Featured Tour

Name: Lily, Oli, and Chloé ( 5, 4, 2) Location: Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Montreal — Canada Years ago, we shared our Lily and Oli’s shared room here on Apartment Therapy. Since then, we’ve added our third child, our daughter Chloé to the room. Now that we are officially crib-free, and still happily using one bedroom for our three little ones, I thought it was time to share the many changes we’ve made.

Name: Isaac Orloff and his dogs, Sammy and Roo Location: Dogpatch — San Francisco, California Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 2 months Animator Isaac Orloff and his two pups, Sammy and Roo, have found a home in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco. Having kept an eye out for an apartment in the city that was affordable, dog-friendly, and stylish for years, Isaac was able to land this triple-threat abode just two months ago.

Name: Thomas Wegner Location: Longfellow — Minneapolis, MN Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 20 months; Owned Longfellow, one of south Minneapolis’ tight-knit neighborhoods, is full of row after row of early 1900s gems. The exteriors of these houses—which are found throughout the Twin Cities—share many similarities, so walking into a unique interior like Thomas’ is a special treat.

Name: Kenya Moncada and Conner Jay and their dog, Hugo Location: Marina District — San Francisco, California Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented When Kenya and Conner aren’t traveling for work, they can be found at home in their top floor Marina District apartment in San Francisco.

Name: Bill and Kristina Sager and their dog, Wisco Location: Fletcher Hills, California Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Creative duo Kristina and Bill breathed new life into their San Diego area Mid-century modern home while also lovingly preserving its gorgeous original character. Both Wisconsin natives, the couple met while working together in advertising in Milwaukee.

Name: Gary and Chelsey Knight and their cats, Scout, Boo, Atticus, and Ella Fitzgerald Location: Astoria, New York Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Musicians Gary and Chelsey Knight’s open and airy Astoria flat boasts two features that many big city apartments lack: natural light and space.

Name: Christina Birch and Lars Fynbo and their two sons Location: Zealand, Denmark Size: 39 square meter (420 square feet) Years lived in: 8 years; Owned When Christina, a photographer, and Lars, a sociology professor, decided to continue living in central Copenhagen with their two boys, they knew they’d also need a place in the country for peace and nature.

Name: James and Kelsea Gaynor and their roommate, Bridget Murphy Location: Harlem — New York City, NY Size: 2 bedroom, 2 bath Years lived in: 1 year; Rented It’s hard to believe that newlyweds Kelsea—owner of East Olivia Creative Company—and James only recently moved into their Harlem apartment after relocating from Los Angeles. Their gorgeous fifth floor, two-story flat (complete with a rooftop patio!) feels just lived-in enough to be cozy and inviting.

Name: Shannon Retseck and Alex Boatman and their two cats Location: West Philadelphia Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented Like many apartments in West Philadelphia, Shannon Retseck and Alex Boatman’s is located in an old Victorian home. When Shannon first moved in a year ago, the apartment needed a lot of updating—the counters were outdated and the walls needed a fresh coat of paint.

Name: Emily and Colin and their dog, Scruffy Location: Greenwood Heights/South Slope — Brooklyn, NY Size: 1000 square feet Years Lived In: Colin for 4, Emily for 2; Rented One day, a little over four years ago, after always being attracted to a particular building’s rugged facade, Colin took a chance and rang the superintendent’s doorbell. As fate would have it, one of the lofts was vacant and Colin immediately took it!

Name: Justin and Meg Location: Toronto, Ontario Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented When Justin and Meg walked into this house—after visiting about 60 houses and doing six months of research—they knew immediately it was the one. A lot of people wanted this place, and they had to basically beg the landlord daily until he finally gave in and let them have it.

Name: Ethan Morris and Tarleton Walmsley-Morris and their cats, Tozer and Etta Location: Asheville, North Carolina Size: 980 square feet Years lived in: 6 years: Rented Antique dealers Tarleton and Ethan have filled their home with many of their favorite finds, and the result is an eclectic mix of art, textiles, and Mid-century furnishings.

