Artful Bohemian

A lot fits into this 550 square foot Philly rental: a drool-worthy fireplace, brick walls, hip furniture and tons of plants.

Name: Megan Martinez and Caleb Light-Wills Location: Santa Monica, California Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting When Megan moved to Los Angeles seven years ago from New York, she didn’t feel like she was really home until she found what she now calls her, “Boho Beach Bungalow” two years ago. As a blogger and designer, Megan’s home became the perfect canvas to create the beachy vibe she longed for while living on the Westside of LA.

Name: Tracey Tilley Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan Size: 1,050 square feet Years lived in: 12 years, owned When Tracey is not working as a marketing project manager, she is obsessing over her house’s interior. She prefers furnishings that are old and built to last. She believes in supporting local artists. She really enjoys a good flea-market find. And she has been known to DIY a few things. Not surprisingly, her home in Michigan is a sophisticated mix.

Name: Alanna Okun Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant — Brooklyn, New York Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, renting Alanna’s cheery apartment in Brooklyn is the first space she can truly call her own. She grew up surrounded by siblings, next lived in college dorms, and then moved in with roommates. As a writer, she needed a quiet place for herself. As a crafter, she needed a creative space to inspire her.

Name: Jimmy Brower, Damien Merino, and their dog Joey Location: Gaskill — Oakland, California Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Jimmy and Damien instantly fell in love with their Oakland apartment. The bond was so strong that they signed the lease before they even looked inside. Risky — yes — but they don’t regret a thing about the decision, as they find themselves drawn to the natural energy of the space more and more each day.

Name: Flora Tsapovsky and Tom Kolinski, plus Theo the cat Location: Berkeley — California Size: 720 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, rented “Every morning I stand here with my cup of coffee and soak in the views, even if it’s for a minute,” describes Flora of the view from her home’s large glass corner wall that looks over Berkeley and the sparkling San Francisco Bay.

Name: Jean Mortlock Location: Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa Size: 947 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned When Jean bought this apartment three years ago, not much needed to be done at all. Unfortunately, just one year later the apartment flooded — not once but twice — and all within two months! All the floors, cabinets and carpets had to be ripped out and replaced.

Name: Grace Location: Washington, DC Size: 495 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned After a marvelous tour with Irwin, fate brought us Grace in the comments thread; she’s a resident of the same, beautiful Art Deco-style apartment building with precisely the same floor plan. Whereas Irwin’s studio was brimming with rich earthy colors, I was delighted to see Grace’s interpretation of the space—in top to bottom pink.

Ceramicist Kenesha Sneed of Tactile Matter shares this cabin-like home with furniture maker Ben Tetro. It's minimalist meets comfort with bold pops of color.

Name: Jillian Gould Allstadt and John Allstadt, kids Mia and Bodhi, and dogs Bella and Milo Location: Mission Canyon — Santa Barbara, California Size: 1,650 square feet on a 10,000 square foot lot Years lived in: 8 months (bought gutted and designed from NYC); owned Jill and her husband John are New Yorkers who left Brooklyn behind for a West Coast dream.

Name: Alex Riley and Laure-Anne Carré Location: Plateau — Montreal, Canada Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting Alex and Laure-Anne are designers living and working in Montreal’s trendy and historic Plateau neighborhood. Originally from France, the pair made a move to Montreal last April to pursue new creative opportunities; they arrived in the city with nothing but suitcases of clothing.

Name: Vera Claire and Sam Cheadle Location: Bayview — San Francisco, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned For Vera and Sam, the past three years have been filled with the never-ending process of renovating and personalizing their home. The fact that Sam — the acting handyman and contractor — has no experience with renovating is even more impressive.

Name: Claire Plummer Location: Brunswick — Melbourne, Australia Size: 2,034 square feet Years lived in: 15 years, owned It might be surprising to learn that Claire Plummer — a telecommunications analyst by day, mosaic artist by night — is a self-confessed minimalist when it comes to decorating her home. But it’s precisely this conscious decision to keep it simple with furnishings that’s allowed the amazing, one-of-kind mosaic art she creates to shine.

Name: Mireia Location: Gracia — Barcelona, Spain Size: 969 square feet Years lived in: 12 years, owned As a pattern designer, Mireia has an eye for mixing different textures and styles, and the beautiful Barcelona apartment she’s owned for over a decade has proven to be the perfect canvas for her to show off her styling skills.

Name: Lake Sharp, husband Alex, and two-year-old Nevada Location: Highland Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,406 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Lake Sharp is a skilled maker whose hand-thrown pottery, micro-batch textile goods, and exterior and interior design services comprise her business Array. In addition to being a kick-ass artist, she recently co-founded the “friendly, radically inclusive neighborhood gym and wellness center” EVERYBODY.

