Chicago

Abby and her husband, Christian, have been living in their Chicago home for two years, and they have one piece of advice for you: Treat your home like a museum. With rotating pieces of art, they never tire of their rental apartment.

You're going to want a waterproof backpack.

The kitchen used to have fluorescent lights, Formica countertops, and a wall separating it from the living room area, but Bridget and Sean took down the wall and put in six slabs of black quartz.

Along with incredible art, Alex uses "warm, neutral colors (off-white, ochre, amber, wood tones) as a foundation to play with shapes, textures, and patterns. Jute rugs, boucle, ornate frames, and varying wood tones help tie together the design and blend old and new."

Christy lives with her two cats in Chicago. Her walls are covered in art and objects that remind her of the people and places she loves. She's transformed a 750-square-foot apartment into a cozy home.

A love letter to the average walking path.

Tim and Ravi's condo is located on the top floor of a building built in 1897, so it needed a lot of work. The remodel lasted two months and was completed in January 2020.

It's a house style that's all over Chicago.

Have you heard of this spot in the Midwest?

It's cheaper, too.

It also has loads of natural light, a custom-made bay window seat, and a private deck space transformed into a relaxing oasis.

Sara and Garrett own this house, but it serves as inspiration for renters, too; it's full of incredible colors against a backdrop of crisp white walls!

Vintage fashion and home decor seller Barbie Roadkill says her Chicago condo's style is: "Golden Girls' meets Lydia’s house in 'Beetlejuice' meets a box of crayons."

Gizelle was raised on PBS period dramas, but until she gets to live in a traditional English manor home, she's furnished her industrial modern Chicago loft with antiques to blend in British colonial design inspiration.

There are colorful and cool murals, 50+ house plants, cool secondhand furniture finds, and a plant hanging idea that'll make you want to grab a ladder today.

These podcasters and founders of an events company consider the dining room table as the anchor oftheir home... and it's now has become their podcast recording studio, too. "In many ways, this is the space where we can still bring people together and now instead of feeding their mouths, we are feeding their spirit with inspiration."

Designer Julie Mitchiner didn’t want to take away from the character of this classic Chicago home or its great architectural bones, but still wanted to make it their own. She accomplished this feat with paint, wallpaper, and other DIY design elements.

Kelsey has spent the last three years collecting things so that her small space can naturally feel cozy, especially in the Chicago winters.

Interior decorator Sarah Montgomery moved into her West Bucktown 800-square-foot rental apartment and wanted to make it her own.

Larayne's hobby and passion have been houseplants for 7+ years. "I find joy and happiness through caring for plants, and find it very meditative."

She spent less than $1000 to decorate the entire space over three or four months.

Angela Wator, owner/designer of BASH Party Goods, has decorated this 1896 Victorian house in Chicago with color, pattern, and fun.

The property is where Jordan hosted "The Breakfast Club", where teammates Scottie Pippin, Ron Harper, and Randy Brown met for early morning workouts and meals prepared by Jordan's chef.

Lori's building was constructed in the late 1920s, so she thought it would be fun to give her small studio apartment a disco-meets-deco flavor.

It includes an eclectic mix of modern, mid-century, traditional, and bohemian pieces that represent the couple and fits their needs perfectly.

It's not 24 hours with a watering can in hand, promise.

This small Chicago bungalow is quite literally bursting with life.

The previous owner had a very country/farmhouse aesthetic and the loft was decorated in varying tones of white. The new owner couldn’t wait to get in and inject some life and color... and she did!

This creative couple fell in love with this Chicago rental apartment because of its older design and closed concept.

This beautiful space also has tons of natural light, high ceilings, and built-in wood elements!

Each room has a beautiful, different vibe.

"Don't be afraid to use your space in non-conventional ways."

You can own architectural history.

You won't find any multicolored Christmas lights in this apartment — Revae's color scheme is strictly white and gold with roses all over.

This warm, industrial modern Chicago loft is beautiful any day of the year, but decorated for the holidays it's even lovelier.

Including what to buy from Trader Joe's and how to make those orange slice ornaments you see everywhere.

This apartment's decor will inspire you to think outside the box when it comes to furniture.

This Starbucks, obviously, isn’t just any old Starbucks. It’s an experience in and of itself. Let me walk you through mine.

