden Design in 2014 after a career in business and traveling all over the world. Her designs focus on complementing beautiful historical elements and architectural features. And decor is influenced by her Japanese background.

Name: Zane and Aldo Location: London, UK Size: 860 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned We lived together in Australia before moving to London in 2014 on a work transfer. We were only going to be here for two years, but we fell in love with the city and decided to stay. Aldo works as a Senior Designer in a prominent architectural firm, and Zane became COO of the tech consultancy 101 Ways. We were already living in Borough and knew we wanted to stay here.

Caroline is owner of Patchwork Harmony, an interiors and lifestyle blog celebrating all that is vintage, thrifty and handmade.

Name: Katy and Jules and their dog, Otto Location: Bermondsey — London, UK Size: 749 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; owned This new-build apartment in London, just south of the river, is home to interiors blogger Katy Orme, her partner Jules, and their (adorable!) Golden Retriever, Otto.

Name: Ned and Sarah Corbett-Winder Location: Shepherds Bush, London Size: Around 1600 square feet Years lived in: 18 months, owned Ned Corbett-Winder is the founder of Not-Another-Bill, an online subscription service from London that sends subscribers a unique surprise gift in the mail every month.

Name: Missy Logan, Antony Shaw, Prudence (6), Lili (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, 2) Location: Harrow, London Size: Around 800 square feet Years Lived In: 3 years, renting You may remember this warm and funky garden flat submitted by Missy last year; it felt so cozy that I wanted to come and see it in person! Since then, Missy and her partner Antony have been busy upgrading the flat, putting in wooden flooring, new wallpaper, and painting walls.

Name: Ruth Matthews, husband Dan and son Ted Location: Wallington — London, UK Size: 1,050 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years “The right colour has such an impact on the way you feel about your home, and I like to think the colours we’ve used make ours a relaxed and happy home,” says Design Soda blogger and interior stylist Ruth Matthews of the London home she shares with her husband and their two-year-old son.

Name: Rhonda Drakeford Location: Hackney, East London Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: Rented for 1 year Living in a rental flat can be very limiting. You usually have to live with pretty bland walls and remodeling isn’t really an option…unless you want to spend a lot of money upgrading someone else’s house. So what can you actually do to a rental to make it a bit more Pinterest-worthy? Come and take a look at this one-bedroom flat in Hackney, East London.

Name: Sarah and Mike Location: Stoke Newington, London Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: Rented for a year Tucked behind the indie shops, vintage boutiques and artisan delis in Stoke Newington in London, is Sarah and Mike’s modern minimal home. The converted warehouse apartment has kept its original exposed brick wall, but is softened by lots of beautiful artwork and interesting objects, like vintage bows, handmade ceramic vases and hand-painted woodblocks.

Name: Carl Blucher & Ben Location: Hackney; London, UK Size: 900 square feet Lived in: 1 year; Owned Carl has built his career curating gorgeous collections for retail stores throughout London, and his home is filled with the best furniture, art, and objects he has found. Located in a classic Victorian mansion, Carl’s flat is the exact opposite of what you expect to find in an old Victorian building.

Name: Charlotte Evans & Tom Evans and their two children, Lola & Ted Location: Muswell Hill — London, UK Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Owned Finding a property in London that still retains the charm, detail, and character from when it was created in the early 1900s and has been untouched for 25 years is like finding treasure.

Name: Sara Dahlquist and Shawn Dimke, sons August-Jack and Hudson, dogs London and Tallulah, and cat Maddog Location: Portland, Oregon Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 5 months; Owned Sara, Shawn and their brood just moved into their North Portland home a few months ago, but you’d never know that by how inviting and put-together the space feels.

Name: Faith and Hannah Russell Location: South London, UK Size: 1158 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Faith Russell and Hannah Russell aren’t just sisters; they’re roommates, business partners and the co-founders of Layer. What started out first as an Instagram account, then morphed into a popular lifestyle blog, has now evolved into a UK-based online marketplace featuring thousands of vintage and pre-owned furniture items for sale.

Decorating a rented space well can be challenging. Incorporating your own style into the permanent, sometimes significant, features isn’t always easy. But it’s an area in which Ruth excelled in her 550 square feet in London. Check out Ruth’s shopping resources to achieve her stylish vintage Scandinavian style in your own space.

Name: Mareka and Anders Stake with their 2-year-old daughter and 6-month-old son Location: Bethnal Green, East London Size: 98 square meters Years lived in: Owned over 5 years Set in the heart of the hustle and bustle of trendy East London is this Victorian terrace belonging to the Stake family. Mareka, an art director, together with her creative director husband Anders, have carefully designed everything in this beautiful house.

Name: A-K Parker and Jeremy Gleeson Location: Stoke Newington, London Size: 628 square feet Years lived in: Rented for 3 years Light, airy and fun are my first impressions of this lovely one bed flat in Stoke Newington in London. A-K, a half-Danish art director in advertising, draws a lot of her inspiration from classic Danish design, which she likes to mix up with interesting objects she and her boyfriend Jeremy collected over the years while travelling.

Name: Anke and John Summerhill of Minotti London Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 120 square metres Years lived in: Owned 6 months This apartment in Barcelona features stunning architectural details, a soothing neutral color palette and an envious array of furniture and accessories from Minotti. Not surprisingly, considering the home’s occupants: Anke Summerhill, the Creative Director of Minotti London, and her husband John Summerhill, MD of Minotti London.