House Calls

Name: Florian MarquardtLocation: SoHo, Manhattan, New YorkSize: 700 square feetYears lived in: 2 months, rentingI live right in the middle of SoHo in a four-story walk-up with a fantastic (furnished) rooftop right on top of me. The apartment is technically a loft (one apartment per floor), though it feels like a true one bedroom. It gets tons of natural light and despite its location is super quiet even during the day.

Name: Jose Aparicio, husband Jonathan, and cat Lucia Location: Los Angeles, CaliforniaSize: 650 square feetYears lived in: 3 years, rentingI work in cancer prevention at a local university and am a part-time ceramist. I share the apartment with my filmmaker husband Jonathan Wysocki and our cat Lucia. The apartment is a first floor commercial space with a wall of windows on one side, painted bright white with 12-foot ceilings.

Name: Jolie Dionne, my husband and our four rescue cats, Luna/Sola/Koda/Ella Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada Size: 1,000 square feetYears lived in: 6 years, ownedWe bought our first home six years ago in the beautiful city of Fredericton, New Brunswick, which we share with our four adopted cats, Luna, Sola, Koda, and Ella. We both love looking for treasures at flea markets or thrift stores in our spare time, so over the years we’ve filled our home with carefully curated finds.

Name: Morgen Walker Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania Size: Approximately 350 square feetYears lived in: 7 months, rentingThis is my first apartment after my recent divorce. I work for HORNE so most of the furniture I have collected has been damaged items that I’ve repaired myself over the years. Other pieces have been in my family for over a hundred years that I’ve collected from family members.

Name: Jennifer Hutter, my husband Bodhi, our 19-month-old son Ryder, and our two dogs Daisy and Summit Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Size: 400 square feetWe spent the past nine months renovating our vintage 1968 Chris Craft Cavalier. Bodhi did all the work inside himself. I did the design work. It was one of the biggest challenges we’ve had together as a couple to really figure everything out one step at a time, but one of the most rewarding.

After a recent divorce, zero-waste advocate Ariana has created a cozy and comforting home in just 400 square feet, using minimal decor and DIY projects.

Joseph brought the space to life with plants and art to make a neutral small space feel dynamic and special.

One of the ways Anna Eskridge made peace in this home? Donating the TV.

Project by: Maureen Stevens Design Location: Downtown Austin, Texas This is a professionally-designed space by Austin-based Maureen Stevens Design—but it’s also a stylish example of one of the more interesting trends in interiors: Minimal maximalism. The designer describes the home in this way: “This space is the ultimate blend of Southwestern style and modern bohemian flair—perfect for hosting friends during a fun-filled weekend downtown.

Name: Jawaria, my husband, and our four children Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Size: 675 square feet Years lived in: 16 years, renting My husband and I came to the U.S. for college and met in Florida. I moved to Pittsburgh for my master’s and my then-friend, now-husband followed suit. The rest of the 16 years are just a slightly elaborate version of that story. I make impulsive decisions and my husband follows along, and now our children are part of the adventure.

Name: Simone GeorgetteLocation: Brisbane, AustraliaSize:  Approx 350 square meters (3,700 square feet)Years lived in:  2 years, Owned We featured Simone’s amazing waterside backyard a couple of months ago and we were excited to see inside her home today. Simone’s passion for all things vintage is evident throughout her house, with a lot of her furniture and objects coming from eBay, garage sales, op shops and found on the side of the road.

After not needing these side tables anymore, Tiffany upcycled them into one seriously cool cat tree for her cat, Cat.

Name: Kadri Teider and husband Location: London, United Kingdom Size: 345 square feet Years lived in: 4.5 years, renting We found this little flat when we first moved to London, and it’s fair to say it wasn’t love at first sight (due to its size!). We were only planning to live here for a year max but then quickly realized how conveniently located everything around here was and decided to stay and embrace it.

Name: Chelsea Pursley, my bunny, Bailey Location: East Downtown — Austin, Texas Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting I found my house online about a month before moving to Austin from Atlanta. I signed the lease sight unseen, and thankfully it was even better than I expected! I live here with my pet bunny, Bailey, and I work from home full time as a UX designer. Since I spend so much time at home, creating a functional space that reflected my style was essential.

