San Francisco

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: Mallory Guraya Location: The Marina — San Francisco, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting For over a year, Mallory has called this adorable little studio in the hip Marina neighborhood her home. The broadcast producer was born and raised in California and has East Indian roots. Her style gravitates toward bold colors, rustic trinkets, and dhurrie rugs, while adding touches of the Golden State through beach accents like seashells.

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.

Name: Claire and Kasey Location: Mission District, San Francisco Size: 675 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Claire and Kasey chose this apartment because of the light; it’s warm and abundant. “When we came to look at the listing it was mid-day and I didn’t have to do more than open the front door to know that I wanted to live here.

Name: Suzanne Bryan and Peter Carlstrom Location: San Francisco, California Size: 258 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned The basement level of Suzanne and Peter’s San Francisco house is where their garage is located, but there was also a basement room when they purchased it three years ago. Well, the word “room” is a little too generous for what the space was before.

Name: Shelbie Engelgau, Blake Cox, MJ Tantingco, Myles Huff (and fifth roommate Brian, who isn’t featured in the tour) Location: Oceanview — San Francisco, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 months, rented Shelbie’s move into this San Francisco apartment required no driving: She and her roommates only had to schlep their furniture up a small flight of stairs from the unit below into this newly remodeled four-bedroom upstairs unit.

Name: Cai Haun and Britt Maton Location: Oceanview — San Francisco, California Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 5 months, renting Having a complete and comfortable home is really important to Cai. She’s moved at least once a year, every year, since she was 13, so adapting quickly has never been an issue. But because of the frequent moves, she noticed she wasn’t putting much effort into her homes as she’d like to (since she would inevitably move out within a year).

Name: Kirstie Maryott Location: Lower Pacific heights — San Francisco, California Size: 420 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2 years Kirstie has bounced around from state to state the past few years of her life, including stops in Colorado, Virginia and Georgia. A California native, she has called the Bay Area home for the last two years, where she lives in a charming studio on the top floor of a building in the Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood.

Name: Allison Shiman Location: The Mission — San Francisco, California Size: not sure about the square feet Years lived in: 5 years, renting “I’m so excited about having my apartment memorialized on Apartment Therapy,” Allison tells us. She’ll be saying goodbye to her beloved apartment soon…to leave on a trip around the world. “I have put so much effort and love in my little space that having it somewhere captured forever makes me so happy!

Name: Jessica Henry Location: Duboce Triangle — San Francisco, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Jessica likes to collect things that remind her of a specific time and place, like the leather butterfly chair she got in Argentina, or the bedroom mirror she found at a San Diego thrift store. All of those mementos combined with eclectic accents — and lots and lots of greenery — are what makes her place special.

Name: Vera Claire and Sam Cheadle Location: Bayview — San Francisco, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned For Vera and Sam, the past three years have been filled with the never-ending process of renovating and personalizing their home. The fact that Sam — the acting handyman and contractor — has no experience with renovating is even more impressive.

Name: Danielle Moore and Bryan Wang Location: Berkeley, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned You can feel the beachy California vibes in the air when entering Danielle and Bryan’s little Craftsman in Berkeley. Maybe it’s the open-space layout of the living area and the hanging macrame planters combined with soft colors.

Name: Bonnie Berridge Faxén and Per Faxén Location: San Francisco, California Size: 650 Square Feet Years Lived In: 3.5 years, renting Designer and interiors consultant Bonnie Faxén says she has a passion for “art, design, architecture, colors, fonts, materials, textiles, paint, wallpaper. If it has to do with design I’m thinking about it!” This healthy obsession for visual elements has spilled over into the small apartment she shares with her husband Per.

Name: Mohammad and Rachael Gorjestani Location: Western Addition — San Francisco, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, rented Mohammad and Rachel’s San Francisco apartment is so cozy and serene, it’s easy to forget that it’s right next to a busy intersection at the center of the city. The original hardwood floors add warmth to the space, and the view of greenery in their spacious backyard (a true luxury in San Francisco) is beautiful.

Name: Maya Goldfine Location: San Francisco, California Size: 400 square feet Years Lived In: 6 months, renting Call it fate or luck, but something aligned the day I found this studio. By chance I had come across the listing on Craigslist the evening prior—at 5:45 p.m. it was posted that an open house was happening at 7:30 a.m. the next day.

