Contemporary Cottage

Every single detail in this 100-year-old rental house is gorgeous, from the floors to the Greek-inspired sisal rug, down-filled sofas, antique gallery wall, and intricate ceiling detail.

And we bet you'll think so, too.

This 1980s brick veneer house was updated with built-ins, craftsmanship, and art.

Name: Kirsty Davey and Simon Taylor and their daughter, Mali Location: Victoria, Australia Size: 180 square meters (1,672 square feet) Years lived in: 7 years; Rented Kirsty and Simon moved to Victoria’s coast from Melbourne when they realized they were spending nearly every weekend there to feed Simon’s addiction to the Australian surf. It’s been a love affair ever since, with weekends spent cooking, surfing, gardening, and enjoying the relaxed coastal lifestyle.

Name: Joel and Jessica Nickerson and their two daughters Location: Denton, Texas Size: 2,000 square feet Years Lived In: 8 years, owned Jessica has filled each room of her home with unique finds, DIY elements, and vintage pieces to create a warm and welcoming environment. On her blog, House Homemade, she shares her passion for creating a cozy home and demonstrates how to recreate her favorite DIY pieces.

Name: Corinne Schnieders Location: Balboa Island, California Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 9 months, renting Corinne has never been one to follow the crowd, so when it came time to decorate her apartment on Balboa Island in sunny Southern California, she made this back guest house all her own. Forget the bohemian beach style populating everyone’s Pinterest boards these days; this mechanical engineer followed her heart by gathering finds that reflect her love of comfort and fun.

Name: Dee Campling, her husband, three children and cockapoo Ted Location: Cheltenham — Gloucestershire, UK Years lived in: 18 years, owned Cheltenham-based interior and event stylist Dee Campling has recently risen to Instagram fame with her fresh, eclectic, and highly accessible approach to interiors and her often wry and funny take on family life.

Name: Kate and Matt Williams, their children Daisy and Joseph, and their whippets Mimi and Olive Location: Mistley — Essex, UK Years lived in: 3 1/2 years This Georgian home dates back to 1710 and sits on one side of the scenic High Street of Mistley village on the Stour Estuary in Essex. The air is scented with the salty smell of the river and the malty hops brewing in the large red-brick brewery nearby.

Name: Violet Victoria Dent and Harry Dent Location: Notting Hill, London Size: 588 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, renting Millennial pink, rose quartz — whatever you call it, pink is definitely having a moment. One designer in London loves it so much she’s surrounded herself with plenty of shades of pink in the maisonette she shares with her husband in Notting Hill, London.

Name: Kim and Patrick + daughter Fiona + dog CeCe Location: Brighton, Michigan Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned Built in 1940 — with a mint green exterior and eggplant shutters — Kim and Patrick’s Cape Cod style house is steeped in history. “There has only been one owner prior to us and the land for the home was originally parceled from the lot belonging to the house next door.

Name: Courtney, Paul, and (daughter) Redding Location: Corktown — Detroit, Michigan Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned After living in Brooklyn for 10 years, Courtney and Paul relocated to Detroit in 2016 and took a chance on buying a house…without ever walking inside. The couple discovered the property through family: Paul’s cousin moved back to the Motor City a few years before them and found this duplex. Now they all currently live in it!

Name: Amanda Jaffe, Kate McCann, Carina Romano Location: Fleischmanns, New York Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: Less than a year, owned Sometimes friends get together and profess their love of the same tall mountains and winding roads. For Amanda, Kate and Carina (me!), these confessions and conversations resulted in buying a dream getaway together in the ever-inspiring Catskill Mountains.

Name: Danielle and Ely Franko Location: Tannersville, New York Size: 1,529 square feet Years Lived In: Every weekend for the past two years, owned “We purchased our home two years ago, somewhat on a whim,” begins Ely Franko. He and his wife Danielle love living and working in New York City, but after five years of a hectic urban life, they had started to yearn for “greener pastures.” The couple weren’t very familar with Tannersville, or the Hunter Mountain area.

Name: Trudy Crane Location: Old Montreal Size: 1250 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, renting After working as an executive in the fashion industry for many years, Trudy decided to pursue her dream and switched to a career as a ceramicist. Inspired by nature and the many shades of white, she creates beautiful and organic ceramics under the name of Looks Like White.

Name: Jess Cooney Location: Great Barrington, Massachusetts Size: 3,000 square feet Years Lived In: 7 years, renting New England-based interior designer Jess Cooney worked reno magic on an old carriage house a few years ago. Everything from an exterior paint job to a complete refresh of the interior transformed what was an outdated, dark space.

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: Wendy van Wilgenburg and two sons Willem (10), and Adam (12) Location: Zaandam, The Netherlands Size: 1700 square feet (the house), 4700 square feet (garden) Years lived in: 6.5 years, owned My name is Wendy van Wilgenburg, and I am a visual anthropologist and documentary filmmaker focusing on craftmanship. I have made films on master craftmanship for over twenty years and decided to found the Craft in Focus Festival to engage a large audience with the beauty of handmade objects.

