Traditional

Before the makeover, this apartment was loaded down with too many family hand-me-downs and was overcrowded, dark, and disorganized.

This 132-year-old Victorian house is brimming with amazing details like eight fireplaces, 11-foot ceilings, inlaid floors, a six-foot clawfoot tub, a brass lion's head door knocker and more.

This mindset coach has called the same Manhattan apartment home for more than a decade... and as she has evolved, so has her apartment's style.

Originally built in 1885, when renovating this historic house, the homeowners had to change out the electricity, the plumbing, the lights and the flooring.

Name: Caitlin Hackett and Dave McHale Location: Cleveland Heights — Oakland, California Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented When Caitlin and Dave shared photos of their home in a House Call post earlier this year, Apartment Therapy readers wanted to see more of their wonder-filled Oakland home. Stepping into their spacious two-bedroom apartment, it’s obvious that their tastes and experiences have influenced their home’s décor.

Almost everything in this townhome's remodel was replaced except kitchen cabinets, which were totally transformed thanks to sage green paint and a new tile backsplash.

It's tiny, but also stylish and functional.

The soothing, neutral color palette of this small rental apartment keeps it interesting with cozy textures and natural materials such as leather, linen, sheepskin, and jute.

Before the renovation this house had yellow and teal walls, wood paneling, and Christmas-colored red and green checkerboard floors.

Carly and Scott have lived in this warm Chicago apartment for just over a year. It is both a haven from the busy city life and a creative space for Carly's watercolor business.

The kitchen transformation is great, but the entryway makeover might be one of the best we've ever seen.

Pre-remodel features included a sunken living room, an oddly positioned two-panel cook top, and a paver stone fireplace with no mantel.

The couple painted walls, added new light fixtures, tiled bathrooms, refinished hardwood floors, and installed butcher-block kitchen counters to transform this run-down house into a beautiful family home.

Bright colors, textiles, and tons of art fill Joanna Anastasia's Montreal family home.

Kassandra chose her Berlin apartment's permanent materials —flooring, bathroom subway tiles, custom kitchen countertops, cabinetry and more.

Name: Szilvia Farkas Location: Budapest, Hungary Size: 990 square feet Years lived in: Owned just finished renovation Szilvia, a Hungarian lawyer, designed every single inch of this Budapest flat without any professional assistance. Not bad for a first home project, huh?

Interior design, decor, and the environment don’t often collide, but in this colorful Victorian remodel, they do so beautifully.

Stanley's 525-square-foot studio is packed with American handcrafts, folk art, brass candlesticks, baskets and bold red, white and blue color palette.

This Lakeview home needed major renovations, but while the couple wanted to modernize the space, they didn't want to change its architectural charm.

After buying the house, this couple had a 30-day remodel marathon putting in all new hardwood flooring, painting just about every surface, replacing light fixtures and more.

Lionel bought this property for himself, but met Ingrid a year later. They DIYed the entire renovation themselves, from painting furniture to a full kitchen makeover.

Name: Beth Brown and family Location: Buckhead — Atlanta, Georgia Size: 4,000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years,owned Stepping into interior designer Beth Brown’s home is like walking into a luxurious boutique. Not surprising, considering she grew up visiting her mom’s chic Buckhead jewelry store, Tassells, which sells inspiring wearable objects.

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: Anna and Zan Winchell, and mini-labradoodle, Pennylane Location: Waltham, Massachusetts Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2 years Anna and Zan’s apartment is one you walk into and immediately know they have had fun designing it and making it their own.

Name: Jonny and Aimée Mendez Location: Albany Park — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: Rented for 1.5 years Jonny and I were married in May of 2015. One of our deepest joys over the past year has been creating our home together. Soon after we were married, we really considered the questions, “How do we want to feel in our home?” and “How do we want others to feel when they enter our home?

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.

Julie and David Holdsworth’s magical, French country-style home is filled with beautiful antiques and traditional furniture, but features unexpected accents in almost every room, such as Julie’s beautiful sculptures in the dining room. To get this beautiful style in your home, check out the sources below for inspiration.

Name: Matt Gourley and Amanda Lund Location: Pasadena, California Size: 1340 square feet Years lived in: Owned 1 year Amanda and Matt live in a 1947 bungalow in the San Rafael hills of Pasadena. Although most people think of Los Angeles being more like a concrete jungle, Amanda and Matt found a place to call home on a gorgeous, quiet, tree-lined street with no sidewalks that ends at a lake. Wildlife roams their backyard.

James loves antiques and family heirlooms, while Kristen is drawn towards modern styles. The end result of their combined tastes in their Charleston home is “historic meets modern” — vintage accents mixed with items from modern brands like Anthropologie (spot the beautiful leather sofa in the living room). Shop the links below to incorporate a similar style in your home.

Kathryn and Emilio’s North Carolina home doesn’t feature one specific style. It showcases a harmonious blend of traditional, contemporary and modern styles that provides the family and their guests with a breath of fresh air. Guests are also delighted to find surprises in every corner if they look close enough, such as the Art Deco floor lamp in the living room or geometric lamps in the bedroom. You can now shop the style using the links below!