Name: Jennifer Maxcy and her husband, son, and their dogs, Doug and Daisy Location: Newbury Park — Ventura County, California Size: 1,143 square feet Years lived in: 7 months; Owned Stylist and maker Jennifer Maxcy of The Ranch Uncommon employs the same vision and design ethos in her home goods collection as she does in styling her personal abode. Her approach celebrates unique finds, pairs vintage with new, and favors the handcrafted and repurposed.

Project by: Lee Location: Mequon, Wisconsin We moved into our house in 2004. At that time, the house was like a time capsule of early-70s design, so we promptly gutted the kitchen and family room. Eleven years later, I decided it was time for another update … but with the big money we sank into it a decade ago, I wanted to do it all myself this time, as inexpensively as possible. In 2004, we spent around $20,000 on our gut re-do.

Name: Blanca Martinez and Cody Perez Location: Seattle, Washington Size: 1160 square feet (560 sq ft cottage with a 600 sq ft basement) Years lived in: 2 years; Rented When Blanca Martinez and Cody Perez moved into their small, one-bedroom cottage in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, they immediately saw the potential for more usable living space in the concrete basement—all it needed was a good bit of TLC.

Name: Liza Monteagudo and David E. Peterson + Dog, Paco Location: Grant Park — Atlanta, Georgia Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years Designer and DIY guru Liza Monteagudo and abstract painter David E. Peterson have created an eclectic, creative home in the Grant Park neighborhood of Atlanta. It’s a treasure trove of David’s paintings, art from Liza’s home of Puerto Rico, carefully chosen antiques, and plenty of clever DIYs.

Name: Brooke Voss and Jerrid Voss and their two dogs Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Five years ago, Brooke and her husband downsized and moved themselves from the suburbs to Minneapolis’ booming warehouse district, the North Loop. Those five years have brought changes and improvements to the surrounding area, while Brooke has used her expertise as an interior designer to carefully design an intriguing loft space.

Name & Location: Maya in Fort Greene — Brooklyn, New York My Favorite Room: Master Bedroom Suite Specs: 700 square feet The master bedroom floor of our 1903 Brooklyn townhouse was really choppy and awkward with lots of unusable space. There was a very small bathroom, a tiny bedroom (which I basically used as a closet) and a master bedroom with a series of weirdly laid out closets and a random bathroom vanity thrown in the middle.

Name: Larissa Gaul, boyfriend Jack, roommate Matt, dog Gustav, and cat Mishka Location: Fairmount — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Rented Larissa Gaul’s apartment does not have an abundance of natural light. Located on the first floor of a row house, it has two windows in the front and two in the back but zero anywhere else. Most people might find the lack of light gloomy, but Larissa doesn’t mind.

Name: Susanna Luck and Tod Hyland of pistils & stamen Location: 1515 NW 23rd Ave in Portland, OR Size: 98 square feet Years owned/worked: 14 months Susanna was born in England and came to the US in her twenties for art school. After years in San Francisco and Los Angeles, she found herself in Portland working as an animator before suddenly and unexpectedly losing her job.

Name: John and Laura Frame Location: Wrightwood, California Size: 2,500 square feet Years lived in: 30 years; Owned I’m a fan of sculpting mastermind John Frame, so touring his home was an honor, which makes it difficult for me to write this feature without giving you an essay-style rundown of his poignant, otherworldly carvings and stop-motion animations.

Project by: Alex Location: German Village — Columbus, Ohio My girlfriend and I recently purchased a 1885 brick cottage in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus, OH. While the house had great bones and needed nothing major, it was very outdated and needed a lot of cosmetic work. We renovated the entire first floor, including drywalling all of the walls and ceilings, refinishing the original old growth pine floors, and redoing the entire kitchen and layout.

Name: Sara Dahlquist and Shawn Dimke, sons August-Jack and Hudson, dogs London and Tallulah, and cat Maddog Location: Portland, Oregon Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 5 months; Owned Sara, Shawn and their brood just moved into their North Portland home a few months ago, but you’d never know that by how inviting and put-together the space feels.

