Apartment

Every room in this colorful, eclectic Miami apartment has a different style highlighting the renter’s philosophy of creating a “potpourri of interior design.”

After living in this same rental apartment for 13 years, Dave says the place was starting to feel stale and not adult enough. But he spent a few months and a few thousand dollars elevating his rental's style.

Veda Banerjee combined touches of her Indian background with her love of Paris apartments with some lucky mid-century modern scores on Facebook Marketplace, all to create this colorful and cozy home.

After Marilou's 40-year marriage ended, she wasn’t sure if she'd be able to afford to live alone, but with careful planning she was able to buy a little one-bedroom condo in a town in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Tour this exceptionally designed home for humans (and cats!) that's the home of Victoria Karieva, the lead architect and co-founder of Between the Walls. She bought this apartment with her husband, Volodymyr, two years ago.

Tour this 880-square-foot rental apartment that's shared by two creatives; there are cool painted wall squiggles and a couple of fantastic secondhand scores.

During the pandemic Gillian Lyons moved to Savannah, Georgia, from NYC to be closer to her family, purchasing this 744-square-foot apartment.

See the bland before photos and the colorful after photos of author, illustrator, and designer Megan McKean's stunning home in Malmö, Sweden.

"I consider myself to be a fun person, and I want to be surrounded by stuff that makes me happy," explains Federico Duarte, an art director, of this two-bedroom Valencia, Spain, apartment he shares with his partner, Pilar.

Rory Rockmore, celebrity jewelry designer by night, lives in this Los Angeles loft that’s “dedicated to any early ‘90s movie or sitcom with a ‘cool’ character who lived in a 'downtown' loft.”

See behind the cabinet doors to learn valuable, small-space organizing tips.

While architect Keaton Cizek would love to own and renovate his own home one day when he has the means, as a renter he finds "so much joy in making an apartment feel like an extension of myself as much as I can."

"My personal home style inspiration has a wide range, from traditional maximalist to English cottage home to Scandinavian clean lines to farmhouse to Rajasthani folk with its warm colors and block-prints, even a bit of New York loft-style with art-filled walls and plants," begins singer/songwriter Abhilasha Sinha.

One day Olivia Huffman was driving to work and saw something out of the corner of her eye in an alley: the "dreamiest, curved clamshell sofas" just sitting there, ready for the taking!

"This process can be an emotional one, but also brings clarity and perspective through our attachment to certain objects, memories, and spaces," says photographer Lauren Kolyn.

The kitchen in Courtney's SF studio apartment is no wider than her arms can spread out, but it is "character rich, with wood shelving painted pale blue."

Julie Finn has done tons of things to make her small space work, from a hand-me-down daybed to couch transformation, an easy TV-hiding hack, and creating as much smart storage space as possible.

Damini grew up in India and moved to the U.S. in 2016. "After four years of art school and three years into my graphic design career, this is the first place I've stayed at where I've run wild decorating and watched it transform into a space that feels like home (and part art studio)."

Fashion consultant and merchandiser Jasmine Hart worked with interior designer and set decorator Kendra Cusic to decorate this Brooklyn rental apartment.

Lee Newman lives in a time capsule home built in 1974 that has been "maintained by the original architect and his family. It was one of his first builds, and has some quirks."

Photographer and interior designer Natalie Bird shares this 1000-square-foot, open-plan rental apartment in New York City's TriBeCa neighborhood with her husband.

Film, dance, and theater artist Brighid Greene has lived in this rental apartment in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood for five years, and her partner has rented here since 2012. They pay $1700 per month, and say their landlord has not raised the rent in over a decade.

Before Selma bought their condo two years ago, it had been a plain rental with popcorn ceilings, old appliances, and a dark kitchen. But after renovating, the condo is now fresh and bright.

Alex Bass is more than just an art collector, she's the founder of Salon 21, an art advisory and design firm. And the small home she shares with her boyfriend not only shows off her art curating skills, but also plenty of renter-friendly ideas.

When Lindsey Kephart first arrived, the previous tenants (and friends) had painted the kitchen a color they loved: yellow. With a little paint and new hardware, Lindsey transformed the room — and the entire apartment — into a chic space more fitting to her personality.

Artist Mauro Baiocco loves a bargain, so most of the furniture in this rental apartment has been found on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or the street.

Lily’s favorite thing about her apartment is all “the sunlight that comes in through the windows. The entire front wall is curved in a semicircle shape, so strong sun comes in from all sides. The plants have all really flourished, and I love watching them grow over.”

Bianca Tueretsky wrote a series of YA books called "The Time-Traveling Fashionista" about a girl who travels back in time through an enchanted vintage dress. Her small Prospect Heights apartment reflects her love of books, history, vintage pieces, and travel.

Madame de la Maison’s founder Ajiri Aki has been renting this gorgeous apartment in a 19th-century Haussmannian building in Paris’ 11th arrondissement for 12 years.

Aparna Jayaraman is Indian and has always been "inspired by the bold colors, patterns, and glitz of traditional saris." But while she says color is very important to her home, "neutrals provide it the foundation to really pop."

Musician Mathew V has moved five times in the last six years in “search of a home that felt like just that: home.” He’s found it here in this polished condo he shares with his partner, Justin.

"The space had a modern aesthetic and we used the green kitchen as a jumping-off point for leaning into color and modern details," writes Mark Goldwell, the founding partner and executive creative director of Zero Studios.

