Modern

Bring modern Mediterranean vibes into your home with Noemi and Cristian’s resource lists! Their minimal and airy (but also very fun and casual) Barcelona rental is sure to inspire.

Name: Carlos João Parreira and Greg James Location: Brooklyn, New York Size: 1500 square feet (with a whole lot of stairs) Years lived in: 2 years, owned Carlos and Greg are an incredibly talented and kind couple in Brooklyn, New York. Travel lovers, their style has been inspired by all the places they’ve been. Their loft is in a building that used to be a cheesecake factory, so the architecture is as big a part of the design as their own style.

Name: Megan Sekermestrovich and David Keller Location: Brooklyn, New York Size: Less than 1000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Megan and David have a little apartment with big windows. And the natural light that pours in from those big windows is one of their favorite elements of the apartment (although a personal elevator is a close second!). Most of all, they try to keep their apartment minimal, homey and colorful.

Jess’s Ravenswood Chicago rental is bursting with inspiring DIY projects, both from scratch and simple furniture upgrades. They fit together seamlessly with her overall natural and modern style. If you aren’t quite as handy or patient as Jess, check out her resource lists to source some similar ready-made items to add your home.

Look no further than Nicole and Dave’s Baltimore loft if you’ve been searching for a modern and minimal, yet budget-friendly look. They have perfected using easy to find and easy on the pocketbook IKEA staples along with DIY and intriguing decor to create a cohesive, modern, and stylish live/work space. Check out their resource lists to shop their style!

Name: Ursula Location: Logan Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 500 square feet studio Years lived in: Renting for 8 months Turning a 500-square-foot studio into a visually vibrant and cozy home that feels personal and looks great is no small feat, but that’s exactly what Ursula has done with her Logan Square apartment — an apartment she took sight unseen when she decided to move from Los Angeles to Chicago to pursue a career as a baker.

Name: Katie McCrum Location: Camden — London UK Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: Owned for 14 years Situated in the Camden Square Conservation Area in London is this Scandi-inspired apartment by interior designer Katie McCrum. Katie has lived here for 14 years, and over the years has turned a rather unremarkable Victorian two-bedroom flat into an open, airy and relaxed home.

Name: Christine Martin, David Marino Location: Rockridge area — Oakland, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: Renting 3 years Christine and David love their home in the heart of Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood for a lot of reasons. They’re within walking distance of great shops, restaurants and bars.

Wood floors, dark molding, lots of natural light and a gorgeous, contrasting black, white and brass palette. Even more impressive? Matthew's only lived here two months!

Name: Rachael Donaldson Location: St. John’s — Portland, Oregon Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 12 years, owned Rachael makes jewelry that transcends time and place. Her delicate pieces look like they could be worn by Cleopatra or a modern woman, and her home is equally inspiring. She is an avid collector of vintage furniture and objects — and has bought and sold both as a pastime and a profession.

Name: Arden Bull Location: Port Colborne, Ontario Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned This bright and airy studio is so open and full of light it’s hard to believe it’s in a basement! Although it’s a small space by square footage standards, the apartment feels huge thanks to a light wall color, open windows and tall ceilings. Arden’s smart design sensibilities have kept furnishings to a minimum, creating a comfortable home that functions perfectly for her.

Name: Alexandra Sifferlin Location: Park Slope — Brooklyn, New York Size: 350 square feet Years lived in: Renting 9 months Having lived in New York neighborhoods like Hell’s Kitchen and Crown Heights, Alexandra Sifferlin recently settled into her first studio apartment, this time in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Her small space is above an acupuncturist, and is close to Prospect Park. “It seems like every time I move, I’m in a calmer location,” Alexandra reflects.

Kat takes great pride in the love equity she and Brett have built via the scraping, painting, and elbow grease that has gone into into every room of this southern bungalow.

It’s often a good idea to trust the design instincts of a successful interior designer and Bethany’s Brooklyn apartment does not disappoint. If you’re looking for some colorful and easy-to-source inspiration, check out Bethany’s resource lists below to shop her style!

Name: Eric Kunau Location: Beverly Hills, California Size: 1000 square feet Years lived in: Renting 2 years Eric’s sunny Beverly Hills apartment combines his love for art, mid-century modern style, and contemporary design to create a bright, welcoming space to call home in his adopted state of California. Originally from Minnesota, Eric now calls Beverly Hills home in this 1000 square foot apartment.

