Brooklyn

When this creative couple first walked into their Brooklyn Heights apartment, the original crown moldings were gone, the ceilings had been lowered, and every surface was gray and white — but they’ve spent years bringing the character back to the brownstone.

This apartment wasn’t "love at first sight" for Jordan and Luke, but it had potential. After a thoughtful reno, it feels like being in the desert while still in NYC.

The outdoor space is what NYC dreams are made of.

This 320-square-foot apartment in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood is filled with the most brilliant organizing and style ideas of all time.

This raw industrial studio is now a warm, smart home, thanks to a stylish vintage furniture curator turning it into a light-filled, multifunctional home with storage hidden in plain sight. Every piece in this Bushwick studio pulls double duty — proving small spaces can live much larger than they are.

"The apartment feels cozy without being cluttered, and grounded in the things we genuinely use and love. It may be under 450 square feet, but the way it lives feels far bigger than the floor plan."

Annika Morgan couldn’t paint the walls of her 875-square-foot Bed-Stuy apartment, so she DIYed color into every corner of this sunny rental home. And Tony the cat really benefits, too.

When Emily got the keys, the paint was “uneven and patchy, it needed a good cleaning, and there was pee all over the walls from the previous tenant's elderly orange cat.”

Designer Melody Kim's rental studio apartment in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood is only 350 square feet, but she's made an absolutely stunning and stylish home — and filled it with a ton of holiday cheer despite the small size!

“I love layering art and plants together because it brings so much life and warmth into the space,” writes Rahab Hammad of this one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment from the early 1900s.

“It’s my creative lab in the morning, a workspace in the afternoon, and a chill spot to unwind with friends at night,” writes designer and founder Tyler Correawhite of her sleek and small Brooklyn studio apartment.

Lindsey Swedick’s vision for this 1920s rental apartment in Brooklyn was organic modern, Parisian, Art Nouveau, and mid-century modern, and she accomplished it with lots of DIYs.

Rosaline Elbay has added paint to nearly every inch of her Boerum Hill apartment; she describes the home’s style as “lapsed archaeologist.”

When Laci Mosier first started renting this one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment, she slept on an air mattress for six weeks while she waited for her things to arrive from Texas. Four years later, and she’s filled the rental with art, color, books, plants, and sunshine.

In just 500 square feet, painter Josh Ayala created a warm, stylish space that’s part art studio, home, and place to show off personality.

Designer Hollis Loudon’s New York City home is just as patterned, energetic, gorgeous, and bold as you’d imagine!

Painter Holly Salerno lives in a 94-year-old former factory turned into a dreamy loft. Despite it being an open space, she's been able to create a cozy home using romantic vintage furniture and curtains to divide the space.

Jennelle Mendes' 450-square-foot Brooklyn rental apartment came with absolutely zero closets — so she had to get creative with storage solutions in her small space. And she created an incredibly cozy bed cocoon, too!

Design rules went out the window in this gorgeous home.

Before moving in, says children’s book illustrator and art director Steph Stilwell, this 800-square-foot, 100-year-old apartment in Prospect Lefferts Gardens was a “typical empty New York apartment,” with “[w]hite walls, lots of hardwood flooring, and some interesting design choices made by the owners.”A mere two months later, after putting her stamp on the space, Steph describes the apartment now as very colorful.

This Brooklyn rental apartment is a maximalist dream filled with color, cats, and a lot of coziness.

There are so many unique, renter-friendly DIYs in this apartment.

A pink marble mantel, a gorgeous vintage vanity, and envy-inducing closet space make this fashion and lifestyle creator's small Brooklyn apartment shine.

And the custom Flavor Paper wallpaper is also extremely cool and personal.

Allie isn't afraid to use color, mix patterns, or embrace maximalism. "My space doesn't feel like an apartment I'm renting, but rather a home that I've created that is welcome to all."

“My favorite thing about our home is the way it feels like a true respite from the hustle and bustle of the city,” Hattie says.

It’s so dreamy.

Each time, sound musician Jackie Cantwell has transformed small rental apartments with color, cool vibes, and style.

This rental came with dust, grime, and even cigarette butts in the kitchen sink, but Elizabeth “looked past all of that for the great layout and price!”

