California

Name: Amy Stewart and Scott Brown Location: Eureka, California Size: 2800 square feet Years Lived In: 17 years; own (well, we used to own it. We just sold the house and we’re moving to Portland.) How do you say goodbye to a house you’ve lived in and loved for 17 years?

Name: Pamelyn Rocco, her husband Chris and their daughters Moorea and Harlow Location: Playa Vista, California Size: 3,600 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Pamelyn and her husband were actually familiar with this house before they ever moved in — they used to live next door! Though it wasn’t exactly their style, she saw the potential and knew with a little design direction it could be amazing. Even more incredible?

Name: Kristin Peters and Corey McLaughlin, cats Gracie and Zoey Location: Redwood Heights — Oakland, California Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 13 years, owned When Kristin and Corey first looked at their Oakland home when it was on the market, they walked away from it. Kristin fell in love with the living room views, but Corey couldn’t get past the ugly facade and outdated design.

Name: Courtney Gallagher and family Location: Riverside, California Size: 1252 square feet Years Lived In: 3 years, owned What started as a mild mid-century modern obsession has turned into a full-blown side hustle for mother and resident MCM expert Courtney Gallagher, She uses her successful Etsy furniture store, Not Another Mod Snob, as an excuse to rotate new vintage pieces in and out of her family’s 1951 ranch-style home in Riverside, California.

Name: Danica and Robin Location: Highland Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 4 months, rented When Danica and Robin decided to move to Los Angeles from Oakland, their apartment search began with location in mind. Sure, it’d be nice to have a large space, but it wasn’t a priority — especially with a new baby and Los Angeles’ tight rental market.

Name: Erik Kenneth Staalberg Location: Miracle Mile — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented After searching countless websites every day for months, Erik finally found his dream apartment: A charming, pre-war historic building in Los Angeles’ Miracle Mile. Though it wasn’t perfect when he moved in, its been a complete passion project and continues to be everyday.

Name: Steven Miller Location: Los Angeles, California Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, rented Everything in Steven’s apartment has a story behind it: He can recall the thrift store each piece of art came from and can tell you the lengths he went to find a unique piece of furniture. “It makes me so happy that I have a space for all of the things that I’ve thrifted or collected,” he says. For Steven, thrifting isn’t just a hobby.

Name: Aurora Lady and Ben Pringle Location: Pasadena, California Size: 830 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented “Our home is our everything — it’s our retreat, our workplace, and our safety net,” Aurora Lady says of the Pasadena apartment she shares with her partner Ben. It’s a place where Aurora can create, where Ben can work on his music, and where the couple can just chill out. But to Aurora and Ben, it’s more than just an apartment.

Name: Walter and Adam Ryon Location: San Leandro, California Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, rented Walter was working and living in Abu Dhabi when Adam first spotted the building they now call home. Finding a home from a distance was difficult, but when Adam drove by the building, Adam thought this one might be a good fit. It was a quintessential 1950s apartment building that was recently updated, and Adam felt their style was reflected both on the inside and outside.

Name: Anna Lane, her husband Chris and their two children Noah and Rose Location: Los Angeles, California. Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, renting When Anna and her husband moved into this house, she was determined to create a homey, warm place to live. The previous tenants of this rental had a vastly different design style than Anna, but she painted, bought furniture from flea markets, did some gardening and even updated the floors.

Name: Andrea Howe Location: Seal Beach, California. Size: 2,300 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, owned When Andrea Howe and her family started searching for a house, nothing they found was what they were looking for. This house had one thing going for it though: “The decision of purchasing this one was the tree in the backyard,” says Andrea.

Name: Tam-Anh and Ricky Location: Jack London Square — Oakland, California Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting At the end of 2016, Tam-Anh and Ricky decided to move in together, so they scoured Craigslist for apartments and began their search for a new home — an arduous task in the Bay Area’s competitive rental market. A few listings in, a description caught their attention: original loft, exposed brick, floor-to-ceiling windows, walk-in closet, fireplace.