Name: Anne Yvonne Stoltze and her Ragdoll cats Teddy (who sadly passed away this summer) and Nigel Location: Treme — New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting Anne’s romance with New Orleans began three years ago during a visit for Jazz Fest, a familiar story here in the Crescent City. The unique architecture, lush landscape, and celebratory way-of-life felt just right for this Iowa-born bon vivant.

Name: Allie Epstein Location: East Williamsburg/Bushwick — Brooklyn, NYC Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 4 and a half years, renting Allie recently acquired a modern mobile, which hangs above the dining area in her studio apartment. In a residual state of post-mobile-procurement bliss, she realized the space she has called home for four years was finally complete.

Name: Deepali and Naveen Kalia, Annika, 8 and Akhil, 2 Location: Hillsboro, Oregon Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 12 years, owned Deepali and Naveen began their life together in a traditionally Indian way — through an arranged marriage. She had just finished studying fashion design in India at NIFT, and moved to Oregon to join Naveen who works at Intel.

Name: Siobhán Gallagher & John F. Malta Location: Ridgewood, New York Size: 520 square foot Years Lived In: Siobhan: 3 years, John: 1 year, renting Imagine: world’s cutest couple of professional illustrators living together in a gallery-like home filled with their friends’ magnificent art! Siobhán Gallagher, senior designer at Abrams Books and author of IN A DAZE WORK, and John F.

Name: Sara Blake Location: Greenwich Village — New York City, New York Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned Sara’s Greenwich Village apartment exudes cool — prints by her friends and artists she admires fill her space. The illustrator, designer, and creative director moved in about five years ago, and her renovations (plus investing in custom furnishings) have created a beautiful, functioning home in only one room.

Name: Denise and Andy Palma (+ kids Layla, Hailey, Lily and Mia) Location: Huntington Beach, California Size: 1,289 square feet Years Lived In: 3.5 years, owned Entrepreneur and design guru Denise Palma’s happy Huntington Beach home is everything sunny California dreams are made of. Denise, who shares her home with her husband Andy and four girls Layla, Hailey, Lily, and Mia, first launched her beloved boho home goods site Eclectic Goods last summer to the internet’s delight.

Name: Alex Steele and Peter Wallner Location: Piedmont Avenue — Oakland, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, rented For being in such a busy Oakland neighborhood, Alex and Peter’s apartment feels really calm, serene, and secluded. “We fell in love with its private tree house charm, and how seemingly hidden it was for being so centrally located on a main drag in Oakland,” Alex says.

Name: Tanya List, hubby Ry and daughter Reid Location: Muskoka — Ontario, Canada Size: 1500 square feet Years Lived In: 4 years, owned You saw a sneak peek of Tanya’s beautiful home in a house call last year, and now you can get a longer look and read more about her home. Tanya writes: We moved from Toronto to Muskoka about four years ago. The city was lovely, but once we had Reid, I craved moving home to my hometown of Muskoka.

Name: Sadie and Dana Solomon, and their cat Emma and rabbit Buns Location: Santa Barbara, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, renting Though Sadie and Dana have been living in their 1940s Santa Barbara home for seven years, the couple never stops letting the home evolve and grow in style and design.

Name: Eloisa Ribeiro and Anderson Ribeiro Location: Venice, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Eloisa Ribeiro is a mom, dog lover, model, actress and the owner of The Wolf Nest, a business that sells one-of-a-kind designed “pillows for pups + cushions for home.” Born in Brazil and raised in Florida and Texas, it was in New York that she met her husband Anderson six years ago. Three years ago, she moved to Venice, California for a lifestyle change.

Name: McKenzie Elizabeth Ditter and Matt Muirhead Location: Just outside Baltimore, Maryland Size: 1150 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting It’s clear what the focus is in this Maryland rental home: creativity. Here, two spaces downstairs that might typically be used as a living room and dining room have instead been transformed into two art studios. McKenzie is a painter and wedding photographer, and Matt is a painter and builds his own musical instruments.

Name: Rachel Hornaday Location: East Williamsburg — Brooklyn, NY Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, renting The colorful jungle space that is Rachel Hornaday‘s third-floor Brooklyn apartment is actually a museum filled up with all of her beloved collaborations, collections and curiosities. The photo stylist by day/artist all the time has decorated her three-bedroom home in a comfortable way that tells the story of a creative always willing to be inspired.

Name: Alina Fassakhova, Artem Churikov and cat Usha Location: Upper West Side — New York City Size: About 400 square feet Years Lived In: 14 months, renting Working and living in a small space is already a challenge. Add to that a messy (artistic) profession requiring oil paints and large canvases, and it becomes truly challenging to balance work and personal life in one space.