Name: Alex Geriner and the amazing shoulder-balancing cat Isfahani Location: Uptown — New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Rented The colorful exterior, the big bright windows, the original wood floors – Alex’s apartment in New Orleans’ Uptown neighborhood certainly isn’t lacking in charming architectural details.

Names: Jag Nagra, Agata Matyszcuk and their two dogs Location: Port Coquitlam — British Columbia, Canada Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Owned “When Agata and I decided to move in (and purchase our first home together), we went to visit a new townhouse development on a lazy weekend on a whim,” begins Jag. “As soon as we walked in, we knew we had to live there. It was the only place we visited in person and it was exactly what we wanted.

Name: Francesca and her cat, Shady Location: Southeast Portland, Oregon Size: 421 square feet Years lived in: 9 months: Rented When Francesca moved to Portland from upstate New York two years ago, she only brought a few suitcases with her. Since then, she’s been working for Airbnb, where she finds herself looking at beautiful interiors all day long and nesting beautifully in the first space she’s lived in by herself.

Name: Courtney Halverson and Eric Neujahr Location: Echo Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented I discovered Courtney and Eric’s home via Instagram. Courtney, an actress and the blogger behind Pretty Little Fawn, would post occasional photos that led me to believe her passions included not only fashion but extended into home decoration and interiors.

Name: Noah Hollander Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 958 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Owned When a friend suggested I check out Noah’s space, all I had to hear was “historic Cream of Wheat factory,” “huge vinyl collection on display,” and “striped wall” and I was sold! Noah’s apartment in an industrial area of northeast Minneapolis certainly didn’t disappoint.

Name: Alison and Jeff Allen (and sons Finn & Gus) Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 2,200 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Owned I stumbled upon Alison’s home via Instagram and knew right away that I found a gem. A bold teal living room is always a good sign! As I got to know Alison through her blog (Deuce Cities Henhouse), which features her home improvement projects, my excitement grew to see it in person.

Name: Grant Devine Location: Fort Point — Boston, Massachusetts Size: 350 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented On the way up from the trendy lobby in Grant’s building—a recently converted shoe factory in the rapidly developing Fort Point neighborhood—he tells me that a year ago it would have been unimaginable to invite a photographer into his home. He explains that in his first year here, he did little more than move in the essentials.

Name: Allen Loeb and Nate Clark Location: West Hollywood — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,450 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; Owned When my friend Jason Martin told me about Allen and Nate’s gorgeous West Hollywood home, I jumped at the opportunity to photograph it. This home is one that is stylish but warmly minimal. Each room has a personal touch that expresses their personalities but still feels both refined and functional.

Name: Vaishali and Rasesh Shah and their son, Malhar Location: Ahmedabad, India Size: 5,400 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Owned The outskirts of western Ahmedabad are dotted with farmhouses and weekend getaways. Driven by their love for nature, Vaishali and Rasesh made the decision to move away from the city into a home that brings together all their passions: the outdoors, travel and the quiet life.

Name & Location: Kaylee in South Jordan, Utah My Favorite Room: Living Room Specs: 200 Square Feet My husband and I bought our first home about a year after we got married and immediately set to work on updating the living room (it’s the first thing people see when they walk through the door). The entire house was dark tan when we moved in, including the trim, so just updating the paint made a huge difference!

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: Lauren Rogoff Location: Union Square/Flatiron/Chelsea; New York City, New York Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Just beyond the bustling Union Square Farmer’s Market, the Flatiron’s shadow, and Chelsea’s world famous 5th Avenue shopping attractions, an attorney by day and fine artist by night strikes the perfect blend between urban and rustic.

Name & Location: Kari in Dallas, Texas My Favorite Room: Family Room Specs: 275 Square Feet My husband Ryan and I moved into our home two months ago. We always talked about buying a fixer-upper and making it our own. Then, something crazy happened. We had kids. Between the toddler tantrums and an angelic newborn, a fixer-upper no longer seemed fun. Priorities, y’all. So instead we found a move-in ready home and fell in love instantly!