Name: Melissa Hon Tsai and Gary Tsai Location: South Pasadena, California Size: 3,101 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned Melissa Hon Tsai is an interior designer and architect who favors a modern, minimal aesthetic. But when she designed and built her family’s three-bedroom home from the ground up, she had to marry her own modern taste with her neighborhood’s mid-century modern appeal.

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: Sydne Summer Location: West Hollywood, California Size: 740 square feet Years Lived In: 10 years, owned “After ten years of living in my condo, I was ready for a fresh start,” writes fashion and beauty blogger Sydne Summer. “My renovation started because I needed to replace my hardwood floors after some bad storms. What began as a small project turned into a three-month complete renovation. Even though it was beyond exhausting, it was totally worth it!

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: Beatrice Fischel-Bock, CEO & Co-Founder of Hutch, her dog Ellie (and a roommate, her friend Lizzie, not pictured) Location: West Hollywood, California Years Lived In: 2 years, renting It was love at first sight when Beatrice saw this West Hollywood rental home in 2015. “It had so much character and was perfect for what I was looking for. I really wanted a place that had some integrity, and especially a place that was very California,” she describes.

Name: Danielle Moore and Bryan Wang Location: Berkeley, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned You can feel the beachy California vibes in the air when entering Danielle and Bryan’s little Craftsman in Berkeley. Maybe it’s the open-space layout of the living area and the hanging macrame planters combined with soft colors.

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: Anthony Conley, Elizabeth Hall and Olivia Location: Highland Park, California Size: 922 square feet Years lived in: 11 years, owned When Anthony “Antz” and Elizabeth were first looking to buy a home back in 2006, they never dreamed their journey would take them into LA’s Highland Park. But after 11 years in this dreamy 1923 California bungalow, the creative couple both agree that they lucked out in finding such a family-friendly and community-oriented neighborhood.

Name: Drew Vuong Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 600 square feet Years live in: 7 years, renting With the constant sunny Los Angeles weather, Drew Vuong wanted to incorporate his love of outdoors and patio living in the inside of his home. He has created a great space for entertaining, leisure, and displaying his favorite artwork both personal and collected.

You have to see this DIY library wall.

Name: Sandy and Mike Location: Downtown — Los Angeles, California Size: 970 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting The Santee Building in downtown Los Angeles was granted historic landmark status in 2001. The former textile factory-turned-modern loft building is now home to Sandy and her fiancé Mike; they’ve lived here for about two years with their friendly labsky (labrador husky mix) Bowie.

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: Bonnie Berridge Faxén and Per Faxén Location: San Francisco, California Size: 650 Square Feet Years Lived In: 3.5 years, renting Designer and interiors consultant Bonnie Faxén says she has a passion for “art, design, architecture, colors, fonts, materials, textiles, paint, wallpaper. If it has to do with design I’m thinking about it!” This healthy obsession for visual elements has spilled over into the small apartment she shares with her husband Per.

Roommates Noël and Giselle have created a home that celebrates creativity.

Name: Flavia and her family Location: Newport Beach, California Size: 3,600 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, owned It took looking at nearly 200 houses, but Flavia and her family found the perfect home in this house when they moved from North Carolina to Orange County in 2008. Well, almost perfect. While it was a very nice space when they bought it, it never quite reflected the family’s style and taste.

Name: Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson, the co-founders of Too Faced Cosmetics, and their chihuahua, Clover Location: Beverly Hills Size: 2,121 square feet Years Lived In: 2.5 years, owned Too Faced Cosmetics—the cruelty-free global beauty and cosmetics brand started in 1998 and sold in over 30 countries—is known for its ability to not take makeup too seriously. Their “Better Than Sex” mascara is iconic with a cult-like following.

Name: Melissa Sonico, husband Johnny, and son Harrison Location: Redlands, California Size: 1,100 square feet Years Lived In: 2.5 years, renting Writer and jewelry designer Melissa Sonico and her husband Johnny moved in to their two-bedroom home just before their son Harrison (now two years old) was born.

Name: Molly Crist Location: Los Feliz — Los Angeles, California Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, renting Molly knows a thing or two about small space living; she’s been renting this lovely studio apartment since her arrival in Los Angeles five years ago. And though it’s a challenge, it’s a challenge she enjoys tackling: she’s used all the square feet in her home, from corner to corner and top to bottom.

