Chicago

Name: Shannon Buckley; husband, Nick Huertas; and 3 cats Location: Andersonville — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, rented Looking at their apartment, it’s hard to believe Shannon and Nick only moved to Chicago one year ago. Leaving Boston, the East Coast, and a number of dark, dreary apartments behind, they were determined to find a home with outdoor space and lots of natural light.

When Sarah and her wife, Jamie, chose to buy a home together, they were finally able to turn their beautiful creative energy on their own space.

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!

Amanda runs her business Baguette & Butter out of their home, and Guillermo is Chef de Cuisine at the popular Logan Square restaurant, Mi Tocaya.

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.

Poet and artist H. Melt's home is filled with colorful art, captivating books, and a few flamingo-themed home decor items.

Diana and Jesse didn't let the fact that this house had just been renovated get in the way of adding their own personality to the space.

It's the first time Sarah's lived solo...and she's LOVING it.

This home features an eclectic, maximalist mix of Parisian Chic, Hollywood Regency, and Art Deco styles.

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.

Jaime’s cozy Chicago loft is a perfect example of working with what you’ve got. While not short of beautiful, it showcases how to successfully implement gorgeous yet functional furniture to create an artsy and comfortable space. Check out the sources below to get this artful and vintage-inspired look in your home.

Steve and Sarah’s beautiful home in Illinois showcases their personalities perfectly: playful, imaginative and whimsical. Their home features accessible furniture, as well as unique art and decor that is meaningful to them and their children. If you love this beautiful style, you can get the decor for your own home using the sources below.

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

Italian Rationalism meets Scandinavian Chic meets New York '70s Glam meets Dutch coziness.

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.

A country style retreat within the city, Nick & Spiro’s Chicago home takes you back in time to a slower pace and peaceful way of living. Whether you’re looking for country inspiration for your home or cabin you’re sure to find something here – from DIY throw pillows and curtains to antique inspired furniture, Nick & Spiro’s home has it all!

Name: Sarah and Brian Meeks Location: Homewood, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; owned Nearly everything in Sarah and Brian’s house – from the credenza they found on the side of the road right down to their three cuddly shelter pets – has been rescued or re-purposed.

Name: Danielle Moss (and Buddy) Location: Lincoln Park; Chicago, Illinois Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: almost 1 year; rented Danielle Moss leads a hectic life. As a co-founder of The Everygirl, a popular website dedicated to career-driven women, the owner of her own graphic design and photography business, and the writer behind the blog Breakfast at Toast, it’s a wonder that she has time to think about interior design at all.

Name: Hillary Schuster, graphic designer and aspiring wedding stylist, and Michael Kiser, freelance writer, photographer, brand strategist, and founder of Good Beer Hunting Location: Ravenswood; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Rented Curios collected and lovingly composed unify the style of Hillary and Michael, a Chicago couple who balance home space with work space, and ephemera with plenty of classic, quality pieces.

Name: Laura Shaeffer, Andrew Nord, Jasper and Sebastian Location: Hyde Park, Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 9 years; Owned Laura and Andrew’s modernist townhome is a part of a community near the University of Chicago campus. It has 2 floors, a basement, and a huge backyard accessible by the other houses in the community. Their house is HOME Gallery, an intersection between a living space, an art gallery, a community engagement center, a playground, and a school.

Name: Irina (and Lummi) Location: South Loop; Chicago, Illinois Size: 975 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; owned Coleridge, influenced by an opium-induced dream, wrote of “a stately pleasure-dome” that Kubla Khan established in Xanadu. In this space, verdant gardens mingled with caves of ice, and the sweet scent of incense floated above the sun-dappled hills, inspiring “deep delight.

Name: Marti Palermo and Jarrod Routh Location: Lincoln Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; rented There’s a real effortlessness about Marti and Jarrod’s home: a fresh, comfortable simplicity that immediately puts one at ease. I felt right at home on a Sunday afternoon with sunlight streaming through the windows, Wild Belle on the stereo, and a cold glass of beer.