Name: Steve and Robin Anderson and their two sons Location: Cambridgeport — Cambridge, Massachusetts Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 8 years; Owned Robin and Steve’s condo in a former elementary school is a playful convergence of colors and textures. It’s an ode to surf, sand and sun. But it wasn’t always that way. They purchased the condo pre-construction almost a decade ago, when the developer was still in the process of converting the school into residences.

Name: Joyce Chen and her fiancé Location: West Oakland—Oakland, California Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented When Joyce moved into her now-fiancé’s West Oakland loft a couple of years ago, she knew it would be a challenge to have the space embrace both their styles. The loft previously had a personal gym and bar area in the living room and didn’t quite give off the warm and homey vibe Joyce wanted in their home.

Name: Amy Gustafson, Stephanie Ingold and their dogs, Lenny and Marvel Location: Northeast Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 4 years owned for Amy; 2 years rented for Stephanie Amy and Steph have been friends for over a decade.

Name: David and Ashe Pellew and their three children Location: West Coolup; Western Australia Size: 180 square meters (1,938 square feet) Years lived in: 14 Months; Owned One afternoon Ashe and David, along with their three children, drove past an old farm that was for sale in a tiny town in the south of Western Australia. At that moment, they fell in love with its charms and promptly bought it the next day, thus fulfilling a dream that they had had together since they were only 17 years old.

Name: Taylor Fimbrez and Wesley Moon (plus pups Squid & Marbles) Location: East Village — New York, New York Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 5 years Do you remember when you were little, and you’d go to a friend’s house, and just want to spend hours looking at all their toys and their delightful stuff?

Name: Brian and Dara Packer and their kids, Daphne, Maddox, and Amelia Jane Location: Ellicott City, outside of Baltimore, Maryland Size: 2,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Brian and Dara have had plenty of time to perfect their personal style. The couple met in high school and married after college graduation, having attended different schools in the same area. The first home they shared was a condo in the historic Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore.

Name: Nick and Julia and their three children Location: Toronto, Ontario Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 8 years Modern, colorful and striking, this renovated home is full of great architectural features, elegant design and clean lines. Nick and Julia love the family- and party-friendly home they were able to create with the help of Solares Architecture, a firm that renovates and builds environmentally integrated homes.

Name: Robert and Jocelyn Rahm and their children, Odessa and Wyeth Location: Portland, Oregon Size: 2,300 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Owned Robert and Jocelyn are the proprietors of one of Portland’s most beautiful home stores, Beam & Anchor, so it’s no surprise that their own space is filled with lovingly crafted furniture, gorgeous textiles, interesting vintage pieces, and thoughtful modern accents.

Name & Location: Courtney in Midtown — Tulsa, Oklahoma My Favorite Room: Living Room Specs: 180 Square Feet This room is special to my husband and me because it is where we met! Since then, we got married, I moved in and a lot of things changed! Just about every detail of the room has our special touch on it making it a place where we love to spend time. I reupholstered and changed the shape of our couch with a beautiful grey fabric from West Elm to make it a little more modern.

Name: Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason, founders of Aphrochic Location: Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York Size: 1200 square feet Years lived in: 18 months When Jeanine and Bryan moved to New York from Philadelphia 18 months ago, they were drawn to this apartment in Crown Heights because “it just felt like Brooklyn”.

Name: Andrea Koran and Elliott Torres and their daughter, Ella Location: Wilmette, Illinois Size: 980 square feet Years lived in: 16 years; Owned Andrea and Elliott’s home feels like a cozy cottage, or maybe a vacation home by a lake. Considering that Lake Michigan is just two miles away, it’s a lake house that they live in year-round. Graphic designer Andrea and software engineer Elliott both create things at their jobs, so they say that they don’t do much DIY at home.

Name: Kristen Shenk Location: Northwest Portland, Oregon Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Owned Kristen moved from Ohio to Portland to work as a graphic designer for Nike and has loved the process of setting up her first home. Her space is a direct reflection of her career, her personal style, and her love of a modern, graphic aesthetic.

