Virginia

Alliannah Hamilton’s studio apartment is small, but it still fits a space to sleep, make hard, and even hang in a yoga hammock, proving even petite homes can be playful, peaceful, and personal.

It’s not a style for everyone, but for two introverts who work from home (and three bunnies), this beautifully minimal and meticulously organized condo in Richmond, VA, “feels like a giant exhale.”

Writer Elisabeth Edelman bought this 750-square-foot condo in Richmond, Virginia five years ago, and she shaped the space to “highlight the century-old charm while creating a luxe feel.”

“I bought this house right after COVID when the housing marketing was tough to find a good house and for a good price. There just wasn’t enough homes, and you had to go above and beyond the asking price to even be considered. I waited six months!” begins James Bryan, also known as That Halloween Bro (he also has a YouTube channel).“However, a friend of a friend let me know she was selling her townhouse and knew I was looking.

Nicole and her family downsized when they moved from a major city to a small city, and every square inch of their home had to be designed for form and function.

See how these renters swapped the dining and living room and “IKEA-ed” storage solutions in their Richmond apartment.

“I have really let my creativity flow here,” renter Tricia Collins writes.

See inside this professor’s 810-square-foot apartment he’s designed in a minimal, Bauhaus, and Danish modern style.

Katherine lives in a quirky attic apartment above a 20th-century carriage house garage with lots of character like mismatched chandeliers and a window that opens upside-down.

"As a first-time homeowner I was excited to make my mark in a way that I was never able to do when renting. I love the simplicity and brightness of Scandinavian design, but also bright colors and pop art," writes Jen.

Most of the art in Julia's apartment is either of Black women or created by Black women. "I grew up surrounded by Black art so all of my art makes me feel at home," she writes.

When Olivia moved into her Virginia studio apartment, it was her first time living on her own. Since moving in, she's hosted many Friendsgivings, dinner parties, and brunches, bringing her friends together in a small, cozy space.

Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham run Ash + Chess, a queer and trans owned stationery and art company. And they added tons of personality to this rental house in Richmond they lived in for two years.

Katie's home's style is: "Grandmillennial maximalism with a touch of Scandinavian minimalism."

Leney Breeden, photographer, creative, and owner of the store Folkling, lives in a 1045-square-foot rental house filled with vintage goods from her travels around the country, a variety of special family heirlooms, and lots of gorgeous vintage quilts.

Daniel and Lauren Goans of the band, Lowland Hum, share this charming log cabin in the woods, which also has on the property an old horse stable the couple turned into a tiny recording studio as well as a and work van-turned-home-on-the-road RV.

Interior stylist Tracey Hairston, who blogs under the moniker Mocha Girl Place, lives in a spacious ranch house she's decorated beautifully with warm, earthy colors, natural textures, and tons of plants, of course!

Kristen Ziegler, the professional organizer who founded Minima, lives in an impeccably organized, minimal Richmond house she recently updated.

Go ahead...take a look behind her doors and drawers.

Editor and lifestyle blogger Carrie Waller hit the home jackpot when she stumbled upon this small town gem.

Sean and Ashley chose wall colors based on the room's function: a calm blue in the living room, orange in the dining room and turquoise in the office to spark creativity.

After years of living in beige and buttercream apartments, designer Arielle Goldman was “…itching to go bold” when she moved into this old Victorian. Thankfully, she has a knack for fearlessly painting walls and using dark, dramatic colors in her home, which she talks about on her blog, Scotch and Nonsense. And which you can see quite clearly in her house tour, A Beautifully Moody Historic Victorian in Virginia.

Name: Rosewood Clothing Co. Location: 16 W. Broad St., Richmond, Virgina Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2 years With one visit to Rosewood Clothing Co.’s vintage insta-shop, founder Ashley Carruther’s style is immediately enviable.

Name: Teri Clar and Patrick Choquette, plus their dog, Nami Location: Arlington, Virginia Size: 925 square feet Years lived in: 3.5 years, Rented (1 of them including Patrick!) Ombre bedroom accent walls in Crushed Velvet and a moody, modern den in Hale Navy? Check and check. Welcome to the home of interior designer and business owner Teri Clar. Teri resides in in Arlington, Virginia with her fiancé, Patrick and their dog, Nami.

Name: Emily and Kevin Location: Reston, Virginia Size: 2,800 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, owned This was the fifth house we put an offer on and we went into it thinking, “What’s the worst thing that can happen? We actually get the house?” Then we got it. We liked the lot, the yard, and… that’s about it. But we knew we wanted a house that we could gut and renovate, so this definitely fit the bill.

Name: Kenneth Close and Tracy Wilson Location: Richmond, Virginia Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 2; Owned With toys, turntables, colors that pop, and vintage posters that will make you long for the days of playing Pacman at the arcade, Tracy and Kenny’s 1961 ranch is modern, playful, and kitschy in all the right places. The open floor plan allows for great views from all angles of Tracy and Kenny’s living, dining, and kitchen space, and there is certainly a lot to take in.

Name: Jen Garcia & Andrew Carnwath Location: Richmond, Virginia Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Owned Jen and Andrew, known also in the Richmond antique trading fold as The Odd Couple, have an eye for the delightfully unusual, and a knack for bringing it all together to create a space that is as curious as it is inviting. Throughout their space, sophisticated furniture and an abundance of curios combine harmoniously against a backdrop of richly colored walls.

Name: Lesli DeVito Location: Greenwood — Charlottesville, Virginia Size: 3624 square feet Years lived in: Owned 12 years Lesli, a painter, and her family first rented this Charlottesville home—originally built in 1880. But after only a year of living in the space, they bought it from the owner. They are only the second family ever to own the house. Lesli, who runs the blog My Old Country House, has put a lot of heart into this home for the past 12 years.

It can take time to settle in and create your perfect family home. Lesli has spent the last 12 years pouring herself into her 140-year-old Virginia home. With a little help from her shopping resources you can get to work today on a classic and colorful space of your own!

Name: Arielle Goldman Location: Church Hill neighborhood — Richmond, Virginia Size: 1,500 square foot Years lived in: Owned 1 1/2 years Arielle and her husband live in this Richmond home, known as the “2nd Billups House.” The Billups family is among the oldest in the Church Hill neighborhood, dating from the 1860s. This house, in particular, was built by Charles Jackson Billups in 1900.

Name: Marianne Tolosa and my husband, Jamie, and our two cats, Pickles and Suki. Location: Falls Church, Virginia Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 4 years owned, but we just created the co-working space 3 months ago When looking to buy our home one of our most important criteria was finding a house with a cozy entertaining space.

Name & Location: Vanessa in Lynchburg, Virginia My Favorite Room: Guest Bedroom Specs: 120 square feet We live in a ranch home in central Virginia and have made it our own in the last year and a half of marriage. The guest room was a huge priority to us but we did not have much in the way of a budget. That was no problem. If there is one thing I can do, it is to use my imagination to create things that I cannot afford. I eagerly took on the project for the guest room.

Name: Alisa Rabinovich and Jared Thomson Location: Arlington, Virginia Size: 900 square feet Lived in: Seven months; Rented Alisa and Jared haven’t lived in their apartment very long, but nevertheless, the small space has years of history inside. Alisa, owner of Fleurs Boutique in Arlington, has collected art, textiles, antique furniture, and lots and lots of books from all over Europe and the United States.