The first thing this couple did when they moved in was rip down all the country, floral wall paper and paint all the oak trim white!

Inspired by vintage tiki and western decor, Perry and Kenny love thrifting and hunting for one-of-a-kind pieces at flea markets.

This incredibly unique rental apartment is located in an old Victorian mansion that was reconstructed into individual live/work artist studios.

From the glossy and matted black print in the dining nook, to the wallpaper mural behind the bed, to the wallpapered bathroom, Blake has used pattern brilliantly in this apartment.

Along with sharing her beautiful home, Caroline Turner also reveals clever (and often affordable) expert tips on how to make a rental feel like a home and not look like a plain, boring rental.

Caroline made a small, affordable (only $20!) and gorgeous update that elevates her fireplace, complements the rest of her decor, and adds a touch of elegance to the entire home.

Graphic designer Jonathan Black's small Chicago studio is a lesson in how to make the most out of a teeny space.

This cold, blank canvas was utterly transformed into a playful home with color, paint, and pattern!

This Chicago rental apartment started out as a pretty bland, cold modern canvas, but now it's as colorful, patterned, and maximalist as ever.

She describes her style as "Parisian chic meets bohemian glam".

Name: H. Melt Location: Chicago, Illinois Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting In the collection of poems “On My Way To Liberation,” trans poet and artist H. Melt illustrates a future where trans, nonbinary, and queer folks are safe, supported, and celebrated. Being in H. Melt’s home—surrounded by reminders of queer revolution, resilience, and imagination—the future they write about does not feel too distant.

Now that you’ve had enough time to shop to your heart’s content at Amazon’s Frank Lloyd Wright home decor shop, you may still be in need of a few more tips to bring your interior. Here’s a pretty effective way to gain some serious design inspo: Take a tour through the recently renovated Robie House. Built in 1910 for Chicago motorcycle manufacturing exec Frederick C.

A mix between "Mad Men" and "Pee Wee Herman," artist Kim Alpert's self-proclaimed style is "Folk Futurism."

Name: Aaron Morris and Vincent Uribe Location: East Garfield Park — Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,375 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, owned Aaron and Vincent, both Chicago transplants, recently bought a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in East Garfield Park. “This was actually one of the first places we came across when we started searching for a home.

Name: Kira Cole and two cats Location: Gold Coast — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,080 square feet Years Lived In: 8 months, owned My home was built in 1892, originally as a single family. In 1978, it was renovated into condo units. I actually grew up in the unit below, so I was very familiar with the building and neighbors when purchasing! When I first got my hands on it, it had not been renovated (not even paint touch-ups) since the 1978 renovation, so it was in serious need of love.

Name: Kayla Benedict and Erick Pausz Location: Lincoln Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: around 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, renting Kayla and Erick met nearly seven years ago, and shortly after started selling mid-century furniture out of their garage together. What started as a hobby quickly grew into a business! Now their mid-century modern furniture company, Shark Gravy, has a store front, 16K+ Instagram followers, (and probably as many satisfied customers!

Name: Jamie Ekeberg and Sarah Goesling Location: Park Ridge, Illinois Size: 1,950 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned As an interior designer, Sarah has worked with companies like Kohler, Airoom, and currently Perspective Consulting Group. She has designed hundreds of different types of rooms in hundreds of different styles of homes… but always through someone else’s vision. No matter how much freedom her clients gave, she was still designing for their family, their life.

Sruthi and Gautam sought to create a cozy home with "come sit here and chill" vibes, something that would fit their family's personality.

What do you do with a white walls, brick, and cold concrete: Add lots of color! Holly Conrad's studio loft in the heart of Chicago is refreshing and full of vibrant colors.

This Lakeview home needed major renovations, but while the couple wanted to modernize the space, they didn't want to change its architectural charm.

Name: Amanda McLemore and Guillermo Reyes Location: Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Amanda and Guillermo moved into their Bronzeville two-bedroom in 2016. As first-time homeowners, they were very patient when looking for the perfect space, and even more patient allowing the home to evolve into the beautiful space that it is now. Amanda and Guillermo are both chefs so they’re always cooking for themselves and others.

Carly and Scott have lived in this warm Chicago apartment for just over a year. It is both a haven from the busy city life and a creative space for Carly's watercolor business.