Vintage

There’s eerie and magical wallpaper and candlelight makes the home glow at night. This house is a little bit spooky and very cozy.

The colorful and retro-modern bathroom is honestly the hippest space to shower I've ever seen.

When Laci Mosier first started renting this one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment, she slept on an air mattress for six weeks while she waited for her things to arrive from Texas. Four years later, and she’s filled the rental with art, color, books, plants, and sunshine.

There have been a few modern updates, though.

There are so many rental-friendly DIY projects, too!

Painter Holly Salerno lives in a 94-year-old former factory turned into a dreamy loft. Despite it being an open space, she's been able to create a cozy home using romantic vintage furniture and curtains to divide the space.

Packed with art, vintage treasures, and personal touches, this 400-square-foot Manhattan apartment is an incredibly cozy, warm, and personal home for a creative couple and their cute dog.

The vibe of the place is giving plantsy! Artsy! Booksy!

In this 550-square-foot Nob Hill rental a cute window seat offers jaw-dropping city views, and the rest of the apartment is a plant-filled, maximalist wonderland.

Gail pays $2,700 a month for this gorgeous 375-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment in New York City.

Han Santana-Sayles is the Senior Director of Artist Collaboration for Meow Wolf, so, yes, her 600-square-foot rental bungalow in Pasadena is full of shapely art and furniture. (There’s even a tapir-shaped desk!)

Breaker Novogratz's small Lower East Side rental apartment has no closets. Like, zero. So he had to use the space wisely.

Dan Trumble and his wife wanted a clean, cozy, art-filled oasis when they moved into this blank Upper East Side rental apartment. With a small budget, they had to get creative.

Design rules went out the window in this gorgeous home.

Emily decorated her rental with a maximalist, light academic slant, with touches of whimsy. (She also made pineapples, skulls, and disco balls work together in one small space.)

Rachel and John initially worried this purchase was a “colossal mistake.” The kitchen counters were literally just plywood, furniture was painted around, and the house was a bit of a “disaster.” But it was also “weird in lots of good ways.”

Illustrator Danica Andler’s LA home has unmistakable Art Deco, Old Hollywood style, with original tiles, corbels, an ornate fireplace, and other one-of-a-kind details.

“I believe it’s important to come home to a space that feels calming and like a little oasis just for yourself,” Lakesha Charles says.

And the custom Flavor Paper wallpaper is also extremely cool and personal.

Allie isn't afraid to use color, mix patterns, or embrace maximalism. "My space doesn't feel like an apartment I'm renting, but rather a home that I've created that is welcome to all."

Sara painted every wall and some of the furniture in this apartment to add personality to her apartment that’s located in Sondrio, Italy.

It’s hard to believe that this house felt “not loved” at one point.

Kylie used salvaged architectural materials like windows, doors, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, and more to transform a dated garage into an incredibly cozy cottage.

Katy Ma is a user experience designer, so when it came to designing her home — this 400-square-foot apartment in the East Village she rented for three years — it was important for her to “create a home that is very functional” for how she wanted to live. “I’ve maximized storage solutions in closets, cabinets, and underneath my bed so that I can have everything I need but don’t have too much visual clutter,” Katy says.

Sam’s rental apartment is partially underground, so some parts don’t get a lot of light! Along with dealing with dark corners, he’s also had to get creative with creating privacy, storage solutions, and more.

“I got creative with fun ways to add color and personality to blank walls — DIY fabric wallpaper, gallery walls, vintage plates, pennants, and book pages have been some of my favorite paint alternatives,” explains Marissa Zingg.