Grand Rapids

Daniel Parkington and husband Geof Parkington share this 670-square-foot apartment with their pup, Stella.

Musicians Jacki and Jacob Warren-Bullard, of the band Major Murphy, helped refresh this 1920s rental bungalow in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's full of renter-friendly ideas and inspiration.

Name: Meagen and Mike Coburn and dog Dozer Location: Cherry Hill Historic District; Grand Rapids, Michigan Size: 2,800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; owned I arrived on Meagen and Mike’s street on an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon in mid-December. The forty-degree weather, mist and visible green grass didn’t feel like Christmas in Michigan.

Name: Laura Location: Heritage Hill; Grand Rapids, Michigan Size: 768 square feet Years lived in: 8.5 years; Rented Laura lives in a 102-unit apartment complex in Heritage Hill, the historic district east of Downtown Grand Rapids. Her two-bedroom rental is filled with plants, colors and animals. Guests will discover tiny deer in a winter-themed wreath, wall-mounted heads of a rhino and giraffe, lots of pugs and even a miniature Brachiosaurus roaming among succulents.

Name: Jenni and Esai Location: Heritage Hill — Grand Rapids, Michigan Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Rented Jenni and Esai’s apartment is a loop. The living room leads into the kitchen/dining room, which flows into the bedroom/office/nook, which is open to the living room. While photographing the space, I notice chevron curtains, art pieces featuring triangles, a striped blanket, a striped rug, a parallelogram rug, a diamond rug, and lots of circles.

Name: Shelly Klein, Curt Wozniak, twins Marty and Nora, dog Sugar and cat Ben Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 11 years; owned I arrive at Shelly and Curt’s house on a Sunday morning. Shelly greets me at the door and explains that Curt took the kids out for breakfast. She tours me through the house and I feel a calm, quiet easiness in each room. Perhaps it’s the white paint, white furniture and abundant natural light.

Name: Shawn Merkel Location: Heritage Hill; Grand Rapids, Michigan Size: 849 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Owned The adjective “eclectic” can be overused in interior design. But when thinking of how to describe Shawn’s condo, I kept coming back to the word “eclectic.” (The good eclectic.

Name: Laura and James Location: Heritage Hill; Grand Rapids, Michigan Size: 920 square feet Years lived in: 3.5 years; owned Laura and James’ home is a study in scale, balance, repetition and continuity. Artwork is carefully staggered on the gallery wall across from the kitchen. Even though the size, color and subject matter of the artwork vary, the presentation is kept clean and unified with black, white, birch and silver frames.

Name: Tyler and Jack Location: Heritage Hill; Grand Rapids, Michigan Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Tyler and Jack have the best-smelling home I’ve toured so far. As I entered their apartment, the scent of pine trees and an Up North campfire hit me. The incense and candle fragrances floated from room to room as dreamy, lounge music from Neon Indian and Bonobo spun on the record player. I began counting the number of iconic chairs in the apartment: fourteen.