Name: Sara Tunstall, Digital Producer, and Becky Kastelic, Art Director Location: Wicker Park; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Longtime roommates Sara and Becky make cohesive cohabitation seem effortless. Friends since college, these ladies combine carefully selected additions from estate sales and big box stores together with favorite pieces from their childhood homes to give this historical space a sense of depth and timelessness.

Name: Eric, founder of Fair Coast Goods & Upholstery, and Kellie, advertising account manager Location: Roscoe Village, Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years (own) Eric and Kellie’s wonderfully bright and modern loft is punctuated by a serendipitous story (bad pun intended!). You see, shortly after moving into their loft, which is a converted pencil factory, Eric launched his own business making handcrafted leather goods.

Name: Hallie Glennie Location: South Loop, Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years; Owned From the rustic wood ceilings crisscrossed by painted red duct work to the castle-sized windows surrounded by floor-to-ceiling exposed brick, her loft is the real deal — that sleek, urban look that suburbanites (like myself) often try to emulate with faux brick panels and prepackaged beadboard, but can never quite capture for lack of authenticity.

Name: Elizabeth Tulipana, founder of Anticipation Events + Bad Loo Loo Location: Bucktown; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Putting together a space that functions as both a home and base for her event planning business and Etsy shop came naturally to Elizabeth. A lover of all things vibrant and patterned, her spacious one bedroom apartment reflects her dynamic spirit and boundless creativity.

Name: Johanna Lowe, food and prop stylist, and Derek Richmond, food photographer; together, they are the co-founders of Richmond Lowe Studio. Location: Logan Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 3,000 square feet, with an additional 2,000 square feet of outdoor space Years lived in: 7 months; Rented Could there be a more perfect pairing than a food and prop stylist and a food photographer?

Name: Kim Knoll and Kyle Eertmoed, graphic designers at Knoed Creative Location: Ravenswood Manor; Chicago, Illinois Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 7 years; Owned Kim and Kyle know a thing or two about space. As graphic designers who started their own company, Knoed Creative, they spend endless hours thinking about how forms and language communicate across visual dimension.

Name: Andrew Samuel and Anne Greenwald Location: Ukranian Village; Chicago, IL Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 3 months, rented I visited Drew and Annie’s apartment on the first snowy day of the season, when everything outside was still and white. Annie was out of town, but Drew, who used to work at several independent record labels and who now works at Intelligentsia Coffee, played the perfect wintertime host, serving up warmth, conversation, and great music.

Name: Amy Haiar and Todd Donahue Location: Avondale/Logan Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Owned What happens when two creative directors have carte blanche to design a new home from the ground up? In the case of husband-and-wife duo Todd and Amy, colorful, interesting, and beautiful things happen. Amy and Todd purchased their newly-constructed Smart Tech home a little over a year ago.

Name: Tim Naus Location: Albany Park, Chicago, Illinois Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; Rented Tim had to rescue the model building from being demolished, so he found his way into the abandoned school and grabbed the plastered to-scale model of Independence Hall. A similar one rests in the Smithsonian American History Museum, but this one was completely original, a true treasure.

Name: Taryn & Sanford Parker (and their dog Iris and cat Tron) Location: Logan Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 3.5 years; owned It’s almost unimaginable. You buy a house, and a few days before you’re slated to move in, some hooligans break in and burn the interior, and you are faced with a gut rehab of what you thought would be a virtually move-in-ready space.

Name: Tim Speicher, Director of Marketing and Communications at Victory Gardens Theater in Lincoln Park, and Ellenkate Finley Location: Lincoln Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: almost 9 months; Rented You know a tour is going to be different when you’re warmly invited to check out a cozy crawlspace/adult fort underneath a completely DIY lofted bed!

Name: Jaclyn Simpson, of Jaclyn Simpson Photography Location: Lincoln Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Jaclyn is exactly the kind of wedding photographer you want with you all day during your big celebration: warm, generous, funny, and absolutely genuine. Her live/work space is filled with personal pieces and DIY projects galore, creating an earthy/quirky combination that is distinctly her own.