Name: Tucker Schreiber Location: Little Italy — Toronto, Ontario Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented Tucker, a product manager for Shopify, lives in this bright and open loft apartment in downtown Toronto, filled with a balance of passed down family heirlooms and IKEA essentials. The loft is found in a central location that’s within walking distance to all necessary amenities including his office, the subway, grocery stores, and of course, Starbucks.

Name: Laura, Marshall, Hotch (German Shepherd) & Sadie (Border Collie/Australian Shepherd) Location: Green Hills — Nashville, Tennessee Size: 2650 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Laura and Marshall’s home in the classic Nashville neighborhood of Green Hills is a place of sanctuary in a bustling section of town. Their home sits at the end of a long driveway placed at the top of a lush green hill.

Name: Michelle Lopez, her partner Erlend and their cat Penny Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, rented Michelle and her partner Erlend recently relocated from Portland, Oregon to this sunny Brooklyn apartment. The couple moved to New York for Erlend to attend grad school at Columbia University. Michelle is a food blogger, specializing in desserts.

Name: Austin Young and Jeremy Rodgers Location: Jamaica Plain — Boston, Massachusetts Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1 Year, renting Jeremy Rodgers and Austin Young’s apartment in a converted schoolhouse in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood feels much larger than its 800 square feet. Simultaneously sparse and personal, with soaring ceilings and an open layout, their place achieves the ultimate apartment goal: comfort without the clutter.

Name: Holly Schnackenberg and Dylan Sylwester Location: Sullivan’s Gulch — NE Portland, Oregon Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, rented Holly and Dylan live in what was originally the foyer, living room, dining room and kitchen of a 1907 home in Portland’s Sullivan’s Gulch neighborhood.

Name & Location: Victoria in Dallas, Georgia My Favorite Room: Nursery Specs: 25 square feet, owned Decorating Cove’s nursery was so much fun for us. We knew that we wanted a space that was full of the things that we love with a west coast modern feel. I love white walls and bright spaces, so keeping things simple and minimalistic was also really important. Overall, we are very happy with how it turned out, and I can’t wait to add a little boy and his personality to it as he grows!

Living in a small space isn’t easy. Sharing that small space with another person and making it look good? That’s an incredible feat, but it’s one that Will and Kate tackled without a sweat in their small studio apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. Find shopping resources to replicate their smart mix of affordable mid-century style buys and vintage finds.

Name: Manfung and Angel Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands Size: 1237 square feet Years lived in: Owned 6 years Minimalism can be a peaceful, calming design style that can create a relaxed home. In Manfung and Angel’s home in Rotterdam, they combined minimal sensibilities with repurposed building materials and charming vintage finds. The result is a welcoming home.

In Jaya, Maggie, and Steph’s household of artists in Silver Lake, nearly every piece is handmade or upcycled by friends, family, or one of the talented roommates themselves. They’ve rounded out their decor with accessible modern pieces, beautiful books, and lush plants—and now you can get the look! → Love the stuff in this house so much that you literally want to buy it?

Bold patterns, bright colors and a daring sense of style—Lauren and Jason’s West Seattle home is an inspiring mix of elements. But it’s also proof that taking design chances can pay off big! Inside: the shopping resources to get the look.

Name: Eliza Clark and Tim Trojian Location: Foxfire Mountain House — Mt Tremper, New York Size: 7200 square feet Years lived in: Owned 3 years The Foxfire Mountain House is a recently restored 100-year-old vintage inn in the Catskill Mountains of New York that has been a labor of love for Eliza Clark and Tim Trojian, a creative married couple (and passionate DIYers) who tackled many of the renovation projects themselves.

Name: Adam LaGreca Location: Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Size: 475 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Adam’s apartment is located in a tall, all-glass high-rise building on a street that runs right through the heart of Brooklyn. His neighborhood is filled with tree-lined streets, long-time residents, college students from Pratt Institute and St. Joseph’s college, young professionals and aspiring every-things.

Anna and Justin’s Boston Victorian home is filled with treasures from the 20th Century, and the juxtaposition is charming as hell. They have amazing Craigslist luck, but if you don’t, now you can shop the style! Candleholder — Similar: Y Living Basket — Similar: Crate & Barrel Rug — Overstock.com Loveseat — Similar: Joybird Blanket — Similar: Overstock.com Wall Hanging — Similar: Overstock.

