Home Office

Name: Cheyenne Cannon Location: West Oakland — Oakland, California Size: ~250 square feet (part of a 2-story, 4-bedroom house) Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented Though Cheyenne doesn’t get to claim an entire apartment to herself, her small workspace and bedroom provide the bright light, privacy and inspiration she needs. She lucked out when the private second floor bedroom opened up.

Name: Chantal Berkelmans, husband Pieter, their daughters Annabel and Lois Location: Eersel, the Netherlands Size: 6,458 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned (and self-built) For a long time Chantal believed she wasn’t creative or handy. She always felt envious of people who seemed to make the loveliest items (seemingly without much effort). When Chantal was pregnant with her first child, she remembers a period when she was terribly ill and could only lie in bed all day.

Name: Ariena Ruwaard, her husband Mark, their children Lot, Stijn, and Daan, and Sientje the cat Location: Gorinchem, the Netherlands Size: 1,991 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Ariena’s story is one of hope and encouragement, of finding a new path when the old one has become impassable. A little over 10 years ago she was a primary school teacher. Together with Mark (who is also a teacher) they had three kids.

Name: Dawn Sweitzer of Notre Monde Location: High Point, North Carolina Years working in: 5 years, owned Dawn Sweitzer is the artist behind Notre Monde, a brand known for textiles, furniture, and accessories like trays, art, mirrors, and more. Her designs are distinct, as well as modern, minimal, and a little bohemian, too.

Name: Erin Flett and family Location: Gorham, Maine Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned We found an open lot in the middle of an established neighborhood in Gorham, Maine, and instantly fell in love. It was almost four acres, half-wooded, and half-open and flat.

Name: Alice Kendall Location: Wonderland Tattoo, SE Portland, Oregon Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 5 months, renting Alice Kendall is one of the most sought-after tattoo artists in Portland. She opened her shop Wonderland in 2013, and quickly established her ranking as a top artist in one of the nation’s most inked cities.

California-based artist and designer Bridgette Thornton started taking painting seriously all the way back in 8th grade. “That age was very intense for me socially and academically. Art making was not only an emotional outlet but made me feel empowered,” she says. “As a child my mom would always have me working on a craft. Whenever I wanted to buy something, instead of purchasing it from the store, she would say, ‘you could make that!

Name: Abbey Eilermann and cat Dolly Parton Location: The Hill — St. Louis, Missouri Size: 2,000 square feet (includes the work studio) Years lived in: 3 years, renting It all starts with a hot pink name plate that stands out among the red and green awnings on The Hill, a traditional Italian American neighborhood in St. Louis.

Name: Erin & Ben Location: Downtown — Laurel, Mississippi Our loft apartment was built around 1903 and was a toothpaste factory after World War I. Now it’s our home and the studio of Lucky Luxe Couture Correspondence. After years of being a law office, my family bought this flatiron building and we got to work on renovations.

Name: Mary Sprague Profession: Artist and Art/Art History professor (retired) Location: St. Louis, Missouri Size: 4500 square feet Years lived in: 27 years; owned Mary’s home and studio is an aggregation of 50 years of art. An active and longtime member of the St. Louis artistic community, she’s also one of those women you want to be when you’re in your 70s — whip smart, creative and kind.

Name: Nikki McWilliams Location: WASPS Meadow Mill Studios; Dundee, Scotland Size: 200 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; rented Nikki McWilliams, famed for her fabulous biscuit-themed soft furnishings, is as sweet as the treats that inspire her work.

Name: Pixel Farm Digital Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 10,000 square feet Years in business: 17 years Most high tech spaces and production companies feel sleek and modern to the point of simplicity. Not Pixel Farm. I’d even go so far as to say it feels like home, which is a welcome departure. Now, I don’t know many people who have a Roman fountain in their living room, but it’s that kind of unexpected embrace of the bold and comforting that makes this space so fun.

Name: Grant Spanier and Veronica McCracken of LESS Co. Location: The Everest Building, St. Paul Size: 1,400 Square Feet Years occupied: 1 LESS Co. is the kind of place that really lives by its name. The crisp white walls are offset by smart and efficient black furniture. Every detail, plant and tchotchke is lovingly thought out and has a meaning to its owner. That’s why it comes as no surprise to me or others that the LESS Co. space is just as much about the people in it as the stuff.

Name: rabble+rouser, Christina Schroeder, Principal and Founder Location: Blake Street, Denver, Colorado Size: 7,000 Square Feet Years worked in: 3 years There’s nothing quite like an old warehouse space embracing color. It bolsters creativity and just makes everything feel alive. At rabble+rouser, bright blue and orange feature walls keep a space that once served as a furniture workshop feeling new, vibrant, and fresh.

Name: Fancy Tiger Crafts Location: 59 Broadway, Denver, Colorado Size: 4,000 square feet Years worked in: 2 years Fancy Tiger Crafts is kind of like a knitwear wonderland. With wall to wall shelves of wool and felt yarns being stocked by lovely ladies in hand-crafted sweaters, it’s definitely a place a shopper can really escape to for a while. But it’s not just a great little shop: it’s a community classroom for sewers, knitters and crafters of all skill levels.

Name: Lesley Greening Lassoff and Pea Crabtree of Aardvark Location: Hastings Old Town, Sussex, UK Size: “It’s one room in an old brewery.” Years worked in: 6 years in business and 3 years in this studio Step inside the wonderfully wonky world of Lesley and Pea, creators of old-style letterpress prints, enthusiastic tea drinkers, and champions of all that is homemade, folksy, imperfect and authentic.