Name: Brittany, Christian, and (pup) Ted Location: Hill East — Washington, DC Size: 2,200 square feet Years lived in: Owned 3 years Brittany, Christian, and their much-adored German Shepard mix, Ted, live in a classic row house in Washington, DC, just east of the U.S. Capitol. They’ve built an elegant and sophisticated home, lovingly filled with details collected over time.

Hannah and Marc’s vibrant and textured Nashville home showcases modern accents and bold paint colors, and infuses them with traditional elements. The end result is a style they call “Modernized Traditional” — a successful way of mixing contemporary pieces in a traditional space. Check out the links below to shop the style for your home.

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: Li Ward and husband Dan Location: South End — Boston, Masschusetts Size: 1,380 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, owned Li Ward and her husband Dan initially met through their work as computer science professionals, but after a decade in the industry, Li decided it wasn’t the right future for her. Around 2009, Li took the plunge into full-time freelance photography after seeing a West Coast friend succeeding at the same thing.

When Ruthie and her husband initially bought this home, they thought they MIGHT do a little painting. Then they discovered they were expecting twins!

Name: Todd Location: Montrose — Houston, Texas Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 3 1/2 years, renting As someone who works at an architecture firm, it makes complete sense that Todd would choose to live in the lively and hip Montrose area in Houston, Texas. Living in a neighborhood that has access to art, culture, amazing food and nightlife was more important to Todd than space.

Name: Rene Valdez Location: Lakeview — Chicago, Illinois Size: 320 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, rented The tiny size of this studio apartment hasn’t stopped designer Rene Valdez from hosting and entertaining friends. He actually hosts a Christmas party for 30+ people every year. In only 320 square feet! For everyday gatherings, he removes the books from the coffee table, transforming it into a cocktail table. The closet stores over-sized pillows for extra seating.

Name: Virginie Pichet and roommates Ada Kraszczynski and Mée Reed-Desjardins Location: Villeray, Montreal Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Virgine is the editor of a popular lifestyle blog based in Montreal, Le Cahier. Her home reflects her girly, romantic and fearless personality. Passionate about fashion, she even dedicated her bedroom as a walk-in closet!

Name: Sarah Schwie Location: South Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Though Sarah has lived in her south Minneapolis rental for two years, she’s taken her time to fill the space. Just the perfect size for her and her cat — and filled with lots of natural light — it has plenty of whimsical vintage features to keep you peering around the corners the entire time you’re there.

Name: Sarah Scott and her pugs, Lulu and Ozzy Location: Sea Point East, Cape Town Size: 1615 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, owned The beautiful house you see today is a far cry from how it looked when Sarah, a designer, purchased it two and a half years ago. She had chanced upon the property when it was totally derelict and still in the very beginning stages of a renovation.

Name: Milicent Armstrong, Brian, and Gerry Location: South End — Boston, Massachusettes Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned Walking into Milicent’s South End home is like being invited into a small oasis. Upon entering, guests step into a hallway with soaring ceilings and beautiful wallpaper.

Name: Jim Manning Location: Nashville, Tennessee Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 15 years, owned Some homes just have a story. In this case, Jim’s two-bedroom East Nashville home has quite a few of them! He is one of just three owners and has lived here for 15 years, which is very unusual for Nashville these days.

Name: Andrea, Fernando and their children Delfina, Juan Cruz, Bautista and Benito Location: Villa Adelina — Buenos Aires, Argentina Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 20 years, owned When Andrea got pregnant with their first child, they moved to this house that belonged to her husband’s family. It was supposed to be for the meantime, while they’d keep looking for their “forever” house.

Name: Meg, Glenn, Maddie and Isabelle Hoburg, and dog, Piper Location: Capitol Hill — Washington, DC Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 14 years, owned Meg Hoburg is an interior designer with Southern roots, a true sense of Southern hospitality, and a fantastic eye for wallpaper. She and her family have been living in their Capitol Hill row house in Washington, DC for 14 years. Customizing the house throughout these years has been a steady work in progress.

Name: Melinda McSpadden Location: Garden District — New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 11 months; the apartment is one of the perks of being a live-in innkeeper The setting for Melinda McSpadden’s life is dripping with Southern charm — lush greenery and a canopy of century-old oaks surround a Queen Anne-style mansion built in 1890 in the heart of New Orleans’ picturesque Garden District.

Name: Amy Stewart and Scott Brown Location: Eureka, California Size: 2800 square feet Years Lived In: 17 years; own (well, we used to own it. We just sold the house and we’re moving to Portland.) How do you say goodbye to a house you’ve lived in and loved for 17 years?

Name: Katie, Anthony, Isabelle and Freya Miller, with dogs Oliver and Tulip Location: Belmont, North Carolina Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Katie’s friends are right, walking into her lovely duplex in Belmont, North Carolina is an immensely welcoming experience. Maybe it is the two insistent yet extremely friendly dachshunds that greet you upon arrival, or maybe it’s the comforting furnishings and thoughtful art that permeate her abode.