Name: Sarah and Morgan Dews, their kids Tallulah and Max, and Cosmo the dog and Leroy the cat Location: Ocean Park Neighborhood — Santa Monica, California Size: 1,450 square feet Years lived in: Owned 6 years (and soon to be moving!) Sarah and Morgan are two world travelers whose paths crossed in Barcelona, Spain in 2004. Morgan, who grew up in the states between the east and west coast, fled to Spain in his twenties in search of adventure.

Name: Mariana and Manuel and their cat, Bamboo Location: Tøyen — Oslo, Norway Size: 525 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; renting Welcome to Scandi Week—Apartment Therapy’s seven-day focus on all-things Scandinavia (often defined as the countries of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway). Sometimes it seems like the whole world is obsessed with trying to copy this corner of the globe, from its timeless style aesthetic to its now-famous coziness rituals.

Name & Location: Steven in Brooklyn My Favorite Room: Bedroom Specs: 50 Square Feet What would you do if faced with a tiny (like, 50-square-feet tiny) bedroom space that was nearly all-white and felt like the inside of an empty closet? If you’re Steven, you pick a dramatic paint color, do a little hunting and gathering for interesting items and you create a room that—despite the size—would be a nice place to cozy up in, day or night.

Name: Nic and Andrew Location: North Loop — Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented In a recent addition to the North Loop of Minneapolis, you’ll find uniquely shaped apartments completed with different finishes and materials. On the level that boasts concrete floors, in a unit with a balcony overlooking the street, you’ll find Nic, Andrew, their dog, and not much else!

Name: Faith and Hannah Russell Location: South London, UK Size: 1158 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Faith Russell and Hannah Russell aren’t just sisters; they’re roommates, business partners and the co-founders of Layer. What started out first as an Instagram account, then morphed into a popular lifestyle blog, has now evolved into a UK-based online marketplace featuring thousands of vintage and pre-owned furniture items for sale.

Name: Whitney Menefee and Ian Bailey Location: Northwest Portland, Oregon Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Whitney and Ian have nicely settled into life after university. They live in a gorgeous vintage apartment complex right in the heart of Portland, so they can walk to some of the city’s best shops and restaurants, and they both have great jobs close to where they love to live.

Name: Virginia and Garrett Cortese Location: Maitland, Florida Size: 817 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, Rented Virginia and Garrett’s lakeside home is a treasure trove of fine art, travel souvenirs, family heirlooms, lush greenery, and their own art—Garrett is a photographer, while Virginia is a graphic designer who dabbles in painting. Their apartment is wonderfully, as Virginia describes it, “modern but eclectic.

Name: Erin Nichols and Danny, daughters Kate and Ava, and dogs Chance and Stella Location: Huntington Beach, California Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 8 years Erin and Danny’s lovely Huntington Beach home feels idyllically Californian: tucked away on a quiet tree-lined street, a short walk from the beach, filled with sunlight, and book-ended by two breezy outdoor areas. It’s an easy place to feel relaxed and happy.

Name: Jaimee and David Morse, their twin sons, and Lana the dog Location: Northeast Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 1,250 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented When Jaimee and David moved to the Midwest from the East Coast, they didn’t expect to come to Minneapolis—and they certainly didn’t expect to stay. They have since fallen in love with the city, their neighborhood, and their home.

Name: Seth and Maureen Conant and their cats, Frank and Lucy Location: Seattle, Washington Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Owned Walking into Maureen and Seth’s house transports you to the 1950s. In fact, just walking along their street gives you that feeling! They live in a little enclave of mid-century homes in northwest Seattle, most of which were built by the same architect, Thomas Dunstan, in the late 1950s.

Name: Laurel Martinsky Location: Santa Barbara, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Rented Perched up in the hills above Santa Barbara, Laurel’s flower-filled home evokes the English country garden aesthetic of which she is fond. When she moved to the studio in 2011, instead of buying new pieces, Laurel worked with her existing collection of beloved furniture, taking on the challenge of making larger-scale pieces work in the one-room, multi-functioning space.