Name: Jeanne Marie and family Location: Holualoa on Hawai’i’s Big Island Size: 5,000 square feet across five structures on a one-acre lot Years Lived In: 30 years, owned Visiting Jeanne Marie’s Bali-style tropical compound in the jungle of Hawaii is an experience. There isn’t really anything like it. The space is private and magical with multiple structures, each inviting and bold.

Name: Kajon Cermak and Bob Muellner Location: Marina Del Rey, California Size: 40′ LOA, 13.5′ Beam Years lived in: 3 years, owned Kajon and Bob raised their family in Thousand Oaks, but as their kids got older and their schedules got busier, having to commute to west L.A. for work felt like more and more of a hassle. The couple’s creative solution was a fun one: They decided to simply go all in and live on a 40-foot house boat during the week! If you live in L.A.

Name: Shannon Buckley; husband, Nick Huertas; and 3 cats Location: Andersonville — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, rented Looking at their apartment, it’s hard to believe Shannon and Nick only moved to Chicago one year ago. Leaving Boston, the East Coast, and a number of dark, dreary apartments behind, they were determined to find a home with outdoor space and lots of natural light.

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Jennifer Jorgensen and two pups Location: Kingfield — Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: I purchased it in 2012, so 7-ish years… I had no idea until I just looked up when I bought it—that’s a long time! Jennifer is one half of the Minneapolis-based, custom hand-painted and printed wallpaper and furnishings company, She She. (Kate Worum is the other half of She She, and we toured her home, too!

Name: Kate Worum Location: East Isles — Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Not all Minneapolis brownstones are created equal. The moment you step into Kate‘s spacious apartment, you forget where you are. Kate, one half of the Minneapolis-based custom hand-painted and printed wallpaper and furnishings company She She, lucked out when she nabbed this spacious, bright, and beautiful upper floor apartment.

Name: Liz and Tim Kamarul, with pups Bo and Cudi Location: New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 176 square feet Years Lived In: 5 months, owned I find it incredibly inspiring when people shirk off their worldly possessions, say no to the 9 to 5, and trade a rent check for a home on wheels.

Name: Sheena Armstrong, husband Jason and Riley the dog Location: Currently in Southport, North Carolina Size: 180 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned The dynamic duo behind Mavis the Airstream sold this first home—a 1975 Airstream Overlander—last spring, and are currently renovating a 1977 Airstream Sovereign they are calling “Mavis 2.0.” (The original Mavis went to a good home, don’t worry.) Mavis 1.

Name: Steph and Matt Location: We’re constantly on the move: currently in Portugal then heading to Morocco! Size: 140 square feet Years Lived In: 3 years, owned Stephanie and Matt live a pretty slow and steady life…but one that’s also full of adventure, travels and creativity! They’re the duo behind Slow ‘n Steady Living, and they’ve shared this beautiful boho van home for the past three years.

Kevin and Mandy bought this 16-year-old Keystone Cougar fifth wheel for $5k and renovated it as cheaply as they could.

Name: Monique Vatine Location: Williamsburg — Brooklyn NY Years Lived in: 1.5 years, renting Freelance fashion stylist Monique Vatine likes visual and tactile moments in fashion and decor. Her one-bedroom Williamsburg rental apartment has a distinct boho chic aesthetic, punctuated by a great use of prints, patterns, and color. And lots of plants.

Name: Adrienne Breaux, Keith Fields, Stanley the shih tzu, Otis the giant yellow lab Location: Carrollton — New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting I’ve been madly in love with this apartment since the moment I walked in. After a long day of looking at horrifying rental apartment listings, I stepped into this small space flooded with light, took one look at the fireplace and the giant cove molding, and I signed an application on the spot.

Name: Jina Javier, her husband Jeff, Lucy, and Leo Location: La Mesa, California Size: 1,285 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned When Jina and Jeff were preparing to move into their La Mesa home in San Diego two years ago, Jina was reading Marie Kondo’s megahit “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” Jina and Jeff were downsizing, moving from a large (but characterless) 2,800 square foot house, into an older home with lots of charm but far less square footage.

Name: Casey Mason and Cole Mason, our new daughter Sunny, and our rescue pups Bodhi and Shea Location: Ventura, California Size: 1,466 square feet Years Lived In: 2 1/2 years, owned This is the first house that my husband and I purchased together, so for that reason alone, it is very special to us. When we were looking for our first home, we knew that we wanted a fixer upper. The uglier the better in our minds. As long as the bones are good, we knew that anything cosmetic could be fixed.