Name: Mohammad and Rachael Gorjestani Location: Western Addition — San Francisco, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, rented Mohammad and Rachel’s San Francisco apartment is so cozy and serene, it’s easy to forget that it’s right next to a busy intersection at the center of the city. The original hardwood floors add warmth to the space, and the view of greenery in their spacious backyard (a true luxury in San Francisco) is beautiful.

Name: Sunny Ravanbach Location: Dana Point, California Size: 1,899 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned Sunny Ravanbach is the founder of the VIP event planning company White Lilac. Known for transforming spaces into “dreamlands for one night,” Sunny and her team have recently waded into more “permanent” spaces, launching ShopWhiteLilac.

Name: Carly Kuhn Location: Larchmont — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,303 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting “I moved into this space about year and a half ago. I was drawn to this space because of the great location. As a New Yorker, I love this Larchmont area that’s really walkable.

Name: Rachel Kaplan Location: Adams Point — Oakland, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, rented Rachel’s friends know her as the person always wearing the outrageous, colorful, and sometimes stylishly clashing outfits. So clearly, she reflects that boldness of color, pattern, and texture all over her home.

Name: Emily Schuman, husband Geoffrey and daughter Sloan Location: Hancock Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 2,000 square feet Years Lived In: 4 years, owned Cupcakes and Cashmere founder Emily Schuman’s Los Angeles home is the perfect representation of her brand’s signature California cool aesthetic.

Name: Hilde Leiaghat Location: Los Feliz — Los Angeles, California Size: 2000 square feet Years Lived In: 23 years, owned Linen designer Hilde Leiaghat’s effortlessly romantic home is full of artifacts and antiques reminiscent of her time spent scouring the local Belgian flea markets as a young girl.

Name: Andrew, Kelly, and Cecilia McMahon—and Doris, the family dog Location: South Orange County, California Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, owned Our historic California bungalow has been reborn and we love it! As a musician (Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness), I spend as much time on the road as I do at our home. My love of travel started early, growing up all over the U.S., however California has been home for most of my life.

Name: Cortney Moore and Tyler Moore Location: Studio City Neighborhood — Los Angeles, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Since getting married back in 2011, we’ve moved at least once a year. We hopped around Nashville for a few years before moving out to Los Angeles, and have moved twice since we’ve been here. We both love to go out and be social, but we cherish our time at home as well.

A free-spirit at heart, her adventurous background in backpacking and love for travel seems to have oozed from her soul and spilled out onto every surface of her vibrant home.

Name: Dave and Vivian Kania Location: Lake Arrowhead, California Size: 632 square feet Years Lived In: 6 months, owned When it came time for Vivian and Dave Kania to buy a house, it’s no wonder the creative couple chose to retreat to the charming mountain town of Lake Arrowhead.

Name: Malik and Abbie Naber Location: Cardiff by the Sea, California Size: 1,800 square feet Rent or Own: Own When Abbie Naber and her husband Malik moved into their home just two short years ago, it was a forgotten stucco’d-over mid-century ranch home in need of some love.

Name: Kristyn Location: Pleasanton, California Size: 406 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting I love that my apartment has the unique charm of a Victorian home but has been renovated to be comfortable and modern. My landlord is a contractor and did a beautiful job keeping the Victorian characteristics as he updated it. Living across the hall from one of my lifelong friends, Melissa [whose home we toured before!

Name: Joy Lofton and her family (Earl, Eleanor, Lois, Peaches, and Nunzo) Location: Atwater Village — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, owned Joy Lofton, an actress and wardrobe and interior stylist, enjoys living close to the L.A. River in Atwater Village with her family and pets. She’s inspired by Art Deco as well as early ’70s and ’80s style, as evidenced by her one-of-a-kind home.

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: Michelle Morrison and her brother Michael Morrison, and two greyhound dogs, Fern and Pintxo Location: Oakland, California Size: 1,330 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Design plays a central role in Michelle Morrison‘s life and career. Currently a Design Producer at Dropbox, she’s also worked for companies like Facebook, Square, IDEO, and more.

