California

Name: Sam E., Stephanie Libanati and Lorena Jimenez Location: Lower Bottoms — Oakland, California Size: 1,610 square feet Years lived in: 8 months; Rented When Sam E. was looking for an apartment earlier this year, she felt so lucky when she hit it off with Stephanie and Lorena on the day they met.

Sticking to a limited color palette isn’t the only way to design a home that looks inviting and pulled together. Caroline and Jayden are the colorful couple who live in the cozy Atwater Village home shown here an they saw absolutely no hue limitations when they designed their place.

Name: Ujjaini and Adit Location: Los Angeles, California This is such a great example of thoughtful and practical design. Ujianai and Adit built a great backyard that is not only inspired by their enviornment, but designed to help it. From Ujjaini and Adit: When we bought our house two and a half years ago, we knew the backyard needed work. We were lucky to make a large enough outdoor space and good weather to enjoy it all year around.

When Elise and Ben bought their Mount Washington house, the kitchen looked like this. They used this sad kitchen for five years until they finally updated it. The end result is modernized, but still captures the spirit and integrity of the storied older house. Using IKEA cabinets to keep the costs down, they were able to upgrade and personalize the look with Calcutta marble and Schoolhouse Electric hardware for all the cabinets.

Project by: Jacqueline Palmer Location: Oakland, California With exposed beams, a spiral staircase and 1,200 square feet Jacqueline had a pretty fantastic starting point. She was able to mix really well chosen pieces of different styles to create a home that is welcoming and stylish.

Name: Eric Stauble and Patrick Maziarski Location: Mid-City — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Owned Welcome to the very creative home of Eric Stauble and Patrick Maziarski, who are both immersed in the creative design world. With an eclectic mix of custom-designed, reupholstered and vintage pieces, this home offers the best of indoor and outdoor living.

Name: Jeni Wu Location: Nob Hill — San Francisco, California Size: 685 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented After years of roommates and carpeted studios, Jeni finally got the chance to move into her own apartment, and she couldn’t wait to add her personal style. She works as a home decor buyer and as an interior designer with her own styling business, Wunder Design, so it’s only natural that her space is as stylish as the homes she puts together for clients.

Name: Tara and Thierry Broucqsault, their son Henri, dogs Lola and Junebug, Maverick the cat, and Bobby the Gecko Location: Santa Barbara, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 11 years; Owned Set high above the street, Tara and Thierry’s charming cottage is a place where family, pets and guests can truly feel at home.

Name: Tom and Allison, their son, Gordon, and their dogs and tortoise Location: Culver City, California Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 8 years; Owned One look inside the home of Tom and Allison of California Rediscovered and you quickly realize that you are in the presence of DIY masters.

Name: Nick McPhail Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented With the price of rent quickly increasing every year in Los Angeles, artist Nick McPhail was lucky to grab this perfect little home all for himself. Complete with a backyard that houses an organic garden and a ceramics studio, this home embodies the ideal of a live/work space.

Name: Genevieve Bandrowski and Ashley Campbell Location: Cleveland Heights — Oakland, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented When Genevieve moved back to Oakland nearly two years ago, she wanted her now-roommate Ashley to see the creative spirit that Oakland has to offer. Since then, they have created a lush sanctuary inspired by the many Bay Area makers they admire.

Name: Melanie Abrantes (and her boyfriend Rick Gibb) Location: Potrero Hill — San Francisco, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 6 months; Rented We recently shared Melanie Abrantes’ fantastic Oakland studio, and today we’re getting a glimpse into her San Francisco apartment. Melanie’s playful personality is seen in every inch of the 500-square-foot home.

Name: Emma Fineman Location: Oakland, California Size: 238 square feet Years lived in: 17 We recently shared artist Emma Fineman’s stylish Memphis-inspired studio, in which she paints as well as designs textiles and apparel for her women’s clothing brand, Weft + Hide. Today, we get a glimpse into her cozy, temporary living quarters in her childhood home, filled with plants, textiles, and mementos from her travels.