Name: Stacey Norkun and Chris Norkun Location: Salem, Massachusetts Size: 2,629 square feet Years Lived In: 3.5 years, owned We would visit Salem often in the early 2000s and loved the history, culture, and vibrancy of the city. It was a place that always held special meaning in our hearts. After some years living in the metro D.C. area, we decided to move back to New England, and Salem was the obvious choice—it had just the right amount of kitsch and character we were looking for.

Name: Debbie and Martyn Wright Location: Clevedon, North Somerset, United Kingdom Size: 3200 square feet Years Lived In: Owned for 4 years After the children left the nest, Debbie and Martyn Wright decided it was time for them to create their dream home. Having searched for four years, they finally found this 1960s bungalow, which sat on an amazing plot with uninterrupted views of the countryside.

Name: Chambers Austelle Location: Charleston, South Carolina Size: 1,374 square feet Years lived in: 5.5 years, renting Chambers Austelle is a renowned artist based in Charleston, South Carolina. She’s actually lived in Charleston all her life; she grew up learning to swim at her family home on East Battery. This connection to her city continues to be strong and she’s heavily involved in the artistic community.

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.

Caroline is owner of Patchwork Harmony, an interiors and lifestyle blog celebrating all that is vintage, thrifty and handmade.

Name: Cynthia Zamaria and Graham Loughton Location: Keene — Ontario, Canada Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, owned Cynthia possesses an incredible ability to see the potential for a space and then make it come to life. For years she has been exercising her creativity through interior design by transforming her family’s city and country homes.

Name: Kyla Magrath Location: Bristol, United Kingdom Size: 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 14 years, owned I first came across designer Kyla on Instagram, where she regularly uploads snaps of her Victorian home she shares with her husband, two children, and a dog in St. Werburghs in Bristol. Kyla is certainly not afraid of colors, especially the darker tones.

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: David and Katy Kippen, and dogs Violet and Wally Location: Laurelhurst — NE Portland, Oregon Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 12 years, owned When Katy and David bought their 1922 Craftsman bungalow in Portland a dozen years ago, they visualized a place where they could enjoy privacy and calm, despite their home’s very urban location. With time and patience they have created their ideal space: modern, minimal and inspired by “nature, open spaces, and contrast.

Name: Matt and Ali Murray, daughter Tennyson, 2, and Lucky, the Mini Aussie Location: Newberg, Oregon Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: Owned, 5.5 years Six years ago, Matt told Ali that he found their dream home in Newberg, a small town in Oregon’s wine country about an hour from Portland. They had previously lived together in downtown Portland, and later owned a house in a southwest suburb of the city…and weren’t actually in the market for a new home.

Name: Bonney Johnson and Lou Patrick, and son Hal Location: Arbor Lodge Neighborhood — Portland, Oregon Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned After living in a series of apartments in California that were that were sad, gray boxes, Bonney and Lou found a 1904 home to call their own in the Arbor Lodge neighborhood of North Portland, just a couple miles north of downtown.

Name: Carolyn Rebuffel Flannery and husband Location: San Rafael Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned When we first saw the fabulous bungalow home at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, we were smitten. The interiors were mostly original and there was a giant blue farm sink in the kitchen, original to the house. Regretfully, the sink was completely impractical but we are turning it into a potting sink in the garden.

Name: Michelle Grayson and family Location: Brisbane, Queensland Size: 2,874 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, owned Atop one of the highest residential streets of Brisbane grows a huge fig tree, and beneath its leaves is a nearly 100-year-old home. Inside this house, behind its stained glass front door, is the cozy and inviting home of Michelle Grayson, one half of the genius behind Sprout Gallery.

Name: Michaela Grut and family Location: Lidingö — Stockholm, Sweden Size: 1,936 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Michaela Grut comes from a creative family—there have been artists in several generations of her history. So it comes as no surprise that she’s found herself in a career that stretches her artistic muscles.

Like the jewelry boxes of toy treasures from childhood, this little box of a house holds all of this "curated maximalist's" favorite things.

This warm, organic Tudor-style house will make you want to move to New Zealand immediately.

Name: Kate Richards, her husband, and 13 feathered or furry animals Location: Los Angeles, California Size: 1,500 square feet Years Lived In: 10 years, owned Sure, Kate Richards of Drinking with Chickens may like to occasionally imbibe with poultry, but behind the scenes this self-taught cocktail blogger, color-embracing artist, self-proclaimed professional drinker, and insanely hilarious Instagrammer works hard to maintain her charming life.

Name: Shawna Smith, her husband and two sons Location: Downers Grove, Illinois Size: 1,350 square feet Years lived in: 7 months, owned “Myself, my husband, and our two little boys lived in Chicago for years before deciding to take the leap and move to the ‘burbs,” writes interior stylist Shawna Smith. “We chose Downers Grove for its small-town appeal and outstanding schools.

Name: Kristin Nicholas. I live here with my husband Mark and teenage daughter Julia Location: Western Massachusetts Size: 3500 square feet Years lived in: 20 years, owned Our home was built in 1751 in western Massachusetts on a south facing knoll. It sits alongside an abandoned apple orchard that backs up to a small mountain populated with all kinds of wildlife. In the orchard during the growing season, our flock of sheep and lambs graze and rest, graze and sleep.