Chicago And Tours

This art-filled apartment is bursting with a colorful, creative spark, thanks to an eclectic collection of paintings, textiles, and photography.

Designer Johnny Coleman loves color drenching and period mixing, and he designed his Chicago rental apartment “as a modern take on the east wing of a country house.” He's also been collecting antiques since he was 14 years old!

Alex Hinand moved into this “basic in a good way” Chicago rental apartment “with nothing but a coffee table” and “a promise to myself that I wouldn’t go into credit card debt to furnish this home.”

Katherine and Jess’s rental is like the “apartment of your favorite lesbian aunts who always give you books for your birthday.”

Lexy instantly fell in love with this rental’s vintage charm.” When I first toured this apartment, the sun was streaming through all the windows, reflecting off the mirror doors in my living room.”

Bumpy and Aubrey try to “avoid buying retail furniture,” instead furnishing their Chicago loft with vintage originals and a couple of famous pieces, too: The sofa was featured in American Hustle!

This McKinley Park apartment is full of art by BIPOC artists, plants, and lots of earthy and grounded colors.

This Chicago apartment went from “dusty humid roly-poly graveyard” to “dreamy plant-filled bohemian artist’s sanctuary.”

This historic loft came with restrictions on paint and remodeling, so this renter “embraced creative, nonpermanent solutions, like playing with textures, statement pieces, and utilizing the built-in shelving to craft a homey atmosphere without altering the architecture.”

It’s small but has a mid-century modern fireplace, hardwood floors, and retro bathroom tiles.

The sofas aren't the only incredible free find in this home either!

Art and color anchor Curtis Taylor, Jr. and Danielle Taylor’s Chicago rental apartment.

When Sarah bought this home, the charm was undeniable, but “some work was needed to bring it back to life.” She freshly painted, updated window treatments, added plants, and more to make the space her home.

Bridgette and Steven Haulenbeek have filled their chicago rental apartment with cool art and furniture, some made by Steven.

Courtney and Colin have totally transformed their Chicago home with lots and lots of color.

Designer Michelle Sturgis’ cottage needed love when she and her husband purchased it, but they made sure to keep all the charming details like the original brick wall, railings, doors, and more.

See inside interior designer Jessica Blue’s colorful, maximalist Chicago home with smart storage and decor ideas.

After Shelby toured this 700-square-foot Chicago condo, she loved it so much she wrote the previous owner a handwritten letter. “I was like, ‘I’m ... begging you to let me live here.’” The letter worked. Now she and Collin reside in their small-but-mighty space, curating a sort of maximalist museum dedicated to the relationships that keep them afloat.

The incredible custom wallpaper in this colorful Chicago condo was designed before the owner ever moved in.

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.

Ainsley's small rental apartment's size and atypical angles offered quite the design challenge: to fit in useful, cohesive items without feeling too cramped or cluttered. But she tackled the challenge beautifully and cleverly.

Jamie and Mike moved to Chicago for grad school and never left. Now their home has given them a place to make the most of their small space while adding in items that bring them happiness.

Becky Bloom's historic 1924 Chicago bungalow has a purple living room, orange fireplace, green kitchen, floral bedroom, and a lot more color and DIY pattern!

Johnny Coleman is an interior architecture BFA candidate at Columbia College Chicago and a bargain hunter. He was able to furnish and decorate this rental apartment with mostly upcycled and revamped furniture.

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.

Coach and facilitator Erinne Brown has been renting this light-filled 451-square-foot studio apartment in Chicago's Printers Row neighborhood for two years now.

Sekile Nzinga is the Chief Equity Officer for the State of Illinois and the founder of The Nzinga Collective, and rents this 1200-square-foot condo in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood.

Kevin Coleman shares this 642-square-foot, "Geometric Minimalism" style studio apartment with his dog, Langston.

...including an IKEA bookshelf built into a wall!

When Annabell Ren and Steven Karvelius moved in to this unit in a 120-year-old historic four-flat in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, the interior was dated and there was very limited storage space. But it had potential.

Johanna's rental came with tall ceilings and windows and a spacious floorplan for one person. But the space needed a lot of work!

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."

This Chicago home is eclectic '80s maximalism at its finest.

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.

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

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

This small Chicago bungalow is quite literally bursting with life.

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

Each room has a beautiful, different vibe.

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.

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

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

Name: Scott Duff, comic/radio host; Jerre Dye, playwright/opera librettist/actor/director, and dog Emmett Location: West Edgewater — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,350 square feet Years lived in: 8 months; Owned Scott and Jerre’s Chicago loft is just…WOW! It is more dramatic and inspiring than any home you’ve probably seen in a while.

When you're lucky enough to inherit good bones, less is always more. This beautiful rental is a love letter to vintage Chicago city living.

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

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.

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

Even at just 400 square feet, Jaime's managed to create a chic space that takes advantage of the natural light that it's blessed with, compounded by warm and inviting pieces.

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.

"Have you ever looked at an apartment in the pitch black without heat? It's not great."

Danielle Moss is a co-founder of the popular blog, The Everygirl. Not surprisingly, her home is a modern, dreamy space.

At only 400 square feet, this condo might be on the small size, but it's just the right size for its owner.

This may be Emily's first studio apartment, but she deftly squeezed in a private bed area, living area AND room for entertaining in only 400 square feet

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

As a self-described "sensory driven guy," Gil's space isn't just pretty to look at. A mix of textures and materials blend beautifully to stimulate all the senses.