Name: Dustin Lancaster and Maya Brenner, kids Jack and Sadie, and dog Roxy Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 2,700 square feet (house) Years lived in: 6 months; Owned Hard-working entrepreneurs Dustin and Maya can now add their beautiful six-month home renovation to the long list of productive ventures they’ve accomplished in the last year.

Name: Stephanie Fauerbach Location: Marina District — San Francisco, California Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 4.5 years; Rented Though making a temporary space feel rooted isn’t easy, Stephanie Fauerbach has put together a collection of mementos and inspiring pieces that make her apartment feel like a home.

Name: Emma Fineman of Weft + Hide Location: Oakland, California Size: 600 square feet When painter Emma Fineman decided to merge two of her great passions, art and fashion, into her fantastic clothing and accessories line, Weft + Hide, she knew she would need a multipurpose creative space that would allow both endeavors to continue to evolve. She found exactly that in her family’s spacious old garage that she painted white and furnished with a few ingenious Memphis-inspired DIY pieces.

Name: Jaclyn Johnson and David Kaul and their dog, Noah Wiley Location: Los Feliz — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Rented It’s been well over a year since I last visited Jaclyn Johnson, founder of Create & Cultivate, at her incredible little home in Los Feliz. Since then, her now-fiancé, David Kaul, has moved in, and they are enjoying their engagement in their home’s beautiful mix of feminine and masculine styles.

Name: Sara and Rich Combs Location: Marina District — San Francisco, CA Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Rented Having collected each piece in their apartment one-by-one over the last six years, Sara and Rich Combs have created a home with a distinctly colorful, eclectic feel. Gravitating towards sleek, Mid-century silhouettes and furniture design, the couple have designed each room to pay homage to the bygone era in its own way, all while maintaining a modern spin.

Name: Melanie Abrantes Designs Location: Oakland, California Size: 900 square feet Years using space: 1.5 years Melanie Abrantes is a crafty Jane-of-all-trades. With her company, Melanie Abrantes Designs, she specializes in handcrafting a plethora of one-of-a-kind goods, ranging from cork planters to wood bowls and vessels. Her Oakland studio, located in what was a tomato factory at the turn of the 20th century, features exposed brick walls and big, bright windows.

Name: Lindsey O’Donnell Location: West Hollywood — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,550 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Owned If one thing’s for sure, it’s that interior designer Lindsey O’Donnell is not afraid of color. From Blackberry Wine to Midnight Navy to Black, O’Donnell’s paint choices are pretty fearless. Inspired by the bold interiors of designer Mary McDonald, O’Donnell’s lavish lair is anything but modest.

Name: Jeanette Moncada and Mikul Eriksson Location: Emeryville, California Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 4 Months; Rented Jeanette and Mikul have lived in their Emeryville open factory loft for a mere four months, but they sure have nailed down their own rhythm and routine. The two creatives run Sugar Sugar Studio, a rental space for video and still shoots, just off of the apartment’s kitchen area.

Name: India Mafi, Joe Gray and their dog, Scout Location: Oakland, California Size: 730 square feet Years lived in: 5 months; Rented When I asked India to tell me about some of her favorite thrift stores, she jokingly refused to tell me some of her best-kept secrets.

Name: Joyce Pickens and her dog, Mouse Location: Mid-City — Los Angeles, California Size: 670 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented When interior designer Joyce of JDP Interiors sent in her House Call, I knew we had to see more of this lovely layered space. The green path to her doorstep is an oasis in the middle of the city, as is the warm, welcoming home that she has created.

Name: Alison and Jay Carroll and dog Lefty Location: Los Feliz — Los Angeles, California Size: 1200 square feet Years lived in: 2 years Alison and Jay are a creative husband and wife team who find inspiration from around the globe. As recent Los Angeles transplants from San Francisco, the couple and their dog, Lefty, enjoy soaking up the Southern California sunshine in their cozy Franklin Hills apartment.

Name: Delila and Nexus, and their dog, Amanda Location: Hayes Valley; San Francisco, California Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Nexus and Delila’s personal styles extend deep into their apartment’s aesthetic — he describes his style as relaxed, and she finds inspiration and comfort in wearing a white T-shirt with vintage jeans and high heels.