This $5500-a-month West Village rental apartment of herbalist and floral designer Emily Swarts is only 550 square feet, but feels a lot larger, thanks to it being spread across three floors — not to mention the huge windows and tons of light.

The colors in Nityasya and her partner's home are bright "and there's a lot of texture and patterns to not just take us back to India (our homeland), but also to make the feel space vibrant and full of energy — on even the coldest winter day in NYC."

"We wanted everything to feel super fun and happy to look at," Victoria Buckley says of the home she shares with her partner and dog. "We both try to be really positive and I think our home helps a lot with that! When we’re relaxing at home or even working during the day, the whole atmosphere feels very positive and motivating."

"As soon as my husband and I got the keys, we began the hard work," begins Justine Guillermou, the founder of Rainbow Shaker, who specializes in "playful, offbeat," and "anti-gloom" designs. "We did everything ourselves from A to Z, except for the plumbing and electricity."

Designer Kim White has transformed her cozy Brooklyn rental apartment with smart DIY projects, like using banquette seating to build a custom sectional sofa, using mirrors to make the space feel larger, and more.

"We moved from a converted church to a converted school house," says Rachel Hill, who shares this home with her husband. "We both love the character that comes with an old building which is brought back to life and repurposed as a home."

Bronwyn, who rents this 800-square-foot Nob Hill apartment, advises: "Let things evolve slowly. Invest in antiques with soul."

Kate makes an effort to avoid buying new things for her Chicago rental apartment, instead sourcing "items from thrift stores, antique shops, and second-hand marketplaces. About 80% of the things I buy come from these places, and I love incorporating historic designs into a very modern building."

Dana and Andy first fell in love with this condo's vintage charm, and have appreciated all the work they did to make the space a comfortable home for their family, which now includes a young son. "Our condo has been a wonderful, cozy refuge," Dana writes.

After Shelby toured this 700-square-foot Chicago condo, she loved it so much she wrote the previous owner a handwritten letter. “I was like, ‘I’m ... begging you to let me live here.’” The letter worked. Now she and Collin reside in their small-but-mighty space, curating a sort of maximalist museum dedicated to the relationships that keep them afloat.

"Every piece on the wall contains a memory of either a place, a time, or an experience we don't want to forget," says Serene, of the apartment she shares with her husband, Jude, and daughter, Sophie.

Carole home's style is very colorful and eclectic. She's inherited centuries-old beautiful antiques from her family and added her own twist with some modernist furniture and great collectibles collected from travels across the world.

Shelby Vanhoy of Pretty in the Pines and her husband made their small Manhattan rental apartment a peaceful family haven by bringing in nature-inspired colors and timeless prints and patterns while highlighting 1930s architectural details.

"I've just always been attracted to a lot of color and I love it loud and colorful," describes Kimiya Justus, a Berlin-based artist and illustrator.

Model and body-positive influencer Kelvin Davis has over 50 plants in this 789-square-foot rental apartment.

Christina Goldschmidt, Head of Product Design at Etsy, lives in an 859-square-foot condo in New York’s Battery Park City.

The colorful, retro tiles in Sidney and Brandon's rental apartment's bathroom were taken from a train station in Philadelphia during the '80s... and the vibrant tiles were even used for the baseboards around the main space, too!

As a Taurus, Reed's home is her castle and she spend a lot of time here, so she's made sure it's extremely cozy, has good lighting, and overall is a place that grounds her when she's in it.

Carolyn's style is inspired by color pop, Memphis design, '80s new wave, "Saved by the Bell," punk rock, and Goodwill thrift finds from the ‘60s to ‘90s.

"From DIY to beach finds, there are so many budget-friendly ways to make your space somewhere you're excited to be," explains Kelsey. Some of her favorite budget hacks in her rental apartment include: framing matchbooks for art, hacked IKEA console, custom desk, and more.

Inspired by the fashion of the '80s and '90s, mid-century designs, and cool movies, interior designer Serafima Gavrilenko took this two-bedroom apartment with no bathroom and turned it into a stylish two-level studio with an incredible walk-in closet.

"The stained glass that borders my three gigantic windows is a gem in and of itself, and combined with the decorative fireplace, exposed brick, and massive wood sliding doors, the room feels like a historical experience of living in Brooklyn," writes Karys Rhea.

New York Times bestselling author Sarah Knight’s husband, musician Judd Harris, used to say that she wants to live in an opium den and that he wants to live in a spaceship. “Eventually we settled on what we call ‘funky mid-century modern,’ which gives him a lot of clean lines and me the ability to accessorize with color and texture.”

Dorshelle Guillaume is a Haitian American fashion designer and says aesthetics, style, and ambiance are really important. "My home is very cozy, clean, and elevated and I love how everything works well together."

Lisa and Eddie slowly transformed this space, layering textures of lush rugs and velvet, an antique mirror kitchen backsplash, and moody blue French wash walls to create this 516-square-foot retreat. "The space is small so we had to be thoughtful about the placement of absolutely everything."

Caity Birmingham, a production designer for movies and TV and a prop stylist for commercials and photoshoots, loves color and fits a TON of it into her 680-square-foot Brooklyn rental apartment.

Olivia's apartment's interior structure is Craftsman style, with built-in features including a slide Murphy bed, wall shelves surrounding the living room, a stained glass cabinet, antique push-button-style light switches, and a bathroom with a deep tub.

Katharina fulfilled her dream of owning a home as a single woman. "I worked from finishing school until the day the papers were signed to give myself this security for retirement and to protect myself from rising rent costs," she writes.