Name: Steve and Heather Sacks, kids Cameron and Jasmine, and dogs Rockit and Haley Location: Potrero Hill; San Francisco, California Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 5 1/2 years; Owned Walking into Steve and Heather’s home makes you feel like you have escaped to a relaxing, tropical retreat in the middle of a city best known for its cold and foggy summers.

Name: Anna Korkobcova Location: Lower Pac Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 420 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented The moment you cross the threshold of Anna’s home, you are greeted as warmly as an old friend. I arrived on her doorstep late and battling a cold, for which she insisted on sending me home with her own tried and true remedy.

Name: Danielle Rowe, Patrick Flannery and son Pete. Location: Berkeley
, California Size: 1,380 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Rented The home that Danielle and Pete share with their son hits all of the right notes: it is modern but maintains a sense of warmth, lived in but not messy, collected but not cluttered.

Name: Caroline and Eduardo Location: North Beach — San Francisco, California Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Stylist and model Caroline and her boyfriend, Eduardo, have taken a sunny San Francisco flat and made it all their own, enhancing it with items collected on their travels—like the giant papier-mâché rhino head from Mexico in the kitchen—and references to their cultural backgrounds.

Name: Isaac Orloff and his dogs, Sammy and Roo Location: Dogpatch — San Francisco, California Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 2 months Animator Isaac Orloff and his two pups, Sammy and Roo, have found a home in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco. Having kept an eye out for an apartment in the city that was affordable, dog-friendly, and stylish for years, Isaac was able to land this triple-threat abode just two months ago.

Name: Kenya Moncada and Conner Jay and their dog, Hugo Location: Marina District — San Francisco, California Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented When Kenya and Conner aren’t traveling for work, they can be found at home in their top floor Marina District apartment in San Francisco.

Name: Melissa (“Mel”) Nichols, Jake Durrett and Apple the adorable dachshund Location: Cole Valley/Upper Haight — San Francisco, California Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; rented Jake and Melissa have lived in four apartments together over the last seven years. But they love this apartment so much—located in a neighborhood close to Haight street, Golden Gate Park and tons of great food—they almost can’t see themselves living anywhere else!

Name: Harben Porter and Ryan Moses and Bowie the cat Location: San Francisco, California Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Harben and Ryan found their apartment on Craigslist and decided to take a chance on a post that did not include any images. Luckily for them, the place looked perfectly charming and quirky on sight.

Name: Ana Kamin, freelance photographer, writer and blogger and Patrick Kamin, software engineer Location: Haight Ashbury — San Francisco, California Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 3.5 years rented When Patrick and I moved from Germany to San Francisco in 2012, we were lucky to find this little gem—an apartment on a rooftop of an old Victorian in Haight Ashbury—just next to Golden Gate Park.

Name: Jennifer & family Location: San Francisco, California Years lived in: 11 The kitchen is the heart of interior designer Jennifer’s home and the place where her family catches up between work and school. It’s also where we’re eating Burmese takeout for lunch because when you cook for five, like Jennifer, you’re allowed to do that. Spacious, beautiful, and generally filled with good food and good people, it’s not a bad place to spend an afternoon. Or a morning.

Name: Amanda Holstein and dog Auggie Location: San Francisco, California Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 1 year Amanda is the voice behind the blog Advice from a 20 Something. And seeing what a smart job she did designing her San Francisco studio apartment, it would seem she’s got great advice to give! The small space she shares with her dog Auggie is full of interesting furnishings, yet feels bright and airy.

Name: Brian Mitchell and Ericka James Location: NoPa— San Francisco, California Size: 1,450 square feet Years lived in: Owned 1 year When Brian bought this house in the NoPa neighborhood of San Francisco, there wasn’t much left of the two-story structure. Some might have passed up the opportunity, but he saw healthy architectural bones and potential. Within a year, the house transformed into a beautiful, modern California mid-century home.

Name: Jane Location: Noe Valley — San Francisco, California Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 1 year What makes Jane’s home unique is the mixture of items and styles that can only be described as “Happy Californian,” such as the bedroom wallpaper inspired by greenery, the mid-century modern furniture and paintings, and the gorgeous vaulted ceilings that make her smile every day.