Name: Nicole and Dan Lucey Location: Park Slope — Brooklyn, NY Size: 2800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Nicole, her husband Dan and their two kids moved into their Park Slope brownstone just over a year ago. After a dramatic (and much debated) paint job and face lift, this four-story home is now one everyone slows down to admire. Nicole and Dan chose architects Wendy Cronk and Erin Cowhey Design and contractors Versatile Renovations NYC to help with the renovations.

Sally and Cameron’s Toronto home is definitely ’60s-inspired, but the grey walls, simple furnishings, and contemporary art keep it from feeling like a time capsule. Many of the classic mid-century modern pieces they’ve collected are still being made today, so you can totally shop the style!

Sally’s London flat is actually an immaculately restored pub, complete with antique wooden bar, gilded facade, and exterior signage. While you might not be able to move into such a charming establishment anytime soon, you can still furnish your home with her cozy mix of modern and antique-inspired pieces!

Looking at Alison and Jon’s Mount Washington home, you’d never guess that they share it with 5-year-old twins and a puppy. The hardworking, durable, colorful, and classic yet playful pieces they’ve filled it with make it the perfect family home, and now you can shop the style!

Alicia’s home in Valencia is right on the coast, and while I can’t tell you where to buy a beach, I can help out with finding modern, minimal, clean-lined decor in natural materials and gleaming whites and metals. Shop the style! Basket — Similar: IKEA Chair — Similar: Overstock.com Coffee Table — Similar: Amazon Rug — Similar: Overstock.

Have you ever wanted to step inside one of our house tours and take an actual look around the room? Well, now you can in our very first 360 video House Tour! (You’ll need the latest version of Chrome, Firefox or Edge to view.) We visited the home of of Marisa and Peter Vitale (and their super cute kiddos!) in Venice, California.

Anna’s Barcelona house used to be her grandparents’ home, and she’s filled it with modern, minimal furnishings that suit her modern life. The palette is white, wood, black, and aqua, resulting in a tranquil, airy feel that can be yours—shop the style!

Name: Kristin, Nathan, and Addison (a schnauzer/poodle mix) Location: Ukrainian Village — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 10 months, owned Kristin and Nathan haven’t been in their loft for long, but it sure doesn’t show. Especially impressive when you learn how much work they had to do after purchasing the space. The chain smoking previous owner had been there for years and the loft was covered in (stinky) carpet.

Name: Vicari Vollmar and Jordan Conley Location: Lansing, Michigan Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 4 months, renting Vicari is a senior designer for a public policy firm with an affinity for fitness, bold color, and a good gin fizz. She firmly believes in carbohydrates, horoscopes, and the power of love. Jordan is a state contract monitor, CrossFit coach, and bookworm. He enjoys binge-watching a series on Netflix, comic books, and snuggling his calico, Harley.

Name: Carol and Lee Estes Location: Rancho Bernardo — San Diego, California Size: 1900 Square Feet Years Lived In: 20 years, owned Carol Estes is an interior designer who recently built a substantial Instagram following simply by sharing photos of her own home’s eclectic interior.

Name: Daci, Yoni, Dalia and Ike Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned When Daci and her husband moved across the country to Minnesota, they found themselves in a small house in a neighborhood of other small houses in south Minneapolis. As their family has grown, they’ve managed to keep their 900-square-foot home both functional and fun, even with the usual challenges that accompany small spaces. Daci is a rearranger.

Name: Katie O’Connor Location: West Village, New York City Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 2 years Katie and her husband have lived in their West Village one-bedroom for the past two years. With an enviable corner unit, the living room is wall-to-wall windows, giving them incredible views of the city and sunsets. Situated right next to the southern entrance to the High Line, they also have a great people-watching spot.

Christine’s Boston apartment is a rental, but it has the polished elegance of a long-established home. She describes it as, “Collected, eclectic and tailored,” and that is certainly apt: all of the elements are sophisticated, but nothing is predictable. Now you can shop the style—though I wasn’t able to find a comparable black velvet painting of ships!

The palette of Lauryn and Michael’s LA home is so limited that when I first saw their gallery, I thought the photos were in black and white! With a combination of design classics (Kartell Ghost chairs) and surprising elements (a wall-mounted vintage motorcycle), their home is fascinating, inviting, and totally shoppable.