Name: Jake Levin Location: Big Bear, California Size: 972 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, owned I found this cabin after being frustrated with the out-of-reach housing market in Los Angeles, where I live and work full-time as an Art Director/Graphic Designer. One day I started looking at places in Big Bear, just a two-hour drive from the city, when I realized wait a minute, I might be actually able to do this.

Name: Elle Huerta Location: Venice — Los Angeles, California Size: 900 square feet Years Lived In: 3 years, renting Elle Huerta is the founder and CEO of Mend, a self-care app launched just last year that helps you through a breakup and is a community for those going through heartbreak. Her cozy home is located along one of Venice’s “Walk Streets;” pedestrian-only walkways where homes are tucked behind verdant trees.

Name: Chelsea Poling and cat Piper Location: Santa Monica, California Size: 1,450 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned “I love the location of my home; I am less than a block from the Santa Monica Beach. I make it a daily task or indulgence to go to the beach every day, whether it be a walk on the beach, a dip in the ocean, or quiet meditation,” wrote Chelsea Poling, the founder and CEO of the online wellness boutique Rose Botanica.

Name: Justin Elizabeth Sayre Location: Los Angeles, California Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 4 years Born in Pennsylvania, writer, performer, and comedian Justin Elizabeth Sayre made a name for himself in the downtown New York cabaret scene paying homage to cultural icons like Judy Garland, Cher, and Elizabeth Taylor (hence his middle name).

Name: Stacy and Ben Location: San Diego, California Size: 2,930 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned It was the enviable views of the ocean and quirky mid-century details that appealed to Ben and Stacy when they bought this house, which hadn’t been renovated since it was built in 1958. Located in a bohemian beachside community in San Diego, the couple was expanding their family and looking for a place to settle where growing kids would feel comfortable for many years to come.

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: Steve and Nikki Carlson Location: Encinitas, California Size: 544 square feet Years Lived In: 4 months, owned Our home, which we named “Cottage + Sea,” is a tiny 544-square-foot beach bungalow studio steps from Moonlight Beach in the quaint surf town of Encinitas near San Diego, California. We never knew we could live tiny.

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: Naimah and kitties Location: West End — Alameda, California Size: 370 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, rented Having spent the past few years at college in the South, Naimah didn’t expect the Bay Area’s competitive rental market when searching for the tiny Alameda studio apartment she now calls home. “The rental market in the Bay is wild, so this building was actually the first and only one that I saw,” she says.

Name: Becca Tobin, husband Zach Martin, and Orly Martin the dog Location: Laurel Canyon — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years Lived In: 2.5 years, owned We moved into our home a little over two years ago. We were drawn to the space because the house had so much charm! Los Angeles is filled with a lot of new construction that feels really sterile, so this 1930s gem felt super special.

Name: Laura Santora, husband Kevin, daughters Ellie (6), Evie (4), and Dylan (1), plus dogs Moco and Oliver Location: Mission Viejo, California Size: 3,450 square feet Years Lived In: 3.5 years, owned When looking for a new home three and a half years ago, we wanted something with enough space, some character, and something we could make our own.

Name: Kaitlyn Shimazaki Location: Belmont Heights/ Belmont Shores — Long Beach, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Kaitlyn has one of those quintessential beach cottages we all imagine landing when we move to California. Her small home is technically the guest house to a larger home, but she gets all the perks of a “standalone” building.

Name: Lauri Carleton, husband Bort Carleton, kids Kelsey and Ari Carleton, Buoy the Aussiedoodle, Zorba the Yorkshire mix, and Jake the orange tabby Maine Coon cat. Location: Lake Arrowhead, California Size: 2,300 square feet Years Lived In: Owned, renovations for 7 years, lived in for past 5 years Our family planted their roots in Lake Arrowhead in the 1940s. Lauri grew up spending an extensive amount of time with her grandparents that had built a family lodge in Lake Arrowhead.

Name: Kate Keesee, Robert, Gracie , and our doggy Guinevere Location: Orange County, California Size: 1,375 square feet Years lived in: Grew up in this home! I was gifted this home that I grew up in by my mother who adopted me when I was 12 years old. I have over the years taken the unwanted and discarded to create a space that tells the story of how I found myself within these walls.