Name: Rachel Yacapraro, blogger at Taffeta and Cedar, and Brian Willard, Visual Effects Artist at Radar Studios Location: West Town; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 9 years; Owned Warmly considered and lovingly maintained, Rachel and Brian’s flat has the broad, open feel of a loft, while retaining the flow and privacy of a traditional apartment. Luckily for this couple, Rachel and Brian share a similar clean, modern aesthetic with a vintage twist.

Name: Nancy Sickbert-Wheeler, Andrew Wheeler, and their dog Bailey Location: Evanston, Illinois Size: 2 bedroom + finished basement Years lived in: 19 years; owned Metal, enamel, and film: all three media require a creative eye, a deft touch, and a sense of possibility.

Name: Nick Fanelle & Spiro Georgi Location: Andersonville; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented There’s no reason you can’t enjoy both the vibrancy of city life and the peacefulness of a rural retreat. Now, if you were to find an urban townhouse on a farm, it might strike you as a bit odd, but bringing the rustic, worn-in feel of the country into a Chicago apartment turned out to be just the thing for Nick Fanelle and Spiro Georgi.

Name: Dave Widmer, CB2 eCommerce Brand Director and Chad Ross, Crate and Barrel Visual Merchandising Team Lead Location: Andersonville; Chicago, IL Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Never hesitate to walk through a bright green front door: I promise you, only good things are waiting for you on the other side. In the home of Chad and Dave every last detail from the foundation to the roof and everything in between was meticulously thought about and designed.

Name: Meg, Joe, & Wells Piercy and their toy poodle Jack Location: Uptown; Chicago, IL Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; owned In Meg and Joe’s living room, there’s a blackboard with a family friend’s delicately drawn reminder to “live life in full bloom,” and the Piercys have certainly taken this advice to heart.

Name: Kelly Furman Location: Graceland West; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; owned Kelly is a colorful person, vibrant in personality and exuberant in spirit. Her home, which she affectionately calls the “tree house,” captures the poise, humor, and grace with which she approaches the world, but it does so with an understated elegance.

Name: Beth Puscheck, owner of Blue Cottage Hill Location: Villa Park, Illinois Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 6 months; owned Who else lives here: Beth’s boyfriend & their dog, Aaron A professional beautician by day, Beth’s always had an eye for style. And from the moment she and her boyfriend bought their 1926 cottage in the Chicago suburb of Villa Park only 6 months ago, she’s been taking her talent home and completely transforming the formerly uninspired space.

Name: Robyn and Drew Location: Logan Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,250 square feet Years lived in: 5 months Robyn and Drew’s vintage graystone apartment is filled with more than just cool-looking pieces, it’s filled with original vintage finds and soul for days. They choose their belongings thoughtfully and they take their time; they scour Craigslist and local vintage stores—they celebrate secondhand furniture for its craftsmanship and unique style.

Name: Alecia & Jon Zasiebida Location: Near North Side; Chicago, Illinois Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; rented The first thing you see when you enter Alecia and Jon’s apartment is sky. High ceilings and a wall of windows flood the space with openness, peace, and possibility. And the simple beauty that infuses their home only begins there. Alecia is a graphic designer with a love of simple, minimal style.

Name: Lauren Svenstrup of Studio Sven Location: Andersonville; Chicago, Illinois Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 2 years When Lauren’s House Call was featured this summer, readers were intrigued by her wonderful mix of vintage and modern, so I was thrilled when Lauren gave an enthusiastic “yes” for a full tour. On my recent visit to Lauren’s home, I was inspired by the distinct yet harmonious moods and tones she’s achieved in one relatively small space.

Name: Yana Puaca of NoMad Luxuries and Petar Location: Lakeview; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,385 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Owned The name of Yana’s lifestyle blog, NoMad Luxuries, also accurately describes the style of the home that she and her husband Petar share.

