Apartment

When Calvin moved into his Manhattan apartment, he recruited the help of his friend Colton Ackerman to bring his home to life. Calvin's home now is covered in fun murals that make every inch of the place a work of art.

When Hannah first moved into her London apartment, it was beige everywhere. Using wall paint, hacking IKEA pieces and thrifted furniture finds, and even painting the boring beige tiles in the bathroom, she was able to create a truly colorful, one-of-a-kind home... on a budget!

Brendan and Kiersten got married in July and have been living together for six years. They moved into their current apartment two years ago with their Corgi, Lottie. Being lovers of books, they transformed their second bedroom into a library and office space that would make any bookworm jealous.

Clare, who is the founder of POP Bakery, describes her home's style as colorful and eclectic, with lots of vintage, pattern, and art on the walls!

At first, designer Linda Cava only meant to replace her 10-year-old bedframe. But then she swapped out a bedside table to fit the new bed's style, next decided to trade the old sofa for a larger sectional... and then a mix of paint updates, vintage furniture elements, and more made her small home feel completely refreshed.

Sophie made it her mission to make her flat stand out from other London flats. "Flats in London are often just that: flat… a big box with little boxes inside. But not my flat, and that’s why I love it," she writes.

Fiona's Downtown Toronto apartment isn't afraid to break every rule. With a shower featured prominently in the kitchen and cool vintage furniture and accessories everywhere, this home highlights its unique quirks.

Sebastian is the founder of home goods online store, Sixta, which is named after his grandmother and great-grandmother. He has decorated his home with objects from his store that tell the story of his heritage.

Grace's apartment has high ceilings and endless character, and parts of her identify are reflected and celebrated in every corner of her home. "I like softer colors and sometimes muted ones. Most of my apartment has been furnished by Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace."

The walls of Marty's Lower East Side Apartment are covered in photos and notes from friends throughout the years.

By shopping secondhand and grabbing items off the street, Bronwyn Tarboton, a musical theater performer who runs the brilliant Instagram and TikTok accounts, @nyctrashtotreasures, was able to make her dream home an affordable reality.

Erin and Ben's flat sat vacant for two years and was run down and leaking in areas before they bought it. “However, when we saw it, both my husband and I knew it was what we had been looking for. It was a place where we could design from scratch what we wanted our home to be like..."

The best decorating advice artist Ben Cuevas ever received came from Amy Sedaris. "...[S]he says that she viewed her rental deposit as her design fee — which I think is just brilliant. If you’re renting, but plan to stay put for a while and want to really make your space your own, consider your deposit the fee you pay for being able to live in a space you truly love and can call your own."

When Katelyn Sailor and her husband, Kyle, decided to try living in New York City a year ago, they arrived with only their clothes, a bed, kitchen items, and some basic decor. 

In the past five years since AT toured Puno and Daniel's home, the loft has maintained many of its enviable qualities like gorgeous light and super cool vibes. But there have been lots of updates, too.

Michal Kolaczkowski and Trevor Kuhn have been renting this 300-square-foot studio apartment on New York City's Upper West Side for about seven months.

Ainsley's small rental apartment's size and atypical angles offered quite the design challenge: to fit in useful, cohesive items without feeling too cramped or cluttered. But she tackled the challenge beautifully and cleverly.

Amanda's apartment in the Arts District of Los Angeles sits above an old factory. Her Japanese-inspired home is filled with a neutral palette that gives the space a clean and homey feel to allow conversations between friends to flow.

Brianna Holt, a freelance journalist, took this plain condo and transformed it with a Parisian Modern-inspired aesthetic, fully remodeling the kitchen, renovating the bathroom, installing built-in shelves, and adding new doors and crown molding throughout.

Emma and David were dating long distance for two years before moving in together. As soon as they saw this apartment on Craigslist, they knew it was the one. They blended their aesthetics by adding new art and toning down colors.

Kelly and Nick's apartment in Pigalle, Paris reflects their love for vintage clothing, flea market hunting, and music.

Fairy tales, period dramas, and fantasy novels have all lent imagination to this space. "I feel inspired among rich jewel tones like emerald green and plum, and have put up a fairy light canopy in every place I’ve lived — I like to make my inner child happy!" exclaims Lauren Park, who shares this home with partner, Kevin, and their two cats.

Jahzeel and Joseph, who are both vintage furniture hunters and sellers, live with their two cats in a San Diego condo they renovated, replacing old appliances and bulky kitchen cabinets, adding fresh paint, and incorporating STUNNING vintage art and furniture pieces throughout. They also turned a closet into a top notch cat bathroom!

The first time Maggie and Jesse saw this apartment, they knew it was theirs. Noise levels made them back out of the first lease, but months later the home was available and the noise had been resolved — the rest is history.

Allegra Rose Berger is a creative freelancer, influencer, and artist, and it has always been important to her to have a space that inspires her.