Name: Homepolish Location: NoMad, New York, New York Size: 1,000 square feet Years worked in: 1 year When you’re a design team known for creating fabulous office spaces for high tech and high profile clients, the pressure can really be on when it comes to your own workspace. This was Homepolish’s challenge — and one that they’ve risen to with comfort and grace. The folks at Homepolish are known for mixing vintage treasures with modern and classic pieces.

Name: Caro Ritchie of Corita Rose Location: Shaftesbury; Dorset, UK Size: 400 square feet Years in business: 4 years Caro Ritchie’s studio, located in the heart of one of Britain’s most ancient towns, is an explosion of riotous color and bold prints. Stepping inside is a bit like cracking open a piñata and releasing the colorful candies and confetti in its centre.

Name: Lithium Technologies Location: San Francisco, California Size: 50,000 square feet Years worked in: 1 year, 2 months Neon. Glamorous. High tech. These three things don’t often find themselves in the same sentence together. Ok, maybe neon and tech. But glamorous? Yeah, that’s a rare combination, but a welcome one. San Francisco based Lithium embraces this style with verve.

Name: MICHI Atelier Location: Liberty Village, Toronto Size: 825 square feet Years occupied: 1 year Cutting-edge fashion designer Michelle Watson’s MICHI athletic wear is probably the most fashionable fitness apparel you’ve ever laid eyes on.

Name: Natalie Bowen Brookshire & Seth Brookshire Location: SOMA; San Francisco, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years in Business: Natalie 10 years, Seth 15 years, Studio has been open for one year The combined studios of Natalie Bowen Designs and Seth’s architecture firm Porro are just as you would expect from the creative duo.

Name: Tara Foley of Follain Location: 53 Dartmouth Street, South End; Boston, Massachusetts Size: 350 square feet Years at location: Opened in July 2013 Follain — Gaelic for “healthy, wholesome, and sound” — is just that. After realizing just how toxic beauty products were, Tara Foley began researching skin nutrition, ingredients, and chemicals.

Name: CEO Simone Vingerhoets-Ziesmann of Wilkhahn, German Furniture Manufacturer Location: Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,225 square feet Years lived in: 9 months Wilkhahn is a well-known and respected office furniture design and manufacturing firm with roots in Germany but with a global presence and offices around the world.

Name: Laura Castelló Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 215 square feet (20 m2) Years lived in: Rented 3 months Laura is the kind of person that loves simple things and enjoys the little pleasures. She’s an extraordinary artist who draws sweet portraits and makes art with soft colors. The workspace she uses for creating amazing illustrations is a beautiful room filled with art, neutral colors and the most incredible tiles in the world.

Name: Thimblepress headquarters Location: Jackson, Mississippi Size: 2300 square feet Years lived in: Rented 1.5 years In business for over three years, Thimblepress is “an art studio, sewing studio, design studio, woodworking studio, and basically anything creative that Kristen [the founder] wants to try her hand at next.

Name: The Lemon Bowl (Founders: Kate Zaremba, Linny Giffin and Holley Simmons) Location: Park View, Washington, D.C. Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 1 year Visiting The Lemon Bowl—a retail space, shared workspace and workshop studio in Washington D.C.—is like being inside a gumball machine where all the treats are handmade.

Name: Vanessa Matsalla Location: Carlsbad, California You had a look at designer Vanessa Matsalla’s California home earlier this week; it’s got cool Cali vibes, earthy textures and a lot of natural light. Her showroom in Carlsbad, California also serves as the office of her full-service interior design practice. Though a small space, it complements the look of her home, while giving off its own specific style vibes.

Name: Mary MacGill Location: Block Island, Rhode Island Years lived in: Owned 12 years Mary MacGill’s jewelry is ethereal—semi-precious stones in subtle colors mix with structured metal like gold. It’s hard not to see that aesthetic mirrored in the studio she creates her work in, in Block Island, Rhode Island. Elegant minimalism, bright white, natural textures and rich materials make this a calming and creative space.

Name: Masquespacio Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 1,076 square feet Years worked in: 3 years This incredible space has all the color. Masquespacio is an award winning creative consultancy created in 2010 by Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse. Combining the two disciplines of their founders, interior design and marketing, this Spanish design agency creates branding and interior projects through a unique approach that results in fresh and innovative concepts.

Name: Nicole and Dave and dog Remy Location: Baltimore, Maryland Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: Renting 1 year Inspiring artists with an equally inspiring nest, Nicole and Dave have designed their apartment with true artistic vision. They’ve built their quietly brilliant, thoughtfully executed home in an old box factory in Baltimore, where it doubles as both a living space and a studio.

Name: A Rockafellas Social Club Location: Toronto, Canada Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: Rented 3.5 years A Rockafellas Social Club is no ordinary barbershop. Modeled after the Prohibition era speakeasy of the 1920s and ’30s, this Toronto gem truly exists in underground secrecy. You can’t look up the location or become a client/club member without a personal invitation and pledge to maintain the code of clandestine honor. Sound like an odd business plan?

Name: Marianne Tolosa and my husband, Jamie, and our two cats, Pickles and Suki. Location: Falls Church, Virginia Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 4 years owned, but we just created the co-working space 3 months ago When looking to buy our home one of our most important criteria was finding a house with a cozy entertaining space.

Philadelphia-based designer and illustrator Alisa Wismer has discovered the perfect living and working setup for where’s she’s at in her career. “I actually live at home (you’re thinking, ‘Typical millennial,’ right?), but it makes sense for where I’m at right now,” she says. “My parents have been super supportive in my decision to work for myself while I try to build my own business up.