Name: Austin Buben, roommate Loren Kennedy, and an English Bulldog named Sherman Location: Lower East Side — New York, New York Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting (Austin has lived in the apartment for three years. Loren moved in a year ago and the two of them have made many improvements and adjustments to the space.) Austin is a creative who works in interior design and branding for hotels, restaurants, and bars. Austin loves to cook and was blessed with a green thumb.

Madison and Matthew are both pretty low-key individuals who enjoy a neutral and relaxing environment.

Name: Ami Jachimski, husband, daughter, a labradoodle and a cat Location: Ocean Pines — Berlin, Maryland Size: 1,505 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned My husband and I live in a cozy little A-frame in a wooded neighborhood with our 9-month-old daughter, our labradoodle, and a little tuxedo cat. Our house was built in 1987 and we are the second owners of this home. The original owner built our home himself and used it as a vacation house.

Name: Christina Kelley, husband Brandon, and our dog Marvin Location: Miramar Beach, Florida Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned It’s a modest beach house with an interesting layout! The main living area is all on the second floor, which you reach via a massive set of stairs running up to the front porch. We are surrounded by palm trees so our views are filled with swaying fronds out every window.

Whitney is a fan of creatively using organization to make the impossible happen.

Name: Tracey Dean, my daughter, and boyfriend along with two cats and a small dog Location: Coquitlam — British Columbia, Canada Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned I live here with my 11-year-old daughter, my boyfriend (and idea executioner), two very patient cats, and one silly blind rescue min pin. I got this place a couple of years ago and gave it a complete gut job inside and out. Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Rustic bohemian eclectic.

Name: Ola Zwolenik, my husband and our dog Location: Bromley — London, United Kingdom Size: 2,005 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned My husband, our dog, and I moved to England from Poland in 2012. We fell in love with the idea of having a period property and in 2017 we decided to buy our first ever home. It’s a cute little terraced house in South East London. We started renovating right away, but still have some big plans for it. What is your favorite room and why?

Name: Shana Cohen and all of the pets that are on our farm! Location: Southwest Ranches, Florida Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned My home resides at the back end of my family’s farm, Blue Stallion Farm. It is small and cozy, both from the outside and within. The entrance of my home overlooks the paddocks and barn where the horses are kept, truly capturing my passion and essence.

Name: Sergio Gutierrez Location: Santander, Spain Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Sergio first lived in this small studio apartment—around 500 square feet—by himself, but when his partner and then a baby came along, the family moved from this space into a larger home.

Name: Blair Wilson, my spouse Stephen, and our two pets, Tina the dog and Masaki the cat Location: Historic downtown — Frederick, Maryland Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Three years ago we were living in suburban Washington D.C., and on a weekend drive we discovered charming and picturesque Frederick, Maryland.

Name: Chelsea Del Rio, and cats Cat Millett and Fannie Purrkins Location: Sunnyside, NYC Size: 300 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting I share my apartment with my feline companions Cat Millett and Fannie Purrkins (named after queer women in history because that’s my thing). This home was a miracle.

It's only 280 square feet and currently home to two parents, a baby, and a dog.

Name: Ashley Amaral, my husband, Alipio. Our son Benny and our dog Georgie Girl Location: Idaho Falls, Idaho Size: 3,100 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned When my husband and I met we were both living in Europe and then our first few years of marriage we lived in Brazil. So this was our first home we bought together in the States. When we moved in it was referred to by the neighborhood as “the Skittles house” because it was every color of the rainbow!

Name: Carla Moreno Location: Seattle, Washington Size: 225 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Seattle is an expensive city and finding a place to live that doesn’t break the bank is hard. Over the years, I’ve learned to live with less and in the process, I’ve learned a lot about my needs and wants. As I get older, I desire experiences more than things, but I feel my apartment reflects my creative home making skills.

Name: Samantha Stein Location: New York, NY Size: 275 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Last year, I got moved back to my home city of New York for a project I’m working on. I was excited, but unfortunately it meant a year separated from my longterm boyfriend. I used the opportunity to finally snag a little studio in the West Village and live with just the bare essentials by myself before he comes home!

Name: Alexandra Curtis and dog Jake Location: Old Town — Scottsdale, Arizona Size: 831 square feet Years lived in: 5 months, owned I bought this condo in July. Designed and renovated it myself (renovated with the help of a few people). My last house was white and bright, so I figured I would do the complete opposite with this new space. With such tall ceilings it allowed for a much darker color palette. I live here alone with my dog, Jake.