Name: Maya Goldfine Location: San Francisco, California Size: 400 square feet Years Lived In: 6 months, renting Call it fate or luck, but something aligned the day I found this studio. By chance I had come across the listing on Craigslist the evening prior—at 5:45 p.m. it was posted that an open house was happening at 7:30 a.m. the next day.

Name: Amanda Suter and Dmitri Slavashevich Location: Hillcrest — San Diego, California Size: 1,848 square feet Years Lived In: 6 months, owned Amanda and Dmitri moved into their home this past July, but you wouldn’t guess it. Their Victorian vernacular cottage feels cozy and lived in, with lots of personal details.

Name: Rachael and Virgil Gibilterra and Jovie (our little border collie mix!) Location: Highland Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 408 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting We found this little slice of L.A. on Craigslist. I was sold on the windows. We jumped on it as quick as we could! We were living briefly in an Airstream before this (we unfortunately had to sell that beauty due to job opportunities in L.A.

Name: Ashley Petrone, her husband and their three kids Location: Southern California Size: 180 square feet Years Lived In: 9 months, owned Last year, Ashley and her husband sold their five-bedroom house and bought 2.2 acres of land to build a dream home. Instead of renting an apartment while their home is being built, they decided to try sharing an RV! Impressively, it only took them three weeks and $2500 to finish the RV’s renovation.

Name: Gabriel and Debbie Mayes and kids Gracen, Darby, Deacon, Jovey and Gideon. Location: Redding, California Size: 250 square feet Years Lived In: 6 months, owned Gabriel and Debbie Mayes’ journey to small home living started when they purchased a school bus in February 2017, with the intent to convert it to a full-time home for themselves and their kids. Unfortunately, their first bus buy turned out to be a (rust-covered) lemon.

Name: Rachael Gibilterra, her husband Virgil, and their rescue pup, Jovie Location: San Diego, California Size: 180 square feet Years lived in: 3 months, owned Rachael and Virgil live full time in this Airstream (currently parked at an RV park in San Diego) that they renovated themselves.

California-based artist and designer Bridgette Thornton started taking painting seriously all the way back in 8th grade. “That age was very intense for me socially and academically. Art making was not only an emotional outlet but made me feel empowered,” she says. “As a child my mom would always have me working on a craft. Whenever I wanted to buy something, instead of purchasing it from the store, she would say, ‘you could make that!

Graphic design professor Summer Winston‘s plan when first deciding to move to California from Texas was to build a tiny house. But after taking a zoning workshop, Summer discovered California didn’t feel very welcoming to alternative living solutions. “They have all of these rules and regulations if you’re building a tiny house on a trailer, like in terms of how you can live in it, where you can live in it…” they said.

Do you have unusual inspirations like Pee Wee Herman, Banksy and Lady Gaga? Do you take pride in that? If so, check our Bob and Heather’s Oakland loft and shop similar items that will fill your space with color, rainbows and overall weirdness (that’s a good thing).

Name: Karen Nepacena & John Shum Location: Walnut Creek, California Size: 1,663 square feet Years lived in: Owned 4 years Karen and John knew they wanted to raise their family in not just any mid-century modern home, but one specifically designed by the renowned real estate developer Joseph Eichler. “We fell in love with Eichler homes and mid-century modern design after seeing a nearby open house for a thoughtfully restored and renovated Eichler,” Karen says.

Combining worldly elements and natural textures with a mid-century modern flare has resulted in a comfortable and airy home. What isn’t to love about Sheeva’s Spanish Colonial? Reference her resource list to get a bright and breezy home of your own! charset="utf-8" src="https://d30bopbxapq94k.cloudfront.net/js/curalate-widget-client-all.prod.min.

Name: Morgan Parker and dog Shirley Location: Los Angeles, California Size: 1000 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting Award-winning poet Morgan Parker is the honest and powerful voice behind “There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé,” “Other People’s Comfort Keeps Me Up At Night,” and her most recent poetry collection “Magical Negro” (out February 5th).