Name: Elizabeth and Jeremy, their dog, Wally, and their cats, Milo and Patrick Location: West Los Angeles, California Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented If you wake up on an overcast Sunday morning in Los Angeles and are wondering where you can score a fresh slice of homemade pizza and a carefully crafted cappuccino, then please allow me to direct you to the home of Elizabeth Berger and Jeremy Roth. When I arrived at their West L.A.

Names: Alexandra Piotrowski and Max Ostrove Location: Venice, California Size: 576 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented From the moment you enter Alex and Max’s bright, un-fussy home, it’s evident that every item has a story. The beautiful wood shelving and furniture becomes all the more warm to the touch when you learn that much of it was handcrafted by the inhabitants.

Name: Kristen Tola Hettich Location: Burbank, CA Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Rented When my friend Kristen decided to redecorate her bedroom last year, she enlisted a professional interior designer to help her out. That project lit a fire under her to tackle the remainder of the entire home on her own. Kristen is a food, fashion, and interior prop stylist who is very good at mixing patterns and is not afraid of color!

Name: David Location: Echo Park/Angelino Heights; Los Angeles, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented On a street filled with beautiful old homes, David has filled one unit of a beautiful old fourplex with every trinket, memento, and piece of quirky art that can fit under one roof.

Name: James Burial and his adorable dog, Penny Location: Highland Park; Los Angeles, California Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 9 months; Rented I met James a couple years ago at SHOPCLASS, where he runs the show in all things vintage. I figured he had a fond appreciation and awe for mid-century furnishings and details from decades past, and once I heard that he’d handmade his own dining table and chairs, I knew I had to invite myself over for a tour. I’m so happy he said yes.

Name: Pamela Salzman Location: Manhattan Beach, California Size: 3,850 square feet Years lived in: 9 years; Custom built, designed and own When I was invited to shoot Pamela Salzman’s gorgeous home in Manhattan Beach, I jumped at the opportunity. She and her family love living in this incredible two-story home equipped with a kitchen to die for! Pamela is an established food blogger who offers incredible recipes through cooking classes and custom-designed menus for one-on-one clients.

Name: Erick Millan Location: Burbank, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented When Erick hired me to shoot his home for his new interior design portfolio, I immediately wanted to share it as a house tour because it exemplifies how easy it is to bring beautiful organic style to maximize a modest-sized home. It is his first completed design project and it is very, very special.

Name: Chris and Madgi Del Moro Location: Los Angeles, CA Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 2 1/2 years; Rented Soulmates Chris and Madgi live to explore Mother Earth. Both artists, they find their inspiration in their travels around the world, and they bring that creativity back home to Los Angeles. Chris is an artist, musician, and professional surfer and his handiwork is abundant in the newlyweds’ home, from the paintings on the wall to the studio he built.

Name: Sweatson Klank Location: Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 10 years; Rented As soon as you walk into Sweatson’s home, the living area is spacious, inviting and warm. My first observation is that Sweatson is an artist who has a knack for collecting things.

Name: Gregory Keith Metcalf Location: Downtown Arts District; Los Angeles, CA Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: Less than a year; Rented Fellow photographer Greg Metcalf and I have been friends for years. A move from the suburbs of Silver Lake to the Arts District of Downtown LA has offered Greg quite a contrast in architecture, neighborhood, and lifestyle. I jumped at the chance to shoot his new place; I love a good loft and this home exemplifies the true meaning of live/work space.

Name: Savannah Farris-Gilbert Location: Los Angeles, CA Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; rent Interior Designer Savannah Farris-Gilbert grew up in Los Angeles, raised by designers and artists. She believes there is an ease about growing up in LA and in the way in which people here interact with space. “Shoes were always kicked off my the door, there were always rugs underfoot, sun streaming through windows, the outside was very much a part of the indoors.

Name: Simran Winkelstern Location: West Hollywood; Los Angeles, California Size: 750 square feet- 1 bedroom + 1 bath Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rent Simran’s home is a one bedroom in a gorgeous triplex right in West Hollywood, filled with welcoming charm. She’s placed plenty of importance on comfort and livability, but her design talent and personal style are what bring this space to life. Simran believes that, when designing a home, you need to consider both practicality and style.