Doilies, murals, fake cake and Victorian vibes...Cole Escola (Matthew on Hulu's Difficult People) lives in a 425-square-foot candy-colored Brooklyn apartment.

Name: Caroline Harper Knapp, her husband, and their sons, Knox and Andrew Location: Briargrove — Houston, Texas Size: 2,500 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned When Caroline Harper Knapp moved back to her home state of Texas a few years ago from New York, she knew she would have more space to design a home for her and her family.

Name: Wesley & Levi Janssen; their kids James (6), Anders (5), and Julia (1); and the family dog Logan. Location: Mid City — New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 1,690 square feet upstairs; 1,200 in raised basement apartment Years lived in: 4 years, owned It was the second-to-last last day of Wesley Janssen’s maternity leave when a “for sale” sign in front of a stately raised-basement Art and Crafts style home caught her eye five years ago.

Name: Kate and Matt Williams, their children Daisy and Joseph, and their whippets Mimi and Olive Location: Mistley — Essex, UK Years lived in: 3 1/2 years This Georgian home dates back to 1710 and sits on one side of the scenic High Street of Mistley village on the Stour Estuary in Essex. The air is scented with the salty smell of the river and the malty hops brewing in the large red-brick brewery nearby.

Name: Kim and Patrick + daughter Fiona + dog CeCe Location: Brighton, Michigan Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned Built in 1940 — with a mint green exterior and eggplant shutters — Kim and Patrick’s Cape Cod style house is steeped in history. “There has only been one owner prior to us and the land for the home was originally parceled from the lot belonging to the house next door.

Name: Steph Waterman Location: Carroll Gardens — Brooklyn, NY Size: 600 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting Kaz and Steph are the “design obsessed duo” behind The Stylephiles. “We are oceans apart in Sydney and New York.

Name: Courtney, Paul, and (daughter) Redding Location: Corktown — Detroit, Michigan Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned After living in Brooklyn for 10 years, Courtney and Paul relocated to Detroit in 2016 and took a chance on buying a house…without ever walking inside. The couple discovered the property through family: Paul’s cousin moved back to the Motor City a few years before them and found this duplex. Now they all currently live in it!

Name: Caitlyn Cartlidge Location: Frederick, Maryland Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned This house was a dump when I bought it. Stained wall-to-wall carpet and garish high-gloss paint, zero appliances in the kitchen, missing most of its doorknobs, and with a barely usable bathroom whose walls matched the color of the anti-freeze in the pipes pretty well.

Name: Naeem, Cecelia and their two daughters, Amelia and Sophia Location: Mowbray — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 1,076 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Naeem and Cecelia had to put in new floors, ceilings and walls in this Victorian cottage, the first house they’ve owned together as a couple. “It was a challenge but also great, because we started with a blank canvas,” writes Cecelia.

Name: Anna, Jason and Freddy Location: Ballard — Seattle, Washington Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned After buying their Seattle home five years ago, Anna and Jason spent about two years updating elements that likely hadn’t changed in decades — all new windows, refurbished kitchen counters, new paint throughout — and the list goes on.

Name: Anna Lane, her husband Chris and their two children Noah and Rose Location: Los Angeles, California. Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, renting When Anna and her husband moved into this house, she was determined to create a homey, warm place to live. The previous tenants of this rental had a vastly different design style than Anna, but she painted, bought furniture from flea markets, did some gardening and even updated the floors.

Name: Andrea Howe Location: Seal Beach, California. Size: 2,300 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, owned When Andrea Howe and her family started searching for a house, nothing they found was what they were looking for. This house had one thing going for it though: “The decision of purchasing this one was the tree in the backyard,” says Andrea.

Name: Beatrice Fischel-Bock, CEO & Co-Founder of Hutch, her dog Ellie (and a roommate, her friend Lizzie, not pictured) Location: West Hollywood, California Years Lived In: 2 years, renting It was love at first sight when Beatrice saw this West Hollywood rental home in 2015. “It had so much character and was perfect for what I was looking for. I really wanted a place that had some integrity, and especially a place that was very California,” she describes.

Name: Amelie Mancini, Rami Metal, and their daughter Babette Location: Crown Heights — Brooklyn, NY Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: Rented, 2 years Before getting pregnant with their daughter, artist and designer Amelie Mancini and her husband Rami Metal called Greenpoint, Brooklyn home. They loved where they lived, but knew that their tiny apartment (less than 400 square feet total) wouldn’t accommodate a growing family.

Name: Drew Vuong Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 600 square feet Years live in: 7 years, renting With the constant sunny Los Angeles weather, Drew Vuong wanted to incorporate his love of outdoors and patio living in the inside of his home. He has created a great space for entertaining, leisure, and displaying his favorite artwork both personal and collected.

Name: Raelyn Woltz and her fiancé Jon Location: Buffalo, New York Size: 1,100 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned The house had been vacant for two years when Jon and Raelyn bought it…and it needed a lot of work. Not just to make it look better, but also to make it more livable. “We spent a little over a year planning and working on it ourselves (and a ton of help from family!).