Featured Tour

“When I first walked into this apartment, I felt like I was stepping into a version of myself I had only seen in my dreams,” Sofiyat says.

The all-pink living room feels straight out of “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”

Plants and animals bring Najah so much joy that she’s surrounded herself with them in her botanical Atlanta home that “feels like a cool bar, coffee shop, or a library lounge.”

“I think social media is great, but I often see different iterations of the same home over and over on there (and lots of white and beige!), and I wanted my space to stand out,” writes Amanda Mactas.

Lina has only been renting the space for nine months, but in that time she's managed to take what was an all-white, run-down space and turn it into an incredibly cute and cozy home.

It’s only 700 square feet, but this renovated NYC apartment feels much larger thanks to two key elements.

After getting divorced, selling her house, and moving across the country, Elle was pretty much starting from scratch when it came to furniture, decor, and her "whole outlook on life! So I leaned into everything that makes me happy and feels like me."

Breaker Novogratz's small Lower East Side rental apartment has no closets. Like, zero. So he had to use the space wisely.

Mario and Maxime’s apartment is an airy and joyful space surrounded with plants and is filled with rugs, textiles, tables, and a couch all handmade by local artisans or vintage.

Dan Trumble and his wife wanted a clean, cozy, art-filled oasis when they moved into this blank Upper East Side rental apartment. With a small budget, they had to get creative.

A matcha bar, hidden projector, and the coolest closet/dining room: These two best friends have crafted a one-of-a-kind rental home in Los Angeles.

Design rules went out the window in this gorgeous home.

Before moving in, says children’s book illustrator and art director Steph Stilwell, this 800-square-foot, 100-year-old apartment in Prospect Lefferts Gardens was a “typical empty New York apartment,” with “[w]hite walls, lots of hardwood flooring, and some interesting design choices made by the owners.”A mere two months later, after putting her stamp on the space, Steph describes the apartment now as very colorful.

This Brooklyn rental apartment is a maximalist dream filled with color, cats, and a lot of coziness.

The bedroom is giving serious magazine vibes, thanks to green limewashed walls and a six-foot-tall DIY mirror. And the owners made a design choice that everyone (even the painters!) was skeptical about at first.

This 650-square-foot loft in Hancock Park demonstrates how “design can be both personal and practical without compromising aesthetics.”

When Sophie moved into her cabin, she found lots of hidden treasures from the previous owner that she has since given a new life. Through the power of DIY, Sophie has turned her cabin into a cozy haven for her and her dog Lucy.

Elijah Banks’ 800-square-foot studio apartment in Los Angeles might be a rental, but it's packed with personality, plants, and a giant green shag rug.

There are so many unique, renter-friendly DIYs in this apartment.

Emily decorated her rental with a maximalist, light academic slant, with touches of whimsy. (She also made pineapples, skulls, and disco balls work together in one small space.)

$70K plus a lot of blood, sweat, and tears turned this garage into a tiny home with a sleeping loft, full kitchen, walk-in closet, and “fairly sizable” bathroom.

With just $5K and a creative vision, Keegan turned a cold, boxy studio in Echo Park into a warm, charming rental home.

A pink marble mantel, a gorgeous vintage vanity, and envy-inducing closet space make this fashion and lifestyle creator's small Brooklyn apartment shine.

Color and art represent Carolina’s Puerto Rican and tropical side in her apartment, which is a classic prewar unit with arches, wood floors, crown molding, and ceiling beams.

Discover all the cozy gemstone colors and global bohemian style in this 550-square-foot Manhattan studio apartment.

Rachel and John initially worried this purchase was a “colossal mistake.” The kitchen counters were literally just plywood, furniture was painted around, and the house was a bit of a “disaster.” But it was also “weird in lots of good ways.”

Illustrator Danica Andler’s LA home has unmistakable Art Deco, Old Hollywood style, with original tiles, corbels, an ornate fireplace, and other one-of-a-kind details.

“I believe it’s important to come home to a space that feels calming and like a little oasis just for yourself,” Lakesha Charles says.

Miguel and his husband, Gabriel, wanted bold, vibrant colors like those found in 8-bit video games for their Barcelona apartment’s renovation. See which colors they went with!

And the custom Flavor Paper wallpaper is also extremely cool and personal.

It can sleep up to three people!

Allie isn't afraid to use color, mix patterns, or embrace maximalism. "My space doesn't feel like an apartment I'm renting, but rather a home that I've created that is welcome to all."

Designer Rodney Alday’s vision was to “restore elegance and grandeur” to his apartment, highlighting architectural features such as high ceilings, sash windows, wall paneling, and an original fireplace.

Sara painted every wall and some of the furniture in this apartment to add personality to her apartment that’s located in Sondrio, Italy.

It’s hard to believe that this house felt “not loved” at one point.

