Name: Chris McGovern Location: NoMad — Manhattan, New York Size: 925 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned In a city full of high-rises often with floors of identical apartments, Chris was keen to find a space that was both architecturally unique and required some renovation to put his own touch on it. He gravitated towards loft spaces throughout his search. In 2017, he purchased a loft in Manhattan on the border between Chelsea and NoMad.
Name: Jake Levin Location: Big Bear, California Size: 972 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, owned I found this cabin after being frustrated with the out-of-reach housing market in Los Angeles, where I live and work full-time as an Art Director/Graphic Designer. One day I started looking at places in Big Bear, just a two-hour drive from the city, when I realized wait a minute, I might be actually able to do this.
Name: Karine Matte, Louis, Danick and Pablo, the Golden Doodle Location: Vieux-Longueil, Québec Size: 2,200 square feet Years lived in: 9 years, owned Karine is an interior stylist and founder of Matte & Glossy. She is also a color junkie, a decor consultant, a blogger, and an avid traveler. She lives with her husband Danick and their son Louis in this charming 1954 bungalow in Old Longueuil. Their home is her creative playground.
Name: Arielle Assouline-Lichten Location: Greenpoint — Brooklyn, NY Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Architect and designer Arielle Assouline-Lichten has a badass, burgeoning design career. After studying at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, she founded the multidisciplinary design firm Slash Projects in 2013, which specializes in both physical and digital spaces.
Name: Sophie Demenge and Michael Ryan Location: Park Slope — Brooklyn, New York Size: 3,240 square feet Years lived in: 8 years, owned Sophie lives in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn with her husband Michael, two kids Mae and Marius, and three cats. The neighborhood is best known for rows of brownstone homes, one of the nation’s first food co-ops, and access to Prospect Park (what I like to call the Central Park of Brooklyn).
Name: Chad Burton, Burger Kim, and Terrence the cat Location: Queen West — Toronto, Canada Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 7 months, owned As creatives whose vision is often outside the box, this couple has completely (and colorfully) transformed a bleak condo into a vibrant masterpiece. Chad Burton has a career as a stylist and fashion editor, while Burger works as Canada’s visual merchandiser for Gucci.
Name: Bliss Lau Location: Lower East Side —New York, NY Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: Less than a year, owned Jewelry designer Bliss Lau’s wearable creations are minimal—simple forms that are elegant and architectural—but they aren’t plain. Her necklaces, bracelets, body chains, and rings feature luxurious details. It’s a style combination seen in the minimal and modern home she shares with her husband Evan and their new baby Soa.
Name: Elle Huerta Location: Venice — Los Angeles, California Size: 900 square feet Years Lived In: 3 years, renting Elle Huerta is the founder and CEO of Mend, a self-care app launched just last year that helps you through a breakup and is a community for those going through heartbreak. Her cozy home is located along one of Venice’s “Walk Streets;” pedestrian-only walkways where homes are tucked behind verdant trees.
Name: Emily Kellerman Location: Ditmas Park — Brooklyn, NY Size: 450 square feet| Years Lived In: 3 years, renting Prop stylist Emily Kellerman’s small studio apartment is proof you don’t need a ton of space—or separate rooms—to live beautifully and well. We first saw a sneak peek of her small 450-square-foot Brooklyn rental apartment in a house call, but I wanted to see more.
Name: Ainsley Gardner, Brandon Stewart, and Betty Cat Location: Chelsea — New York City Size: 737 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, renting “One of the challenges of living in a newer rental is trying to bring character to the space without making permanent changes,” explained Ainsley Gardner, who’s been sharing this rental apartment in Chelsea with her partner Brandon and their cat, Betty.
Name: Chelsea Poling and cat Piper Location: Santa Monica, California Size: 1,450 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned “I love the location of my home; I am less than a block from the Santa Monica Beach. I make it a daily task or indulgence to go to the beach every day, whether it be a walk on the beach, a dip in the ocean, or quiet meditation,” wrote Chelsea Poling, the founder and CEO of the online wellness boutique Rose Botanica.
Name: Jamie Gasparovic, husband Ryan, and two rescue pups Location: Orlando, Florida Size: 2,000 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned When my husband Ryan and I were looking for our first house, we were looking exclusively at fixer uppers. I’m an interior designer, so I’m very particular about my house looking how I want, and I didn’t want to pay a premium for someone else’s tastes and renovations that I didn’t even like!
