California

Fresh florals, warm colors, vintage wood furniture, and thoughtful DIY upgrades transformed this once-blank 1950s rental into a cozy, collected home with cottage charm.

After a tough breakup, Andres Sandoval filled his San Francisco rental with sculptural lighting, unexpected art, and thoughtfully sourced finds that make his 615-square-foot apartment feel entirely his own.

Creative couple Eileen O'Dea and Ryan Silverman's postwar cottage in Los Angeles' Mar Vista neighborhood may just be one of the most personalized, custom, one-of-a-kind homes I've ever seen.

This Los Angeles renter maximized every inch of her small studio apartment, carving out a dedicated bedroom nook and a separate home office and filling it with colorful vintage finds.

A renter transformed this formerly "all white" space into a colorful, deeply personal micro-apartment, using its soaring ceilings, vertical storage, and a gallery wall filled with meaningful finds to make every inch count.

With original built-ins, dramatic paint colors, and vintage treasures, stylist Erik Kenneth Staalberg's 1400-square-foot California rental apartment proves a historic home can feel both collected and completely personal.

In just three years, artist and designer Jude Morgan has layered bold color, original artwork, handmade furniture, and DIY architectural details into a deeply personal and vibrant Los Angeles rental apartment.

With scalloped details, skirted furniture, white sofas, and plenty of marble, an interior designer transformed her home’s rustic ’70s bones into a warm, soft, and deeply personal retreat.

Sarah's love for pink was passed down through her family.

By embracing washable slipcovers, natural materials, smart storage, and durable finishes, this Los Angeles family created a warm, welcoming home that feels beautifully minimalist without sacrificing real life.

Interior designer Dylan Bradley sought a home for himself that was unlike anything he grew up around. Hailing from Alaska, where he admits historic homes were rare, he wanted to find a Sacramento rental with charming, storied architectural details.  Two years ago, Dylan was living on the basement level of a multi-unit Victorian home built in 1905. However, friends who lived on the top floor told him about an empty unit.

It can be hard to shake that temporary feeling of a rental home. But when Vartan Antonian and his husband left New York City and Los Angeles a year and a half ago, landing in this 900-square-foot, century-old West Hollywood rental apartment, they wanted to put extra effort into their new home. And they would be starting practically from scratch. Vartan, a self-taught interior decorator, and his husband, admit that they barely brought any furniture with them on the cross-country move.

When Heather Pardieu first saw this small Hollywood studio apartment 14 years ago, it was under construction and covered in debris. But she was able to see the small space's potential.

After falling in love with this California mountain cabin during a pandemic getaway, this L.A. creative director made it a no-TV, analog retreat filled with vintage finds, some original 1959 details, and plenty of charm.

Filled with plants, books, thrifted finds, and meaningful art, Randi Burley's warm 1930s Los Angeles rental proves the best homes evolve slowly over time.

Los Angeles-based writer, comedian, and actor Christina Anthony turned a “small and simple” studio apartment into a “cozy, colorful, vintage, and dreamy home.”

Apartment Therapy's Small/Cool contest grand prize winner has an Oakland apartment featuring smart small-space ideas. And one of the most organized pantries we've ever seen!

See inside the stunning home of Katie and Cody, the duo behind popular IG account Highboy LA. They share oodles of interior inspiration with their vintage-filled 750-square-foot rental apartment.

Denise Bayron's tiny home is like a secret oasis... a personal paradise that's both a home and a creative workspace.

When Bridgette and her boyfriend, Blue, moved into their loft apartment, they committed to making the space their own while not breaking the bank. They used Facebook Marketplace to find staple pieces that they DIYed to fit their style.

From a vibrant yellow bathroom to a kitchen featuring a hand-painted fridge, Grace Hurley uses her architectural background to prove that bold color and thrifted finds are the ultimate cure for a stale and boring studio apartment.

From a DIY chic bathroom sink solution to a poured-on-site terrazzo kitchen counter, Gabriel Yuri totally transformed his 1,000-square-foot bungalow in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood.

This illustrator's studio apartment is full of bold paint colors, handmade textiles, and a DIY pink velvet couch.

After a fire forced Taylor Jordan out of his San Francisco apartment of 11 years, he wanted to make his new 560-square-foot rental feel like home immediately. It took careful planning, some Etsy finds, and furniture he already owned, and he created a lived-in home in four days.

Ola’s biggest challenge in her 720-square-foot Los Angeles studio was making one big open space feel like it had distinct “rooms” — especially finding a place for a home office since she works from home.

Candace Reels is the founder of the digital community Female Collective, and lives in a 900-square-foot 1920s Los Feliz bungalow that’s styled with a warm color palette and vintage mid-century pieces found throughout the years.

