House Calls

Michael got creative when it came to compartmentalizing functions without ruining the openness. Multi-functionality is at play everywhere: His desk doubles as a nightstand, bench as a coffee table, and dining table as counter space.

Molly Robbins thoroughly frequented all of the great antique shops in the neighborhood to find great anchoring pieces like a mid-century modern lamp, dainty vases, Lucite nesting side tables, and a statement marble coffee table.

Christina was drawn to this apartment's details (like the funky bathroom tile), but some details were outdated and tired, so she added removable peel-and-stick floor tiles and faux peel-and-stick subway tiles to her kitchen to give it a renter-friendly upgrade.

Ginger Curtis of Urbanology Designs converted an old musty shed into a beautiful bungalow and quite an inspiring place to retreat.

Creative technologist Amy Wibowo's small San Francisco studio apartment is packed with personality, including a mermaid headboard of her dreams.

This renter hasn't been afraid to make temporary improvements like swapping out ugly kitchen pendants lights, switching out cabinet knobs, and more to create a gorgeous home.

Hannah is a registered nurse, but loves to do DIY/interior design on the side. "I love having lots of plants and using bright colors to give spaces definition and character."

The vintage bungalow was originally designed by an artist in the '80s who added special touches like wood plank walls and a mosaic tile bathroom floor. Maxie and her dad worked together to transform the teeny backyard patio into a dreamy jungle oasis.

Designer Adnan Anwar replaced a standard light fixture with a lantern, hung a mirror to emphasize light and ceiling height, employed vintage bowls to corral clutter, and used plenty of other smart small space and renter tricks to decorate this tiny apartment.

When these two brothers (and their spouses) bought this Colorado cabin, it had maroon cork floors, a clanging burgundy pellet stove, heavy pine paneling everywhere, horrible bathrooms, and a red and green congested kitchen. It all had to go!

Nicole moved into this apartment in the middle of the March 2020 Covid lockdown, so she had to buy the majority of her furniture either through Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.

The tiny studio has been a challenge for storage, especially because Nina has a lot of stuff, but it's forced her to be super clean and come up with smart organizational solutions.

Sofie Hepworth loves interiors and works in the world of design, and she wanted to "prove that even the most bland rental could be transformed into a home full of personality, colour, and luxe without breaking the bank or painting every wall."

This home is full of plants, prints, trinkets, and old furniture. The only furniture they bought new for the home are the bed and the sofa.

Caitlin has been working from home during quarantine, and though she's only got 300 square feet to live and work in, she's come up with a creative way to transform her home when it's time to relax on the weekends.

This plant mama loves to incorporate her plants, and loves art and color, but leans more toward the earthy, warm palette.

Evelyn Bielmann, her daughter, and their pup, Hershey, have decked the rooms of their rental house out for the holidays.

The house has its original windows and wood floors and nook for a telephone.

"My first weekend in town, I went to the local thrift shop where I found my couch for only $15 (just one reason why I love living in the Midwest). Using it as an anchor for the space allowed me to shop much more intentionally."

Melanie Núñez grew up in the Caribbean and it was extremely important that her home reflect her heritage.

Tony Duquette meets Hobby Lobby. My motto is "Half tacky is just tacky. But full tacky is haute couture."

Kelsie bought this condo after the end of a long term relationship and has spent the last one and a half years turning this into a dream cocoon.

Macy and Will's first home wasn't fully customizable, so they have been gradually updating the home as they go.

Dana and Aaron Holmes converted this teeny 1996 Blue Bird bus into a gorgeous and cozy mobile home.

It's a delightful mix of mid-century furniture, handmade items from contemporary makers, an impressive art collection, and some pretty good plants.

With their landlord's permission, and some funding, Katherine and her family have made some updates to make this rental feel more like their own home.

When this couple saw the beautiful Spanish tiles on the fireplace and molding details on the wall, they knew this was the home for them!

Carla Loo's apartment layout allows her to place furniture in a way that makes it functional as a living and working space.

Suddenly having to work and spend all her time in this tiny studio apartment pushed Emily to do a complete overhaul of her space to make it as comfortable, bright, spacious, and pleasant to spend time in as possible!

Patrick was able to approach the design of this small space with creative solutions that maximize its functionality, efficiency, and style... without losing his rental deposit.

Farida Talaat filled her studio with lightweight furniture so she can change the layout often, like Tetris.

This home is cheery year round!

Kelsey has spent the last three years collecting things so that her small space can naturally feel cozy, especially in the Chicago winters.