Name: Rebecca Crall & Eric Neagu (and Bailey) Location: Ravenswood; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; rented Warmth. It’s the word that best describes the feeling you get the moment you step inside Rebecca and Eric’s Chicago apartment.

Name: Brittany Skwierczynski and Brittany Purlee Location: Wicker Park — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,070 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Graphic designer Brittany Skwierczynski and photographer Brittany Purlee, art school classmates and friends reunited in Chicago, have collaborated in styling a two bedroom apartment in Wicker Park. This bright, lively space is a direct reflection of both of their creative backgrounds and welcoming personalities.

Location: Wicker Park; Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 7 years As a young person living in Chicago, I spent many hours rambling though Wicker Park, an area of the city that used to be synonymous with art and music. The neighborhood, home to historic flats on shady, tree-lined streets, has since been gentrified six ways from Sunday.

Name: Liz Klafeta, Founder Bangtel Location: Lakeview; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1100 square feet Years lived in: 1 When Liz moved to New York two years ago, she started renting out her revamped home in Humboldt Park on Airbnb. She couldn’t bring herself to sell since she had gut rehabbed every inch of the space. Instead, she chose to share the fruits of her blood, sweat, tears and expenditures with Chicago visitors. You can experience the magic for yourself on your next Chicago visit.

Name: Sam Rosen and Linsey Burritt Location: Noble Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Rented Linsey and Sam met in 2008. In 2009, Linsey realized her new friend Sam was the best friend she ever made so she asked him to dinner on graph paper. At the end of 2014, Sam asked Linsey, on an index card (her favorite) if she would marry him. This June they wed at the Garfield Park Conservatory (they love plants).

Name: Lauren Baker Location: Ravenswood; Chicago, Illinois Size: 927 square feet Years lived in: 10 months, owned From the moment Lauren opened the door, I knew this was going to be a fun tour. Lauren greeted me like an old friend, and her personal warmth and natural ease are evident throughout her home, as much of it is designed with one-of-a-kind pieces acquired through her relationships with local businesses and artisans.

Name: Gabriel Fontes de Faria & Grant Gochnauer Location: Wicker Park; Chicago, IL Size: 4,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; owned If I had to summarize Gabriel and Grant’s home in two words, I would pick “beauty” and “restraint.” The couple’s townhouse is elegant and pared down, and each element seems considered and loved.

Name: Allison Reijmer Location: Wicker Park, Chicago Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented Within a few minutes of entering Allison’s apartment, I was struck by three fantastic elements: 1) Lofted ceiling! 2) Gorgeous fresh flowers! and 3) The outstanding Bloody Mary I was offered within 5 minutes of meeting her! That’s like the Triple Crown of House Tour welcomes and a great first impression that perfectly matched Allison’s warm and stylish home.

Name: Luke and Claire Staszak Location: Logan Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 2 bedroom + office Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Luke and Claire are two incredibly warm and inspiring individuals. Spending time with them in their beautiful greystone included stories of their experiences living in New Zealand together, details on their impressive DIY projects, discussions about the music playing on their record player, and lots of laughter.

Name: Katie, Vincent & Baby Roman Fuentes Location: River West; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years If you ever wanted to know how to live with a newborn baby boy and still have your home exude sophistication and charm, look no further than Katie and Vincent’s apartment in the River West neighborhood of Chicago.

Name: Charles Hafner Location: Bowmanville — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 9 years; Owned Most people’s apartments are decorated in a way that is personal to them, but Charles Hafner brings this idea to another level. Different rooms in his big yet cozy Chicago apartment are dedicated to different members of his family.

Name: Marta Sasinowska and Mike Nourse Location: Pilsen neighborhood — Chicago, Ilinois Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Rented Marta and Mike like to call their apartment “the tree house,” because of the lofted spaces, the hammock, and the light streaming in through different corners as if through the branches of trees.

Name: Maggie and Howard Location: Logan Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; Owned When Maggie, Howard, and their gorgeous boys moved into their Logan Square house, it had just sat empty through a frigid Chicago winter.