Name: Fiona Morrison, owner of Wolf Circus Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Size: 850 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned While she was still at British Columbia’s University of Victoria, entrepreneur Fiona Morrison founded Wolf Circus, “a line of demi-fine jewelry thoughtfully designed and hand fabricated in Vancouver, BC.
Name: Mary and Tom Eirich Location: Watertown, Massachusetts Size: 1,100 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned We had previously lived in Belmont, Massachusetts, for 30 years and had decided, as empty nesters, to move to the north shore, not far from the ocean. After a few years of being further from our children (and, eventually, grandchildren) and also missing the conveniences and cultural benefits of being close to the city, we decided to look at real estate closer to Boston.
Name: Chelsea Meissner and pup Tyson Location: Charleston, South Carolina Size: 1,900 square feet Years Lived In: Less than a year, owned “I love that every last detail of my home was thoughtfully chosen, and that it feels like an extension of me,” writes “Southern Charm” star Chelsea Meissner.
Name: Justin Elizabeth Sayre Location: Los Angeles, California Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 4 years Born in Pennsylvania, writer, performer, and comedian Justin Elizabeth Sayre made a name for himself in the downtown New York cabaret scene paying homage to cultural icons like Judy Garland, Cher, and Elizabeth Taylor (hence his middle name).
Name: Kayla Benedict and Erick Pausz Location: Lincoln Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: around 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, renting Kayla and Erick met nearly seven years ago, and shortly after started selling mid-century furniture out of their garage together. What started as a hobby quickly grew into a business! Now their mid-century modern furniture company, Shark Gravy, has a store front, 16K+ Instagram followers, (and probably as many satisfied customers!
Name: Stacy and Ben Location: San Diego, California Size: 2,930 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned It was the enviable views of the ocean and quirky mid-century details that appealed to Ben and Stacy when they bought this house, which hadn’t been renovated since it was built in 1958. Located in a bohemian beachside community in San Diego, the couple was expanding their family and looking for a place to settle where growing kids would feel comfortable for many years to come.
Name: Cécile Gariépy, her boyfriend, and their lovely dog, Marjo Location: Rosemont La Petite-Patrie, Montreal Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned After her studies in cinema and working as a film director for five years, Cécile Gariépy moved to Paris to pursue a master’s degree. Her life in France was very academic, and creative Cécile started drawing illustrations.
Name: Lea Nguyen and Ugo Rioux Location: Ville-Marie, Montreal Size: 420 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting After an extensive search, Lea, a freelance writer and journalist, and her boyfriend Ugo, a science assistant in a college, left their respective beloved Montreal hoods of Little Italy and Villeray to move in together in Ville-Marie borough. The apartment did not look anything like it does now when signing the lease, but they saw the potential.
Name: Dawn Sweitzer of Notre Monde Location: High Point, North Carolina Years working in: 5 years, owned Dawn Sweitzer is the artist behind Notre Monde, a brand known for textiles, furniture, and accessories like trays, art, mirrors, and more. Her designs are distinct, as well as modern, minimal, and a little bohemian, too.
Erin Flett is a textile designer known for bold and organic patterns and shares her Gorham, Maine home with her family. Her company's studio is 10 mins away in Westbrook Maine.
Name: Nikki Darling, three cats, Fats Domino Darling, King Tut Darling, and Marlowe Cat Darling, and one dog, Raspberry Beret Darling Location: Highland Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, renting Writer, artist, and performer Nikki Darling grew up in Los Angeles. After attending undergrad at Cal Arts, she moved back in 2008 and has been in this quaint back house in Highland Park ever since.
Name: Carly Koppen and husband James Koppen Location: Columbus Park — Kansas City, Missouri Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, renting Carly signed the lease for her Kansas City house, sight-unseen, almost five years ago. But after seeing the photos of the pink tiled bathroom and the home’s charming details—like the rounded archways—she knew she couldn’t pass up this gem.
Name: Chris and Noel Clayton, their kids, and lots of pets Location: Adrian, Missouri Size: 3,200 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Chris and Noel’s home seems like an episode out of HGTV’s “You Live in What?” The entire house—including the grain bins, but also much of the building material and fixtures—was sourced from secondhand places like estate sales, auctions, and yep, even dumpsters.