Name: Lianna Utley Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Size: 900 Square Feet Years lived in: 5 years We first got to see a peek of Lianna’s lovely Milwaukee loft in her house call. Now with a longer look, it’s obvious this home is a great mix of contrasts: rough brick and flirty florals; open loft space but cozy seating arrangements.

Name: Melissa (“Mel”) Nichols, Jake Durrett and Apple the adorable dachshund Location: Cole Valley/Upper Haight — San Francisco, California Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; rented Jake and Melissa have lived in four apartments together over the last seven years. But they love this apartment so much—located in a neighborhood close to Haight street, Golden Gate Park and tons of great food—they almost can’t see themselves living anywhere else!

Name: Kristine Renee Location: Sacramento, California Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 1.5; rental You don’t have to step foot into Kristine’s Sacramento apartment to see how bright and breezy the whole space feels. The natural light bounces off white furniture and accessories. Rustic design details mingle with flirty patterns and family treasures.

Name: Chelsie and Nate Location: Decatur, Georgia Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: Rented for 6 months Chelsie and Nate moved to Atlanta six months ago from Nashville. Chelsie is an Atlanta native and Nate is from Athens, so they are both happy to be closer to family and friends in their home state. It was the vintage floral numbers and mid-century charm that sold Chelsie on this home instantly — this was the first and only home she looked at, and she signed the lease right away.

Name: Harben Porter and Ryan Moses and Bowie the cat Location: San Francisco, California Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Harben and Ryan found their apartment on Craigslist and decided to take a chance on a post that did not include any images. Luckily for them, the place looked perfectly charming and quirky on sight.

Name: Kayla and Amir Farhang and their dogs, Rusty “Pants” and Bo Jackson Location: Austin, Texas Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 8 months; Owned Kayla and Amir live in Austin with their two dogs, Rusty “Pants” and Bo Jackson. To make a long story short, they basically left their long-time home in Los Angeles for Austin because they fell in love with a house, a city, and its people. Kayla is a life stylist, host, and speaker in LA, NYC, and Austin.

If you like bright light, white walls, simple furnishings and a mixture of personal and colorful details, you’ll want to check out the room-by-room resource list for this lovely Portland space. Occupied by two young, creative women, the space features a sophisticated mix of new pieces and vintage scores. You just might inspiration for your own bright home mix.

“Only have things you love. Obviously, some things just need to be functional, but when it comes to decorative pieces we try and only get things we have a strong emotional reaction to. When we get stuff to fill a spot and not because we absolutely adore it, it tends to fall flat.

Name: Penelope and Nathan Miller and their daughter, Bell Location: Alberta Arts District — Portland, Oregon Size: 2,100 square feet Years lived in: 6.5 years; Owned Penelope and Nathan have created a home for their family that is truly a reflection of themselves, where they’ve been, and what makes them feel good.

Name: Lynne Sutherland, kids Ava and Wyatt, cats Felix and Fiona, and dogs Charlotte and Tuesday Location: Santa Barbara, CA Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 9 years; Owned Lynne’s home is oriented to the sun—in more ways than one. On the day of our visit, we found the house flooded with the most glorious mid-morning light. The energy of the household was light, too, and that’s intentional.

Name: Pierre-Etienne Pilon and his two kids Location: Ile-Perrot, Quebec Size: 3 bedrooms Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Decorator Pierre-Etienne Pilon has decorated his entire home with secondhand furniture that he has refurbished himself. He is passionate about Mid-century Scandinavian furniture, and he loves to wander around here and there in search of beautiful pieces. “It is a bit like treasure hunting,” he says.

Name: Sage Gregory and Gracie Ellison-Shortridge Location: Portland, Oregon Size: 2,331 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, rented Prior to moving into this space, Sage and Gracie were actually living in the basement below. During their time in the basement apartment, they had limited light and space so they used bright colors and decor to give the space life.