Project by: Filipe Battazza and Raoni Mariano of Fábrica Arquitetos Location: São Paulo, Brazil This professional project is one of those amazing examples of how you can do so much with so little when you harness the power of design. Engineered by architects, using a lot of sleek materials, this exact renovation might be out of reach for some, but it’s still filled with tons of ideas you can steal to make a small home work (and look) so much better.

Name: Angel and Ben Location: Fremont — Seattle, Washington Size: 580 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting The first thing you notice when walking into Angel and Ben’s Fremont studio is the huge floor-to-ceiling windows at the far end of the space, letting light pour into their living area.

Name: Fabiola, Javier, Claudia (5) and Guillermo (2) Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,720 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned When Javi and Fabi first saw this space on the top floor of a beautiful duplex in the family-friendly neighborhood of Eixample, it was completely different. All of the fixtures were outdated and the layout needed to be reconfigured. Undeterred, they saw the potential of the space and decided to do a complete overhaul.

Name: Phillip Picardi and Dr. Darien Sutton-Ramsey Location: Downtown Brooklyn — New York Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting Phillip and his partner Darien live in a luxury high rise apartment building in Downtown Brooklyn. “I hate to admit this, but we could never go back,” Darien laughed when talking about the perks of living in this space. The airy apartment features high ceilings, modern finishes, and amazing views of Brooklyn and Manhattan.

"I love all my chairs. I'm a chair person, and all my chairs have a story," interior designer JJ Acuna says.

Name: Habiba Koroma Location: Central Harlem, NYC Size: 630 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting A ball pit is not necessarily something you expect in an NYC apartment, but in Habiba’s home, it’s an integral feature of her son’s play area. The ingenious, whimsical kid-friendly space that Habiba, an interior designer, has created for Miles also includes a library, a whiteboard, a hanging yarn installation, and a giant rasterized mural of him.

Name: Grace Flynn and her boyfriend, Tyler Tronson Location: Astoria, New York Size: 425 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, renting Grace’s studio is located in Astoria where longtime residents hang flower pots on their patios and wine bars host signs that kindly ask for smokers to stand by the tree, out of consideration for their neighbors.

Name: Adam LaGreca and Gabriela Gallegos Location: Clinton Hill — Brooklyn, NY Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Adam was coming from a minimalist studio already in the neighborhood. Gabriela was coming from the East Village, where she could walk to her office in Astor Place. They both were tired of packing overnight bags, and after five years of dating, knew it may be time to combine forces.

Name: Breeana (Bree) Dunbar and son Ari Location: Brunswick East — Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Size: 540 square feet Years lived in: 2 months, renting I moved into this apartment after my son’s father and I separated earlier this year. I found the separation absolutely devastating; it feels like a death and in a way it is. It’s the death of your life as you know it, and the death of the future you imagined for your family.

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.

Name: Gaby Dalkin Location: Lower Queen Anne — Seattle, Washington Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, owned “I love the Seattle house!” I had just wrapped up shooting food blogger Gaby Dalkin’s lower Queen Anne townhome when she let out that statement with a serene smile.

Name: Amy and Andy Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,075 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Amy and her partner Andy are originally from the UK, and they met in London right when Andy had just accepted a job offer in Barcelona working in IT. They tried doing the long distance thing for a while… until Amy grew tired of London and decided to join Andy on the sunny Catalan coast.

Interior designer and stylist Elaine Burns has taken a small studio apartment and turned it into a cozy, functional home.

Name: Lorraine Loots and Mark De Menezes and their two-year-old son, Felix Location: Observatory — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 2,153 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Photographed next to small objects to show their scale—matchsticks, earbuds, jelly beans—Lorraine‘s teeny art pieces are detailed delights.

Name: Victoria Bartlett, designer and stylist Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant — Brooklyn, New York Size: 1200 square feet Years lived in: 1 year When I first spotted Victoria Bartlett‘s Brooklyn loft in a posting on Dezeen, I knew that it was a very beautiful space—and that I wanted to photograph it for Apartment Therapy. But I still wasn’t prepared for what I saw when I arrived.

Name: Jasmine Waheed and cat Barney Location: Garment District — Montreal Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, 8 months, owned After traveling across—and falling in love with—Canada, Jasmine Waheed decided to move from London to Montreal 15 years ago. Her background is in graphic design, but upon arriving in Montreal, she decided to make the switch to photography.