As a fashion accessory designer, Courtney is used to taking on creative projects and making art. With her studio apartment in Manhattan, she uses thrifted furniture and brings it back to life with a fresh coat of paint to add a finishing touch to her home.

When Victoria was subletting in New York for the summer, her cab home drove past a brownstone in Harlem with a "For Rent" sign in the window. She had her driver let her out early in front of the building that would become her new home.

Artist Michael Pybus turned a new construction white box into a wildly colorful home filled with vintage IKEA pieces, tropical fish, and an art studio.

Jamie and Mike moved to Chicago for grad school and never left. Now their home has given them a place to make the most of their small space while adding in items that bring them happiness.

After living in New York City for 10 years, Maria has found a place where she feels at home with great neighbors. Through the help of second-hands furniture and paint, she has created a gorgeous studio apartment.

During the pandemic, Brian left his apartment with a rotating cast of roommates and gave himself time to find his perfect home. When this loft in the West Village went up, he knew he had to have it. He has since converted the small space into a plant filled oasis.

Pratika and Mareya are roommates with an eye for design. They've made their small NYC apartment feel bigger with the use of natural light. They focus on surrounding themselves with things they love to complete the space.

Tessa and Roman have struck the perfect fusion between Mediterranean vibes downstairs and mountain style upstairs in their Barcelona apartment they renovated.

When Amino and Antonio moved into their Spanish home, they had to combine her "more is more" mentality with his "less is more" way of life. They've made the space their own embracing the five built in arches of their house.

Lauren brought her love for the '60s and '70s into her Brooklyn apartment through color, using orange as the main hue. The small studio features an orange mirror and couch and lots of cute retro decor elements to complete the look.

Katie has turned her Harlem apartment into a home by adding in her Alaskan roots and finding beauty in small spaces.

When it comes to the Brooklyn apartment of experiential designer Briana Guin, it’s clear that specific shades were chosen for her home from the beginning, down to the smallest details.

Crystal Wyatt owned a house in Philadelphia for more than 18 years before needing a change, going tiny in this 190-square-foot rental studio apartment in Philadelphia's University City neighborhood.

When designer Elena Petresku began creating a vision for Oksana's apartment, they were working together remotely and she didn't know if her vision -- or the power of gray -- would translate. Now they've created a modern space that balances the colors of the city.

Jussara Mallmann had always dreamed of decorating a home in a French style, so when her daughter moved abroad, she decided to renovate the home to create a space that was 100% true to her style.

Architect Emanuel de Sousa actually found this apartment by chance. When his sister spotted the place, de Sousa says it was rundown and abandoned, but he was leaving his rental of four years at the time, "so it was almost serendipity..." he says.

Diego Martinez's 600-square-foot space serves as his art studio, chill space, and office all at once. He knew that despite its small size, he would be able to make a home of it thanks to the view and all the natural light it gets.

Natalie Doef describes her style as bohemian, whimsical, modern, and fresh. "I tend to gravitate towards earthy features; I love incorporating natural materials like rattan, bamboo, clay, ceramic, and stone."

When fashion stylist and influencer China Calé and her family of five were on the hunt for a bigger apartment, they came upon this huge apartment that had lots of potential but needed work.

Mish, who founded design studio Tangerine Living, says this rental apartment was initially a very awkward studio with a tiny, unused upstairs storage room. But along with partner, Ryan, they redid floors, ceilings, doors, kitchen, bathroom, and decor... and all on a DIY budget!

Art director Valentina, her partner Rafael, and their cats Taco and Coco live and work in this sunny San Juan apartment filled with colorful murals and local art.

Fabien Eleb is a mid-century furniture dealer who runs the store, à demain, and shares this Paris rental apartment with his family.

Claire Arnaud and Julien Pasteau live in a high-rise building in Paris’ 20th arrondissement in a meticulously designed and decorated apartment.

Arnold d’Alger, the creator of bazar d’alger, and Bruno della Mattia, a web developer, have been renting this Paris apartment for three years.

Alice Gras and Anaïs Seguin share this charming rental apartment in Paris' 17th Arrondissement with their cat, Billie. They are the founders of the creative studio Girlzpop and of the media company, MOYO.

Marion's super small apartment in Paris' 11th arrondissement had lots of potential when she purchased it, and she's been DIYing a smart, functional, and fabulous home full of personality and character since moving in!

With so many different generations and personalities having to share the same home, the family hired designers Kasturi Wagh and Vineet Hingorani of kaviar:collaborative to help them design this apartment to work for everyone.

Originally from Kenya, Ash Appleton splits her time between London and this two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in Nairobi’s vibrant Westlands’ neighborhood, which she has been renovating to reflect her “modern, bold, bright, blended, and whimsical” sense of style since purchasing in 2016.

Visual artist and designer⁠ Meagan Jain and her partner, Nikolas, fell in love with the skylights and the south-facing windows of this Brooklyn rental apartment. They also loved the amount of space; there is enough room for her art studio and more.