Caitlin Maestrini is the curator of Teak New York, a Scandinavian design store in Brooklyn, and has styled her rental apartment according to “Scandinavian design principles and aesthetics."

Railroad apartments definitely come with some floor-plan challenges.

Christine and Nik have spent the last two years making renter-friendly adjustments to their small Bed-Stuy loft to create an incredibly dreamy, DIY home.

Full-time food and lifestyle content creator Gwyneth Yuma’s 695-square-foot Brooklyn rental apartment is warm, cozy, and eclectic, and has a little tropical flair.

The renovation is stunning!

“Deep blue for the endless night or sea, terracotta white and brown for the sandy desert, cactus green for a muted botanical touch,” Ze writes about the color influences in her Brooklyn condo.

It was also a pepper factory!

Tracie Moore is on a "mission to transform this space into a home that feels just as warm and inviting as the one we had back in Georgia."

Jillian Elliott is an artist and florist. She transformed her 650-square-foot Brooklyn rental apartment with cozy vintage finds, storied objects, and lots and lots of pretty floral patterns.

“My space is slightly cluttered, but also intentional. Everything has a place. Nothing matches perfectly, but goes together. It’s my little urban cottage,” writes Claudia.

“Making a small space work efficiently, and not being afraid of color, is definitely a result of my having embraced New York culture, which allows for any type of style experimentation,” writes Kim Narby.

"The apartment was rented as-is, meaning it needed a really good scrub, a lick of paint, and an updated kitchen and bathroom," explains artist and native New Yorker Kellie Rogers.

Before Danielle moved in, she described this Brooklyn loft as "drab, industrial, and soul-less." But now it's "bohemian, colorful (but not aggressive), layered, artsy, and autobiographic."

Abby didn’t realize quite how bad this Brooklyn apartment was when she first moved in: “ There were broken tiles, missing pipes, and it was filthy.” But after a huge transformation, Abby’s rental is now cheerful, colorful, and fun.

It’s no wonder the renter signed the lease immediately after touring.

See inside a Brooklyn apartment that’s industrial, but joyful and relatable — and where every piece of furniture was deliberately and carefully designed to meet a specific function.

Kalin Stovall “could talk about curtains all day,” and each room of the three-bedroom apartment she shares with her family “has a different combination of curtain length, fabric, and header.”

“I am often torn between maximalism and minimalism, and my apartment definitely straddles the two,” writes Lake Buckley, who describes her home’s style as “California New Wave or Brooklyn Beach House.”

Rachel Schwartzmann, the author of “Slowing,” lets her Brooklyn Brownstone’s historic details — like moldings, wood floors, and fireplace — shine thanks to her minimal decor style.

After decluttering and downsizing, Matthew Jeffers embraced this small studio’s natural flow to create a personal retreat — what he calls “functional tranquility.”

These first-time homeowners worked with pros to renovate a worn-down Brooklyn house originally built in 1910

Teju’s rental came with typical NYC apartment challenges like old infrastructure, window issues, uneven floors, and weird walls.

See inside Gina Fuchs’ small Brooklyn studio apartment that’s full of color, tchotchkes, small-space design ideas, and perhaps most importantly, a ton of fun!

The moment Chyelle Milgrom walked into the apartment her eyes watered because of the smell of “rotting cat piss, frat-house boys, trash, and food so moldy it burned your eyes.” She signed that day.

"As we've grown up together and built a life, the apartment feels much more like a reflection of our tastes and loves and how we want to spend our time: reading, writing, watching, lounging, cooking, snacking, and hanging out in Prospect Park," Virginia McLure writes.

It’s the perfect place for entertaining.

Camoy Briscoe says it was important to "support small business owners" in their 900-square-foot, one-and-a-half bedroom rental apartment.

“We decided to lean into the industrial/brutalist style and outfit the space with lots of stainless steel, mirror, chrome metal materials, but also contrast it with softness using plants and vibrant, abstract-shaped wool rugs.”

Fernanda Clark landed THE vintage orange couch used in Jeremy Allen White’s viral Calvin Klein ad.

Ariel Sun and her husband describe their 600-square-foot rental apartment as “colorful, energetic, curated, eclectic.”