Name: Jonathan, husband Ryan, Sadie (a 5-year-old Devon Rex), and Robbie (a 3-year-old American Cocker Spaniel) Location: Adams Morgan — Washington, D.C. Size: 925 square feet Years lived In: 3 years, renting I’ve lived in this apartment for three years along with my husband Ryan, and our two sweet pets, Robbie the American Cocker Spaniel, and Sadie our Devon Rex—both rescues, both crazy.

Name: Stiles and Lauren Christner Location: Englewood, Colorado Size: 624 Square Feet Years Lived In: 2 Texas born and bred, Lauren and Stiles embody the small town warmth and southern spunk so often found in the Lone Star state. Lucky for us, the same can be said about their beautiful starter home in Denver, Colorado. Stepping through the threshold of this home, one might initially find it hard to determine the age of its residents.

Name: Caroline and Jayden Lee Location: Atwater Village — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2.5 years Caroline and Jayden are the hard-working dynamic duo behind Woodnote Photography and Coco Carpets, two companies that combine a love for travel with an eye for all things beautiful.

Name: Judith Bigham and her daughter Idabelle, 18 Location: Madrona — Seattle, Washington Size: 1,650 square feet Years lived in: Rented, 2 years Judith Bigham‘s home in Seattle is layered with furniture, art, and treasures that she has spent decades lovingly collecting and creating. Judy is a painter, an interior designer, and a fun, fascinating person to talk with.

Name: Terra Zosel Location: Kenwood Neighborhood, Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: Rented 6 months The story of Terra’s apartment is multi-fold. Her home occupies the attic of her grandparents’ house where she lives as caretaker to her grandmother. Her grandparents purchased the home in the 1960s from a couple who relocated from Minneapolis to the significantly warmer state of Florida.

Name: Sarah, Will, baby Romilly and Ramsey the bulldog Location: Haddonfield, New Jersey Size: 3,795 square feet Years Lived In: 3 years, owned Sarah and Will live in a beautiful 19th Century Haddonfield Manor House, designed and built by notable architect, Clement Remington. Remington was also involved in the construction of Philadelphia’s City Hall, the Curtis Building, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Name: Carina Casanovas Location: Gracias — Barcelona, Spain Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 25 years, owned Carina has been buying, restoring and selling antiques for 28 years. Antiques are such a part of her life, that her house reflects this passion as well. The home she’s owned for 25 years does have some antique store vibes, but it’s still cozy and home-like. And there are tons of things to look at, from skulls to religious art.

Name: Swathi Narra and Jay Miller Location: Marigny — New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 2,200 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Swathi is a worldly woman of fashion while Jay is a man of science. Combine these seemingly disparate influences inside a sun-drenched New Orleans “dream rental,” and you get a perfectly balanced environment that’s sophisticated, personal, and inviting.

Name: Majo, Arturo, and their daughter Sofia Location: Bartolomé Bavio — Buenos Aires, Argentina Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 8 years, owned Imagine having your nearest neighbor at a far enough distance that it’s unnecessary to set a password on your Wi-Fi. Welcome to Bartolomé Bavio, a rural town of 2,000 people located a couple of hours south of Buenos Aires and home to a lovely family made up of Majo, her husband, their daughter, and three rescued dogs.

Name: Lilly Giraldo Location: Seabright — Santa Cruz, California Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting I currently live in a two-bedroom apartment in the Seabright neighborhood of Santa Cruz. I moved to Santa Cruz fresh out of college and I remember thinking, “When I grow up I want to live in Seabright,” and 20 years later (and after kind of growing up), I found this lovely apartment.

Name: Celeste and Felix Location: Monte Grande — Buenos Aires, Argentina Size: 410 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Celeste and her boyfriend Felix’s story actually starts in chilly Canada, where he was living when they met. She tried moving there, but the cold weather and the distance from her friends and family made things hard for Celeste, so the couple decided to move to Buenos Aires to see how that worked for them.

Name: Nancy, Ken, and their little canine, Monty Location: Berkeley, California Size: 670 square feet Years lived in: 22 years; Owned Nancy says her home is a haven—it’s colorful, cozy, bright, and full of memories. Though the bright green walls help, it’s her collection of meaningful pieces that truly makes her Berkeley condo a home.

The building has a modern, minimal style with concrete floors, white walls, sleek cabinetry, and sliding glass bedroom doors.

This basement apartment in the city feels more like a handcrafted cottage, neatly nestled in a hidden forest somewhere in the mountains.

Name: Ashley Pennington Location: Roosevelt Historic Neighborhood — Phoenix, Arizona Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting I moved into this rental to reignite my passion for interior design. This duplex is in the Historic Roosevelt District of Downtown Phoenix. I was so excited to come in and show myself what I was capable of designing. The home was built in the 1920s, has original floors, windows, cabinets and bathroom fixtures.