Name: Elyse DeLisle and Amanda Goelz and their cats Pig and Poe Location: On the road; Currently in Palm Springs, California Size: 240 square feet/ 34-feet long Years lived in: Owned — We began renovating the trailer in Spring 2018 and started living in it in July 2018. There were two things Elyse and Amanda wanted to do together: renovate a home and travel. They were living in Melbourne, Florida, when they decided to buy a fixer-upper.
Name: Steve and Nikki Carlson Location: Encinitas, California Size: 544 square feet Years Lived In: 4 months, owned Our home, which we named “Cottage + Sea,” is a tiny 544-square-foot beach bungalow studio steps from Moonlight Beach in the quaint surf town of Encinitas near San Diego, California. We never knew we could live tiny.
Name: Kaitlyn McGowan and Evan Walker Location: Downtown Gainesville, Florida Size: 1,400 square feet Years Lived In: 16 months, renting Our home is a 1930s-ish converted duplex that I share with my partner of four years, Evan, and our cat, Rasputin, or Poots as we call him. Located downtown in a college town, our place has seen some interesting, fun, and scary renters.
Name: Hannah Wilson Location: Dallas, Texas Size: 1,300 square feet Years Lived In: 5 months, owned My husband and I own a home remodeling/design company called Blank Slate Renovations. He is a licensed contractor and I’ve recently graduated with a degree in interior design. We flip houses full time and are always looking for the next project or creative outlet. We found our current abode here in Dallas through an investor that had previously sold us a project a few years back.
Name: Elizabeth Podlesnik Location: Queen Anne — Seattle, Washington Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Back in June, this former personal stylist-turned-photographer got an itch to redecorate. Like, seriously redecorate. “I sold everything on Craigslist and Offer Up, and started from scratch,” Elizabeth told me. I was slightly jealous of the adventure she’d just been on. From scratch, you say? Swoon. I really do have a thing for blank slates.
Name: Emily Berger-Crawford, husband Chris Crawford, daughter Edie, dog Lilly and cats Chester + Charlie Location: East English Village — Detroit, Michigan Size: 1,650 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned Our house is well loved and full of character, a perfect home base for our family to relax and enjoy watching our 4-month-old daughter grow up. Although it’s a constant project (and sometimes headache), we feel like we lucked out in finding it with so many details in tact.
Name: Katie Zamprioli Location: Sunland-Tujunga, California Size: 1,222 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned Katie Zamprioli (or @katiemackmusic as she’s known on Instagram) didn’t set out to make her home Insta-famous, but once she began posting photos of her candy-colored desert-meets-jungle interior, the fans came pouring in. In just one year she has transformed her Los Angeles-area home into a fully decorated oasis, where every inch is worth a closer look.
Name: Desiré van den Berg and her sister Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands Size: 775 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Desiré has a talent for decorating her space on a budget. “My whole living room, I’d say—under 1000 euro.” This includes seating, a coffee table, dining table set, and framed art. Not only does the space feel cohesive, but she threw it all together within a week of moving in.
Name: Naimah and kitties Location: West End — Alameda, California Size: 370 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, rented Having spent the past few years at college in the South, Naimah didn’t expect the Bay Area’s competitive rental market when searching for the tiny Alameda studio apartment she now calls home. “The rental market in the Bay is wild, so this building was actually the first and only one that I saw,” she says.
Name: Hope and Pete Colling Location: Abaco, Bahamas Size: 1,047 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned We first got a peek at couple Hope and Pete Colling‘s style in the house tour of their Eichler in California.
Name: Keely Mann Location: The Woodlands — just outside of Houston, Texas Size: 3,500 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Keely Mann, her husband, and small children moved to Houston from California over a decade ago. After adding two more kids to the mix (for a total of four!), The Manns were in need of a larger home. They settled in The Woodlands, Texas, a large suburb outside of the Houston City Limits, which gets its name from its sprawling forests.
Name: Debbie and Martyn Wright Location: Clevedon, North Somerset, United Kingdom Size: 3200 square feet Years Lived In: Owned for 4 years After the children left the nest, Debbie and Martyn Wright decided it was time for them to create their dream home. Having searched for four years, they finally found this 1960s bungalow, which sat on an amazing plot with uninterrupted views of the countryside.
Name: Emilie Schiller, David Kramer, dogs Gus and Scarlet Location: Hampden — Baltimore, Maryland Size: 1,300 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned Our home was somewhat of an impulse purchase, which is not usually how home purchases go, but it’s how ours went. My now-husband Dave and I were living together in a different neighborhood in Baltimore in a house that he purchased before we got together.