Max and Becca ripped out old carpet, added cork flooring, poured concrete counters, and tackled plenty of other DIY projects in this 900-square-foot house in Casitas Springs to take it from “dated rental” to “artful oasis.”

It wasn’t love at first sight when these sisters found this rental home. But after filling it with seriously cool secondhand-sourced vintage finds, they love the place as if they own it!

With glimpses of both the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory, this Melrose Hill rental apartment was the ultimate canvas for interior designer Lauren Talio.

Lindsay O’Brien’s 450-square-foot Los Angeles bungalow has a built-in bookcase instead of a solid bedroom wall, creating a spacious, open home that feels much larger than it actually is.

Hadley Campagna likes to use warm earthy tones in her Los Angeles house to give the space a “homey feel.” She pairs those warm earthy tones with well-loved pieces to make one seriously cozy rental.

This renovated 1952 house in the San Fernando Valley was transformed for around $100K, and hides two bold color surprises: a red and a green bathroom.

This 675-square-foot Los Angeles apartment is warm and moody, and proves even renters can have designer-level lighting.

The vibe of the place is giving plantsy! Artsy! Booksy!

“Renter-friendly” doesn’t have to mean boring! This family of six’s apartment went from “cookie-cutter” to absolutely unforgettable — and on a budget, too!

In this 550-square-foot Nob Hill rental a cute window seat offers jaw-dropping city views, and the rest of the apartment is a plant-filled, maximalist wonderland.

Han Santana-Sayles is the Senior Director of Artist Collaboration for Meow Wolf, so, yes, her 600-square-foot rental bungalow in Pasadena is full of shapely art and furniture. (There’s even a tapir-shaped desk!)

A matcha bar, hidden projector, and the coolest closet/dining room: These two best friends have crafted a one-of-a-kind rental home in Los Angeles.

This 650-square-foot loft in Hancock Park demonstrates how “design can be both personal and practical without compromising aesthetics.”

When Sophie moved into her cabin, she found lots of hidden treasures from the previous owner that she has since given a new life. Through the power of DIY, Sophie has turned her cabin into a cozy haven for her and her dog Lucy.

Elijah Banks’ 800-square-foot studio apartment in Los Angeles might be a rental, but it's packed with personality, plants, and a giant green shag rug.

With just $5K and a creative vision, Keegan turned a cold, boxy studio in Echo Park into a warm, charming rental home.

Illustrator Danica Andler’s LA home has unmistakable Art Deco, Old Hollywood style, with original tiles, corbels, an ornate fireplace, and other one-of-a-kind details.

See inside a charming 1920s apartment with vintage bathroom tiles, a pedestal sink, a tiny stall shower, and crank windows.

See how renter Sarah Elsner created a nook for her bed with a standing shelf and a DIY dried flower bar hanging above her bed that she's been collecting for 20 years.

Discover how this renter used an IKEA find, a common building material, and hand tools to make a brilliant and stylish DIY room divider in a studio.

Kit and John love this apartment’s vaulted ceilings, French doors, and outdoor space (and more!) so much, they’ve rented it for 14 years.

This 100-year-old San Francisco apartment was completely transformed with bold wallpaper, vibrant color, and playful details.

"I wanted to give my own modern spin on a classic Victorian SF style," writes renter Juliana. "Each room is meant to have a rich color that stands out on its own, but speaks to the other rooms in the house."

Gina’s been renting this micro studio for 7 years, and has made tons of improvements to make it functional, including a very cool custom multi-purpose table she made with her dad.

Discover how this family of four turned a "plain white box" into a lived-in, warm, and cozy rental home.

To bring in personality and charm to this rental, Sonja used “a lot of color, paint, art, and features that can be removed if/when needed ... so basically nothing can be a permanent change.”

"I took a sort of fearless approach to color — some rooms are drenched, like my living room, and some rooms are totally color-clashing like my office," Charlotte writes of her home's style, which is best described as "coastal Connecticut meets Austin Powers meets Topanga Canyon."

In just 400 square feet, this renter carved out a sun-drenched, personality-packed home that’s equal parts cozy and stylish.

After the roller coaster of driving cross country to start their new life in LA., William and Kevan’s goal was to create a “collected, layered, laid back home through blending styles and design periods.”

TikToker Claire Randolph’s rental apartment has a fantastic 90-degree view of Los Angeles.

In studio apartments, you have to get creative when hosting!

Once a “dark, dusty heap,” every room in this house now bursts with thrifted and family-made furniture and hidden art tucked into the crevices of the pecky cedar walls.

"I am NOT a relaxed person and need to be stimulated or doing something with my hands at all times, so this house perfectly fits how my brain feels," admits fashion designer Haley Boyko.

As soon as Camille walked into this Pasadena rental apartment in a building built in 1929, it was love. “The stained glass bay window, large bedrooms, in-unit laundry room, and, of course, the original tile bathroom are what sealed the deal for me."