Name: Frances Walsh Location: Inner Sunset — San Francisco, California Size: 1750 square feet Years lived in: Owned 4 years Before Frances settled into her new apartment in the quiet Inner Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco four years ago, she had lived on the East Coast and had spent a few years working abroad in Russia, exploring Eastern Europe and traveling the globe. The love and excitement for different cultures are visible everywhere through her current apartment.

Name: Ashley, Matt, and Zucca (the cat) Spinelli Location: Central Haight — San Francisco, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: Renting 2.5 years Ashley and Matt moved to San Francisco from NYC, and wanted to live within biking distance of their jobs, while also having the ability to walk everywhere. Fortunately, the Lower Haight is centrally located within easy access to public transportation and urban thoroughfares and surrounded by four of the city’s best parks.

Name: Kyle and Alex Location: Tenderloin — San Francisco, California Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 4 years rented After 20+ apartment viewings, Kyle and Alex settled on this 1920s apartment in the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco. They had some basic criteria for their would-be apartment.

Name: Adrianne Hawthorne Location: Lower Pacific Heights, San Francisco Size: 400 square feet Years Lived In: Renting 1.5 Adrianne’s studio apartment, perched high up in a Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, is an oasis of color and unique details. The thoughtfulness of each item placed in her home isn’t surprising; Adrianne works as a visual designer by trade!

Name: Jenee Yuen Location: San Francisco, California Size: 400 square feet (maybe a little larger?) Years Lived In: 8 years, renting One of the fun things about living in an old San Francisco apartment is that sometimes, depending on your particular landlord, you get a little bit of creative control to “adjust” your living space as you see fit. Jenee did just that when she took out the carpet in her living room and refinished the beautiful hardwood floors that were hiding underneath.

Name: Holly Location: The Mission — San Francisco, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting The first thing you notice when you open the door to Holly’s apartment in San Francisco’s popular Mission neighborhood is the light in the hallway that runs two-thirds of the length of the space. Windows all along the right side — some stained glass — make it feel very airy and ethereal.

Name: Jeni Wu Location: Nob Hill — San Francisco, California Size: 685 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented After years of roommates and carpeted studios, Jeni finally got the chance to move into her own apartment, and she couldn’t wait to add her personal style. She works as a home decor buyer and as an interior designer with her own styling business, Wunder Design, so it’s only natural that her space is as stylish as the homes she puts together for clients.

Name: Melanie Abrantes (and her boyfriend Rick Gibb) Location: Potrero Hill — San Francisco, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 6 months; Rented We recently shared Melanie Abrantes’ fantastic Oakland studio, and today we’re getting a glimpse into her San Francisco apartment. Melanie’s playful personality is seen in every inch of the 500-square-foot home.

Name: Stephanie Fauerbach Location: Marina District — San Francisco, California Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 4.5 years; Rented Though making a temporary space feel rooted isn’t easy, Stephanie Fauerbach has put together a collection of mementos and inspiring pieces that make her apartment feel like a home.

Name: Sara and Rich Combs Location: Marina District — San Francisco, CA Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Rented Having collected each piece in their apartment one-by-one over the last six years, Sara and Rich Combs have created a home with a distinctly colorful, eclectic feel. Gravitating towards sleek, Mid-century silhouettes and furniture design, the couple have designed each room to pay homage to the bygone era in its own way, all while maintaining a modern spin.

Name: Delila and Nexus, and their dog, Amanda Location: Hayes Valley; San Francisco, California Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Nexus and Delila’s personal styles extend deep into their apartment’s aesthetic — he describes his style as relaxed, and she finds inspiration and comfort in wearing a white T-shirt with vintage jeans and high heels.

Name: Allie & Travis Hackett-Camacho and their dog, Brody Location: Lynn-Highland Park; Oakland, CA Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 3.5 years; Rented Allie may look familiar to Apartment Therapy readers, as her twin sister Caitlin’s home—Caitlin & Dave’s Oakland Apartment of Wonder & Oddities—was recently featured.

Name: Yigit Pura Location: Nob Hill — San Francisco, CA Size: 570 square feet Years lived in: 8 months — own When Yigit decided to take the leap and buy an apartment in the city, he wanted a home that intrigued him every time he walked through the door. Clocking in at just 570 square feet, this one bedroom has a small kitchen, a cool modern bathroom, and a nice view of downtown San Francisco.