“Creating a sense of balance was key,” explains renter Kelsey Matyas of this “soft but grounded, warm but not overly styled” Manhattan apartment.

See inside a charming 1920s apartment with vintage bathroom tiles, a pedestal sink, a tiny stall shower, and crank windows.

La Carmina is a blogger about “Japan cute culture, travel and design” and her small apartment’s design puts a “personal kawaii (cute Japan) spin on Mid-Century Modern.”

Kylie used salvaged architectural materials like windows, doors, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, and more to transform a dated garage into an incredibly cozy cottage.

It was important to Serena to create a home that was calm but could also “easily host up to 10 people because I love having my friends around me in this place.”

“My favorite thing about our home is the way it feels like a true respite from the hustle and bustle of the city,” Hattie says.

When Sheryl Song first bought this apartment, she could only afford a few IKEA pieces. “Slowly, over the next ten years, I transformed this apartment into a reflection of who I am — one chair, one corner, one layer at a time.”

Katy Ma is a user experience designer, so when it came to designing her home — this 400-square-foot apartment in the East Village she rented for three years — it was important for her to “create a home that is very functional” for how she wanted to live. “I’ve maximized storage solutions in closets, cabinets, and underneath my bed so that I can have everything I need but don’t have too much visual clutter,” Katy says.

With only 290 square feet and one closet, Elizabeth created functional storage out of thin air with $300 (and a few tears).

This literature professor and fiber artist has turned a “dingy, run-down, cramped” apartment located in an attic into an incredibly layered, fascinating, rich, comfortable, and artistic home.

Beautiful delights and colorful gems: This very well may be the most gorgeous apartment in Paris.

See how renter Sarah Elsner created a nook for her bed with a standing shelf and a DIY dried flower bar hanging above her bed that she's been collecting for 20 years.

Discover how this renter used an IKEA find, a common building material, and hand tools to make a brilliant and stylish DIY room divider in a studio.

There are so many beautiful couches (and boots!) in this home.

The home is extremely bright and colorful, and there is so much South Asian influence everywhere.

This small house hadn’t been updated for decades and was a “big mess,” but Harry and Marja renovated the whole house — they even taught themselves to plaster the walls in the bedroom.

“We've transformed every inch of our 750-square-foot space as our family has grown from newlyweds to a family of five.”

Gina knows *exactly* where everything is in her 870-square-foot apartment; she's custom designed her home to house her treasures perfectly.

When Bachelor Nation alum Katie Thurston and husband, comedian Jeff Arcuri, first moved in together, they decided to start with a blank slate and design their home together to match both of their personalities.

Kit and John love this apartment’s vaulted ceilings, French doors, and outdoor space (and more!) so much, they’ve rented it for 14 years.

This 100-year-old San Francisco apartment was completely transformed with bold wallpaper, vibrant color, and playful details.

This clever condo shows how smart design, clear furniture, and lots of sunlight can make even the smallest homes feel spacious.

It’s so dreamy.

Camilla replaced 1970s light fixtures and painted nearly every room in the house with Benjamin Moore’s Simply White. But they haven’t erased the house’s history. “We have respected the age of our home and left many things as is.

Sam’s rental apartment is partially underground, so some parts don’t get a lot of light! Along with dealing with dark corners, he’s also had to get creative with creating privacy, storage solutions, and more.

“I got creative with fun ways to add color and personality to blank walls — DIY fabric wallpaper, gallery walls, vintage plates, pennants, and book pages have been some of my favorite paint alternatives,” explains Marissa Zingg.

Ben and Leon “have intentionally curated a space that feels calm and cohesive.”

“The color scheme for this project is double complementary: red-orange + blue-green/orange-yellow + blue-violet, which offers the visual interest and dynamic energy that occurs when pairing two sets of complementary colors together.”

It's one of two kitchens in the home!

Interior designer Gail Davis opens up her home.

“I think the most unique aspect of our home is how we've managed to create storage spaces that are discreet and unobtrusive,” writes Alan of his small, renovated apartment in Barcelona.

"As a plant-collecting maximalist, I've blended greenery and decor to create such a peaceful and nature-inspired vibe," writes homeowner Jeremy Rebelo.

Each time, sound musician Jackie Cantwell has transformed small rental apartments with color, cool vibes, and style.

Justine added removable peel-and-stick tile backsplash, changed out handles and outlet covers, and installed new overhead light fixtures to transform this 600-square-foot rental.

“I’d also describe my home as mid-century-Parisian,” writes renter Anna. “I even have a bunch of decor that came straight from the set dec department of 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'!”

"I wanted to give my own modern spin on a classic Victorian SF style," writes renter Juliana. "Each room is meant to have a rich color that stands out on its own, but speaks to the other rooms in the house."

This rental came with dust, grime, and even cigarette butts in the kitchen sink, but Elizabeth “looked past all of that for the great layout and price!”