Name: Chambers Austelle Location: Charleston, South Carolina Size: 1,374 square feet Years lived in: 5.5 years, renting Chambers Austelle is a renowned artist based in Charleston, South Carolina. She’s actually lived in Charleston all her life; she grew up learning to swim at her family home on East Battery. This connection to her city continues to be strong and she’s heavily involved in the artistic community.
Name: Liz Martin Location: Charleston, South Carolina Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, owned Charleston blogger and shop owner Liz Martin has a simple mission: to make every day feel like the weekend. And according to Liz, it starts at home. “It’s about being surrounded by little things that make you smile,” she says. “[things like] fresh flowers, glorious candles, and fun decor.
Name: Alice Kendall Location: Wonderland Tattoo, SE Portland, Oregon Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 5 months, renting Alice Kendall is one of the most sought-after tattoo artists in Portland. She opened her shop Wonderland in 2013, and quickly established her ranking as a top artist in one of the nation’s most inked cities.
Name: Lysa Jordan, Sergio Castano and dog Walter Location: Montreal, Quebec Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, renting Artist Lysa Jordan and architect Sergio Castano live with their dog Walter in a working and living loft nestled in the Saint Henri neighborhood. Quite unconventional from typical Montreal apartments, their pad is a modern, minimal, and creative space for both of them. “It’s a stimulating and inspiring place.
Name: Pilar Zeta and husband Location: Portland, Oregon Size: 3,500 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned Let 2019 be the year of exploring homes that are inspiring representations of the people who live within.
Name: Christin Haussman, my husband Lars, with our two kids Calle and Emma. Location: Upplands Väsby — North of Stockholm, Sweden Size: 2,000 square feet Years Lived In: Myself 4 years, the hubby 12 years, owned I am originally from Germany but have lived in England and Scotland, until moving to Sweden five years ago. Sweden is a bit of an outdoorsy-type country, so I was like let’s start a new hobby!
Name: Adrianne Herold (and my fiance Dylan and our cat, Scavenger) Location: Champaign, Illinois Size: 1,005 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, renting We actually lived across the parking lot in the same complex but in a two-bedroom and one day I noticed them ripping carpet out of some units and replacing it with wood paneling. I quickly asked our landlord if we could just transfer our lease to one of the updated units and she actually let us do it!
Name: Kira Cole and two cats Location: Gold Coast — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,080 square feet Years Lived In: 8 months, owned My home was built in 1892, originally as a single family. In 1978, it was renovated into condo units. I actually grew up in the unit below, so I was very familiar with the building and neighbors when purchasing! When I first got my hands on it, it had not been renovated (not even paint touch-ups) since the 1978 renovation, so it was in serious need of love.
Name: Molly Bernard, girlfriend Hannah, and Henry (her eight-pound rescue mutt!) Location: Brooklyn, NYC Years lived in: Just a few months! Proud and terrified first time home-owner!
Name: Maggie Smoller and family Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Size: 1,600 square feet Years Lived In: 4 years, owned Since the day we closed on this house four and a half years ago, we’ve been putting our stamp on it room by room. As self-proclaimed homebodies, there’s nothing we love more than staying in and getting cozy, and it was so important to create a home that we loved being in and living in.
Name: Latisha Carlson, husband Matt, and their three kids Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico Size: Just under 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, owned Photographer Latisha Carlson, her husband Matt, their three kids, and the dog all live in a renovated modern bohemian dwelling. In the heart of a residential street in Albuquerque, their house has not only been a personal DIY renovation, but a place for Tish to hone in on her passion for interior design.
Name: Becca Tobin, husband Zach Martin, and Orly Martin the dog Location: Laurel Canyon — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years Lived In: 2.5 years, owned We moved into our home a little over two years ago. We were drawn to the space because the house had so much charm! Los Angeles is filled with a lot of new construction that feels really sterile, so this 1930s gem felt super special.
Name: George Mendes and Siamese cats, Roscoe and Daisy Location: Downtown Brooklyn, New York, New York Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years George Mendes knows good food. He’s the chef behind Aldea, the Michelin-starred New York restaurant whose offerings reflect the cuisine of his parents’ native Portugal. He’s also the inhabitant of a beautiful Brooklyn apartment that seems an embodiment of the mantra “less is more.