Name: Kate Levinson and Mike Muschong and Snacks the cat Location: West Town — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented White walls and floors set the scene for Mike and Kate’s vibrant, patterned, curious, and classy home. Kate is no stranger to the interest of personalized space—her mother, Stephanie Wohlner, is a successful interior designer, and Kate is a location scout extraordinaire.

Name: Liz Klafeta, founder of BANGTEL Location: Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 9 years owned Often you hear people use words such as “daunting” or “time consuming” while referring to renovations. “Fun” and “having a blast” don’t come to mind. However, these are the exact words you’ll hear Liz use while describing the renovation process of this space.

Name: Sarah Location: Ukrainian Village — Chicago, Illinois My apartment is an 800 square foot coach house in Ukranian Village. It took a lot of scrubbing and painting to bring it up to my standards, but was worth it for the location. I went from a studio to a 1.5 bedroom and was able to furnish it pretty quickly with the help of my mom, auctions and Craigslist. The living room is the best looking, but I spend most of my time in the large kitchen and cozy bedroom.

Name: Kristen Basilo and Robby the cat Location: River West, Chicago, Illinois Size: 825 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; owned Kristen Basilo is the owner of Gather Home + Lifestyle and she says that she’s guilty of bringing her favorite items home with her. Most people’s homes would be hopelessly cluttered if they had access to so many beautiful things, but not Kristen. She’s mastered the art of living minimally.

Project by: Casey Location: Chicago, Illinois My husband and I purchased a condo in Chicago nine months ago, and we’ve slowly been working to transform every inch of the 1,200 square foot space. Determined to broaden my DIY skills and try out some new power tools. I vowed to makeover our guest room all by myself. I started by DIY’ing a wood wall treatment to create an accent behind the bed.

Name: Anna Curtis Location: Chicago, Illinois Size: 350 square feet Years lived in: 7 months; rented Small space living isn’t for everyone, but when Anna returned from a trip to Berlin, she was ready to come back to a familiar well-loved Chicago neighborhood. She jumped on this tiny 350 square foot studio. Immediately after setting foot inside, Anna agreed to take on the previous renter’s lease along with all of his much-too-large-for-a-studio furniture.

Name: Meg Gustafson Location: Uptown — Chicago, Illinois Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 3 months; rented For a short few months, Meg has lived in this familiar space—a high rise in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, on Lake Shore Drive. The building was built in 1959 and Meg’s grandma lived in this exact unit for years. In 1978, Meg’s parents took over and began renting it out.

Name: Andy Koch and Danielle Boachie, and cats Zeus and Miss Fluffy Location: Hyde Park, Chicago, Illinois Size: 325 square feet Years lived in: 8 months; rented For such a small space, Andy and Danielle have their limited square footage very well divided into areas with different purposes.

Name: Sarah Montgomery Location: Chicago, Ilinois Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year rented Sarah is proud of her entire 800 square feet, tucked away in a Ukrainian Village coach house, and rightfully so. She has brought art and whimsy into each of her rooms with a true DIY and frugal spirit, all while leaning on her past experience as a window display designer at Anthropologie and her current gig as a product designer at Eastern Accents.

Name: Travis Location: Lakeview — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, rented Travis grew up in Louisiana and Texas, but has been living in Chicago for a medical residency for the last couple years. He made sure to bring his southern roots with him in the form of decor. Travis’s apartment has a sort of dark & gothic feel to it. He attributes this to all the “dead things” around the apartment. He has taxidermy, bones and shells in every room.

Name: Dave and Mollie Code Location: West Loop — Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,300 square feet Years lived in: 1 years Tall ceilings, brick walls, sleek surfaces—this raw, industrial-style space is the home of Dave and Mollie Code. They run Studio Code together, a development firm based in Chicago with the goal of restoring the historic elements of homes while also creating functioning spaces.

From the moment you step inside, you are greeted with the open, honest expression of a couple who fills their home with good vibes, delicious food, and lots of great memories.