House Calls

This older house had fallen victim to the destruction of hoarders, water, neglect, and 10 to 12 cats, but the owner saw the potential. Also, the vintage bathroom is a must-see.

When Anna and her boyfriend moved into this apartment, nothing had been done for the past 20 years, and it showed.

This incredibly unique rental apartment is located in an old Victorian mansion that was reconstructed into individual live/work artist studios.

This travel journalist's rental contains a hodge podge of items she's collected from her travels, flea markets, and Craigslist.

This home has been a blank canvas to express creative abilities and incorporate many DIY projects.

What do you do when you have mirrored closet doors that you hate? You lean in, and design the whole room around those mirrors. You go full Miami on their ass.

The decor challenge for this studio was to counter the dark, heavy furnishings within such a small space without having to sacrifice style.

The house needed a lot of work when Brooke and her family moved in, but she fell in love with all the historic character!

Attorney and content creator Blake Gifford jokes on her website that her Chicago rental apartment's bathroom must have been "the room they were renovating when they started to run out of money.

It's an eclectic retro haven!

Learning how to downsize forces you to think creatively about how to to live.

Features include: a bubble-gum-pink washer and dryer, kaleidoscopic bathrooms, and era-appropriate furniture.

Caroline made a small, affordable (only $20!) and gorgeous update that elevates her fireplace, complements the rest of her decor, and adds a touch of elegance to the entire home.

From the crayon-colored kitchen, to the garishly green dining room and more, this Victorian house needed a lot of work. Dana and her husband Brian were up to the task, turning it into an elegant and unique home.

When Heidi first moved into this rental apartment she was 22 and all her furniture and belongings came from her childhood room, dead relatives, or the literal trash. But now it's a stylish and more grown-up home.

This apartment reflects everything the renter loves—it's an oasis in a hectic city!

These two traveling physical therapists use this rolling RV home as their cozy, stable place to come home to after work.

This cold, blank canvas was utterly transformed into a playful home with color, paint, and pattern!

If you've ever wanted to know how to mix a bunch of different patterns without clashing, this playful Palm Springs house will inspire.

Before this home was remodeled, it was a lot of golden oak, '90s-style wallpaper, and polished brass hardware.

Gwenn is glad that wallpaper is coming back in style... she's sprinkled different patterns throughout the house!

This dated farmhouse was covered in wallpaper when this couple bought it. After a 2-year renovation, it's now a minimal and modern dream home that still retains its original architectural charm.

The papaya wallpaper is so cute!!

A cookie-cutter rental unit was transformed into a space that truly reflects this creative couple.

A lot of the original features of this Vancouver apartment have been preserved over the years, and it adds a ton of charm to the rental.

This studio loft apartment is located in a historic building, formerly an all girl's school called Miss Gordon's School for Girls.

This graphic designer's style isn't for everybody, but it's perfect for her, and that's what makes her excited to come home every day.

Just some of the renter-friendly upgrades to this rental bungalow are a new pendant lamp for the dining room, removable wallpaper in the bathroom, and faux grass in the back patio.

It's got a lot of character and a very industrial vibe.

Hannas Änglar's Stockholm house mixes classic Scandinavian style with decorations from all over the world.

She describes her style as "Parisian chic meets bohemian glam".

Made of simple white oak and plywood materials, it's actually an affordable and potentially DIY-able idea that any studio dweller could get inspiration from.

This old colonial farmhouse has beautiful original architecture details, and has been filled with colorful, bohemian textiles and art.

After years of scribbling and refining floor plans in her mind and on graph paper, Ann Lacouture and her husband finally had the opportunity to build a custom home for their family of six in 2016.

This house hadn't been decorated for at least 25 years, but they saw the potential of this semi-detached Victorian immediately.

When Amanda first bought this tiny apartment, the walls were yellow, there were old glass flush mount lights on the ceiling, and the kitchen needed some love.

In the family for over 100 years, this converted barn-turned-cozy-home is best described as a "whimsical treehouse full of love."

This tiny, woodsy studio apartment is home to an artist, her husband, and their dog.

The initial brief was straightforward: bring the interior back to its origins by stripping away the carpets to see what was underneath!

All of the furniture in their space was found either on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or just found.

They describe their Georgian style home in Cork, Ireland, as "Traditional with a moody and dark modern rustic twist."

This tiny studio apartment's style is "minimalist and functional in a small space."

The 540-square-foot studio apartment is located in a 130-year-old sewing factory.

Only 205 square feet were available for the kitchen, dining room, living room, bedroom, and bathroom.

It has houseplants, traditional Turkish details, and a lovely yellow wall.

This São Paulo studio apartment might be super small, but it uses the space it does have really wisely.

Mary's van is 75 square feet of living space, and while she doesn't have a lot of stuff anymore, the stuff she does have is FABULOUS.

Almost everything you see in this house is used and from the mid-century or earlier. The couple sourced from online, thrift shops, antique stores, friends/family/ancestors, and estate sales in their neighborhood.

Colors are what make this remodeled Austin home shine. A Jadeite Green Big Chill refrigerator, original yellow tiles, a bold lilac hue, and other pastel walls add modern style to the traditional Queen Anne-style architecture.

This freelance graphic designer's rental apartment features bold colors and wild patterns.

"There's no better feeling than stumbling across a piece that really speaks to you amongst a sea of other's pre-loved possessions."

When Melanie first moved in to this townhouse, it was a big empty white and beige box..but she knew it had great potential!

Naomi McCavitt and her husband/business partner own Thicket Design, a natural history illustration and home decor company. Their rental apartment is bold and nature-filled.

This minimalism consultant didn't purchase anything new when she moved into this small space, instead challenging herself to create a home she loves with what she already had.

This shared apartment's style is Scandinavian-inspired, cozy bohemian.

When Maya first saw this place, the natural light and the non-boxiness blew away any worries about it being too generic.

This awesome DIY pergola hangout space in a backyard has serious hangout vibes.

Dylan is an officer in the Navy, which means moving every year or so. He and his wife got sick of renting so decided to instead move into a fifth wheel and move their home with them!

Erika Wasilewski is the founder of lifestyle blog and brand Peony + Honey, and lives in this vibrant house in Ohio with her husband and three rescue cats.

The flat's style is "Eclectic London meets American West."

Name: Peggy Wong of Blue Pool RoadLocation: Downtown Los Angeles, CASize: 800 square feetI met Peggy a couple of months ago at a blogger meet up in Venice. She was introduced to me as a former art director at Martha Stewart and she gave me her card for the company she’s started on her own, Blue Pool Road. When I got home and looked up her work, I was amazed: Light, simple, graphically subdued but in no way boring. Then I saw her house.

Once dark and dated, after a modern renovation this home-on-wheels is now light and bright!

They installed new hardwood flooring, totally renovated the kitchen, painted every wall and ceiling, and completely renovated this '50s Spokane house.