Name: Rachael Bennett and cute puppy, Kuma Location: Crown Heights — Brooklyn, NY Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, renting Architect Rachael Bennett doesn’t think you should be scared of designing without color. “I find many people think that ‘neutrals’ or ‘black and white’ is either going to be boring (beige on beige on beige, or worse, sterile and cold),” she writes.

Name: Samantha and Brendan Binger; 3 dogs (Archie, Max, Luna), and 2 cats (Anna and Elsa) Location: Anywhere we park Size: 304 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned “When we first had the idea to hit the road in a motorhome, we saw our home as a means to an end,” confesses Samantha Binger, who along with her husband and their five pets travel around the country in their 2007 Fleetwood Bounder 35E.

Name: Niraya and Humberto Location: Miami, Florida Size: 943 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned We are an architect (Niraya) and a civil engineer (Humberto) and yes, we discuss design a lot. And ever since we lived in Brooklyn, we’ve always dreamed of owning a loft. Living in Miami we knew this was not possible, especially if we wanted to stay in our neighborhood of Coconut Grove. So we looked and looked for a townhouse that we could convert into a “loft.

Erin Hung, the founder behind the London-based stationery company BerinMade, remodeled this small Hong Kong apartment with her husband Ben.

Architect Talia Braude went all out with her home's color scheme.

Name: Peggy Wang Location: Ridgewood, Queens Size: 1100 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned A few years ago, I kinda just woke up one day and decided that I didn’t want to live in a tiny apartment anymore. It was like a weird sudden existential outburst in my usual lazy put-everything-off-forever mindset. My boyfriend’s friend happened to be looking to buy a two-family house, which is what planted the idea in my head.

Name: Elizabeth Sutton and her kids Miro and Nora Location: Upper East Side — New York, NY Size: 1,370 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, renting For New York-based artist Elizabeth Sutton, leaving the first home she ever owned was the most difficult part of her divorce. “My ex and I purchased it together a year after we got married and we lived there for five years. It was the first home to both my children.

Project by: Gaurav Kharkar and Vidhita Kharkar of Gaurav Kharkar and Associates Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India This gorgeous duplex for a family of six has some incredible window action going on. Gaurav and Vidhita Kharkar created a space that is modern and sophisticated but exudes a welcoming warmth. From Gaurav and Vidhita: This three bedroom, sea-facing apartment is home to a family of six. Spread over 2,000 square feet across two levels, the residence exudes warmth and liveliness.

Project by: Lilian Weinreich of Lilian H Weinreich Architects Location: New York, New York The scramble for space is never ending in New York City and occasionally you have to get creative. Lilian Weinreich did exactly that when she combined two small studios to create one open and modern apartment. From the Lilian Weinreich Team: In New York, where real estate it at a premium, flexible space planning can help make minimal living a reality in a small space.

Name: Zoe Peters Location: Mill Valley — California Size: 231 square feet Years lived in: 3.5 years Nestled under trees on the far edge of family property in Mill Valley is a charming cottage Zoe calls home. Near Mount Tamalpais, it’s the perfect home base for a nature lover. And it’s got a history packed with artistic spirit; the space used to be her brother-in-law’s grandmother’s art studio.

Name: Mary Lee, her partner Jacob and her sweet chihuahua Kyley Location: Seattle, Washington Size: 366 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned The amount of blood, sweat and tears in any home remodel is substantial. But can you imagine the amount while making over a 366 square foot studio when you’re still living in it? A space that you share with your partner and a dog? It’s extraordinary, chaotic, and in Mary Lee’s case, ultimately worth it.

Suyin’s bathroom was very, very ’70s. While the pampas/avocado fixtures, combined with the pine wood, gave the space a dated look, Suyin’s design acumen (plus some sanding and oiling) helped the pine jump into present day to help create a warm and modern space. From Suyin: When we bought our fixer-upper house in South West London, we knew that the bathroom would need to be the first room we tackled.

It seems like a constant challenge to find space for art supplies, music equipment, books and records, but this couple loves using their home to showcase their passions.

If anyone has any insight into sharing a small space with another person (and pets), it’s got to be Julie and Andrew, who have been (successfully) living together in a Blue Bird school bus for a year. They graciously let us share their incredibly tiny yet stylish home in a house tour, and they’ve also shared some of their secrets to living harmoniously in a shared small space.