Erika has always been drawn to bold colors, prints, and a quirky vintage aesthetic. The colorful walls, patterns, textures, and elements in her home reflect the whimsical facets of her personality.

For the holidays, Beth Sayler wanted her decor to add to their neutral, beachy color scheme, so she carefully selected items that matched the neutral colors and materials that felt natural to the beach vibe.

For this young professional, houseplants serve as more than decor in her studio: They are a form of self care and meditation.

Over the course of two years, Tess and her dad changed almost everything about this small space to get it to where it is today—a bright, plant-filled home brimming with creativity and pillows.

Chelsey Brown founded the blog, City Chic Decor, and authored the book, "Rental Style." She has a home full of projects that break the stigma of renter restrictions.

Alexandra and her husband renovated this dated 161-square-foot ‘87 Ford Tioga RV.

Shanna is an interior designer and her partner is an artist/illustrator, and their rental home is a reflection of these creative careers.

This newly built townhome is a minimal, modern, monochromatic dream house.

French expats have made this charming one-bedroom apartment in a pre-war building from 1900 into a lovely, cozy small home.

Lindsay Meyer, the CEO of Batch, and her pup, Ralphie, share this modern and clean San Francisco rental apartment.

Raúl Zea describes his apartment's style as "minimal maximalism."

This house had large and generic rooms—but Catherine and her husband knew they could focus their energies on their own cosmetic renovations that would bring character and depth to transform the blank space.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to make your house a home; you can rework what you already have to work for you.

It’s a little studio with a lot of personality.

Crystal Reed and her husband created a relaxed atmosphere with bohemian decor but also included a dash of millennial luxury with pink and gold decor on the walls and fixtures.

This nurse and her husband furnished an entire apartment with Craigslist and other online finds when no stores were open during early quarantine.

Rosemary Matkin has been having fun adding personality to this 1940s brick bungalow.

This "bachelor apartment" is essentially a studio apartment without a kitchen, so Bailey turned a TINY closet into a fully functioning food-making area.

The home is a 1993 tall skinny home, with great windows, a small lot, and a downtown river valley location.

It's like a sparkly jewel toned movie theater, mixed with a little grandma and a little bohemian.

The furniture, art, and views in this Seattle house are so gorgeous!

Adrienn and her father designed many of this condo's key elements together, like the TV stand, dining table, white cabinets with the wooden door handles, coffee table, and more.

Julieta Alvarez and family (two kids, husband and dog) share this side-hall Colonial house. While some spaces are colorful; others are neutral and textural.

She replaced some furniture with smaller, more functional pieces and created a "cubby house bed" to turn this one-bedroom rental apartment into essentially a two-bedroom apartment.

Alexandra is a maximalist at heart and needs to surround herself with things she loves... and has done so in her small studio apartment in a tidy and organized way.

Donovan Ho's San Francisco Bay Area home is filled with fun colors, textures, eclectic home decor... and LOTS of plants.

Larayne's hobby and passion have been houseplants for 7+ years. "I find joy and happiness through caring for plants, and find it very meditative."

A lot of what Sydney has in her home is from the streets of NYC. "There is this Instagram account called Stooping NYC, and I found a lot of amazing treasures on the street for free."

Budget-friendly DIYs customize and update this space without breaking the bank.

This top-to-toe renovation is now a contemporary, colourful, and eclectic family home that is both functional and fabulous for modern family life.

Previously a working farm, this house was sold to a flipper and the surrounding land subdivided in 2015. The King family bought it in 2017 and has been trying to add back charm to this antique home.

While Shruti's style is bold and dramatic, her husband, Madhukar, prefers a calm and relaxed space. The couple has managed to strike a good-looking balance in their new condo.

Mentalist and performer Vinny DePonto's shelves are filled with endless old books on magic, mind-reading, the occult, design, and psychology.

The house was built in 1910 and has many original features intact, but the best is the floors.

Every section of my apartment has a different removable wallpaper to accent the room and divide the space.

Quelcy ripped out carpets and ceiling tiles, chipped away layers of paint to reveal original wood and tile, painted every other surface to make this “handyman special" rental her own.

Madelyn Somers is an Art Director for Parachute Home, and her small Los Angeles rental apartment is filled with cheery pops of color!

Every inch of this studio apartment has been intentionally designed and maximized with DIY ideas and clever storage hacks.

This flat was in a decrepit state, but the ceilings are 11-feet high and the walk to the beach is just six minutes... after a renovation it's a small but gorgeous French Riviera pied-a-terre.