Name: Laura Santora, husband Kevin, daughters Ellie (6), Evie (4), and Dylan (1), plus dogs Moco and Oliver Location: Mission Viejo, California Size: 3,450 square feet Years Lived In: 3.5 years, owned When looking for a new home three and a half years ago, we wanted something with enough space, some character, and something we could make our own.
Name: Meredith and Luke Coe + our 1.5-year-old son, Nathan Location: King of Prussia, Pennsylvania Size: 1,830 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, owned My husband and I bought this home (our first!) in May of 2017. It was very dull and slightly neglected when we first bought it—all of the walls were a shade of brown or yellow and the floors were in need of some serious TLC. We’ve been able to make several minor updates that have really helped turn it into a space we love!
Name: Kaitlyn Shimazaki Location: Belmont Heights/ Belmont Shores — Long Beach, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Kaitlyn has one of those quintessential beach cottages we all imagine landing when we move to California. Her small home is technically the guest house to a larger home, but she gets all the perks of a “standalone” building.
Name: Gabrielle Silverlight, Brian Hamilton, and Miss Mabel the kitty Location: Kensington — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Size: Around 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting and own After years of renting a home and separate workspace, ceramicist Gabrielle Silverlight and her guitar pedal designer husband Brian Hamilton of smallsound/bigsound decided to buy a house.
Name: Lady Soule, Michael Ryan Handley, pup Jackson Location: Fishtown — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Size: 2,580 square feet Years Lived In: 2.5 years, owned If you have even the slightest hint of a bohemian style, you may have spent hours drooling over the patterned, textured furniture and decor delights offered up by Anthropologie. (Or is that just me?
Name: E.M. Ricchini, and kitty and a pup Location: Fishtown — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Size: 1,230 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting Philadelphia-based fashion blogger E.M. Ricchini knows how to put together an outfit as well as a stylish apartment. By day, she works in marketing and branding, but along with her style skills, she also writes, photographs, models, and travels, too.
Given the sobering reports on the widespread impact of global pollution, the demand for more eco-friendly reusables is more pressing than ever. In response to the call to protect the environment, Berlin startup Kaffeeform has come up with reusable coffee cups made from used coffee grounds. As Designboom notes, Kaffeeform’s innovative recycling project earned it the Red Dot Product Design Award of 2018.
Name: Jacqueline Sarah, my fiancé Joshua Zeolla, and our 5-year-old son. Location: Currently in Greenville, South Carolina Size: 200 square feet Years Lived In: 8 months, owned There’s so much to love about our tiny home. What I personally love the most is that the space truly uniquely represents my family and I. There’s a master bedroom that feels like our own little oasis, and a bunk/bunk room we created for our son so he too could feel like he had a space of his own.
Name: Michelle Qazi and family Location: Bellevue, Washington Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented Walking through Michelle’s front door, you see right away from her design aesthetic why she chose this particular home, which she shares with her husband and two young sons. The vaulted ceilings, wood-paneled walls, and windows that are forms of art in themselves, could not be a more perfect frame for the strong ’70s vibe the interior as a whole exudes.
Name: Marta Escoda, husband Albert, and kids Ivet, Marc, and Alex Location: Sabadell — Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned When personal shopper and stylist Marta Escoda decided to move into her grandparent’s apartment, she knew it would need renovating. But while she wanted a fresh start and to make new memories in this place, she also knew this apartment was part of her history and heritage, and desired to keep some of the original character.
Name: Cristina, Marc, Daniela, and twins Mateo and Marcos Location: San Gervasi — Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,450 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Cristina has interior design in her blood; for her it is a passion and a way of creating good feelings through beautiful visuals. She founded the multi-disciplinary design studio, CIRERA+ ESPINET, with her partner Mariona Espinet, and defines her personal style as breaking the mold.
Name: Clara Marina and family Location: Exaimple — Barcelona, Spain Size: 970 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting This modest Barcelona attic apartment actually started out as the building’s laundry rooms. After renovations, it’s now the bright, warm, nature-inspired home for a young family. After living in Chile for six years, Clara and her husband decided to come back to Spain.
Name: Naeme El-Zein and partner David Rousseau Location: Pointe-St-Charles, Quebec, Canada Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Naeme is a creative director, strategist and writer who’s worked with a variety of brands like PULP magazine, British Vogue, WANT Les Essentiels, and ALDO Group, to name a few. She’s passionate about boundary-pushing ideas, visuals, words, and experiences that evoke an emotional reaction.
