Chicago

Name: Bert Fox & David Pickett + Sophie the PugLocation: West Lakeview, Chicago, IllinoisSize: 830 square feetYears lived in: 1 year, 10 months; Rented When Bert and David rented their first apartment together, they enlisted the assistance of a friend and interior designer to help them turn it into a home. With a mix of vintage furniture and rich colors, they’ve managed to turn a standard issue Chicago apartment into a comfortable and stylish home.

Name: Kelly and MichaelLocation: Hyde Park, Chicago, ILSize: 1,480 square feetYears lived in: 3 years; rented The last word that one probably wants to use in reference to one’s home is “clinical,” but according to Kelly, that’s what the space felt like when she and her husband Michael moved into their university-provided housing three years ago.

Name: Elizabeth Krueger & Brent SandersLocation: Ukrainian Village — Chicago, IllinoisSize: 1,250 square feetYears lived in: 1.5 years — rented The downturn in the housing market has left many high end, new construction apartments and condos sitting empty.

Name: Dean Fisher (and Bunny, a corgi-beagle mix) Location: Logan Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom Years lived in: 1.5 — rented One of the first things Dean said to me was, “I love old things.” A glance around her apartment will confirm this statement, as the eye readily falls on vintage furniture, taxidermy, and old copies of National Geographic. The place is full of antique treasures, but make no mistake: this is no fusty lair.

Name: Jess ConstableLocation: East Lakeview — Chicago, IllinoisSize: 725 square feetYears lived in: 1 year — rented Jess has striven to turn her plain-Jane rental into a lovely comfortable home. Along the way, she often referred back to Summer Thornton’s house tour, which we posted way back in 2008. (Further proof that traditional elegant style is timeless.) Jess is one busy lady.

Name: Nicole ZieglerProfession: Graphic Designer/Art DirectorLocation: Wicker Park, ChicagoType: 700 sq ft rented 1 bedroom brick townhouseYears lived in: 9 months >> A lot of Nicole’s finds come from family and near her Scranton, PA roots, creating what she calls her “vintage comfortable” apartment.

Name: Emily BallardProfession: Gallery Assistant/ Appraisal SupervisorLocation: Lincoln Park, ChicagoSize: Roughly 300 sq ft rented studioTime lived in: 7 months >> With solid bones and some interesting history, Emily has been able to make her Lincoln Park studio an open, light, whimsical yet thought-out home in just a few months. In a building that used to be a hotel, the (small) floor plans of each unit replicate those of vintage hotels.

Name: Summer and Josh ThorntonProfession: Summer – Owner, Summer Thornton Design, Josh – AdvertisingLocation: Lincoln ParkSize: 700 square feetYears lived in: A little over 1Type: 1 bedroom condo in 1890’s brick and greystone >> Those of you who joined as at our last Design Meetup know Summer. She was one of our guests, giving us the scoop on what it is like to run her own design business in Chicago.

Name: Amy (and Janis, her Maltese)Profession: Editor & Founder of Venus Zine and venuszine.comLocation: Humboldt Park, Chicago Size: About 500 square feetYears lived in: 1 year, ownedType: 1920s brick apartment building-turned-condos >> Amy is a wiz at working from the ground up. In college, she started a black-and-white stapled fanzine that evolved into Venus Zine, an internationally distributed full-sized glossy that covers women in pop culture.

Name: Andreas Location: Greektown, Chicago Size: 1,000 sq. ft. Years lived in: 8 months I’m inspired by the Danish Modern movement, specifically Grete Jalk, Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner. I really wanted my home to look different than any place I’d seen before. I wanted it completely different than the way it was when I moved in…and it is (see the “Before” photos). And I love good chairs!