Name: Amanda Campbell, husband and two daughters Location: Beaumont, Alberta, Canada Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, owned Our house was built in 1993 on four acres of land just outside Edmonton, Alberta (Northern Canada!). When we purchased the property in 2008 it was in need of a little TLC… the original pink carpet, ’90s popcorn ceilings, and dated fixtures were all still intact.

Name: Joanna Reeves, husband, two children Location: Bath, England Size: 2,800 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned I always wanted to live in a tall skinny house and luckily my husband is pretty laid back (or doesn’t like an argument), so he agreed. It was very much a fixer upper and in the first six weeks we had 16 new windows, a new staircase, and most rooms re-plastered. Oh and made the roof rainproof. Every wall and ceiling is white, but it’s still a really colorful house.

Name: Lindsay Wallstrum (founder of Leaf + Lolo, a full-service interior and plant design firm), husband, 2 dogs, 100+ plants Location: Petaluma, California Size: 2,100 square feet Years lived in: 4.5 years, owned My husband and I bought our home four and a half years ago. We took our time finding the right space for us and our two dogs. After visiting many open houses, I finally wrote down exactly what I wanted in a home.

Interior designer Tal offered the landlord a deal: She'd redecorate the large apartment if they paid half of the renovation investment!

Name: Amanda and her boyfriend Location: Pacific Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, owned I’m Amanda, an aspiring graphic designer currently attending UC Berkeley Extension’s Professional Program in Graphic Design. I live in Pacific Heights with my boyfriend, John, who works in finance.

Name: Katie Colleran Location: West Dover, Vermont Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 months, owned My husband Tom and I had been toying with the idea of making over a rental house for a while when we stumbled on this 1965 cabin at the foot of Mount Snow in West Dover, Vermont. The house had been sitting vacant for several years when we bought it, and it was full of all kinds of not-so-delightful little treats: two pairs of men’s boxers from the early aughts!

Name: Siouxsie Crow, husband, and two kids Location: Sussex, United Kingdom Size: 840 square feet Years lived in: 15 months, owned We bought our house in August 2017; it’s number 37 and I was 37 when we moved. It’s our first home, as previously we’ve rented. I live here with my husband Sholto, who is an art director and all-around creative. We have two children: a 5 year old, a 3 year old, and a third on the way.

Name: Graham Gardner, partner Sarah, and dog Murphy Location: Jamaica Plain — Boston, Massachusetts Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting We are Graham and Sarah—both nearly 30, nearly married, and together for nearly eight years. So far, so good. Sarah is the smart one—thoughtful, sometimes shy, always empathetic, and caring.

Name: Jenii Stewart and two cats, Robin Hood and Will Scarlet Location: Uptown — Chicago, Illinois Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, renting I’m a graphic designer and animator and love plants (I’m slowly growing a green thumb), bugs, and my two cats, Robin Hood and Will Scarlet. They both have an excess of personality and it keeps things interesting. Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Mid-century bohemian nerd chic.

Name: Ayanna Barton, family, and short term rental clients Location: Kerhonkson, New York (Hudson Valley) Size: 820 square feet Years lived in: 8 months, owned Our vacation cabin is located in Kerhonkson, a hamlet in the Catskills only two hours from New York City. Initially, I hesitated for a long time to purchase the little cottage. I had recently purchased another home and did not have any plans of buying another property so soon.

Name: Wendy Lau, husband Kwan, and a whole lot of plants Location: Toronto, Ontario Size: 1,770 square feet Years lived in: 10 months, owned I was first drawn to this house for the natural lighting and the sunroom and I knew that it would be perfect for all my plant babies. It was a true labor of love as we renovated this 1970s home to update it to its full potential. We took down all the interior walls and made it one big open space.

Name: Lauren Thorp, husband, two children, cat and dog Location: Historic Shaw Neighborhood — St. Louis, Missouri Size: 2,700 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned My husband, two young children, dog, and cat live in our 122-year-old home in the Historic Shaw neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Our house was rehabbed down to the studs in 2016 by investors who we purchased it from.

Name: Laura Hofenk and 2 cats, Jisse and Jaro Location: Wageningen, the Netherlands Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 9 months, renting In April 2018 I moved to this apartment with a modern anthracite [gray-colored] couch and boring gray carpet. But at some point I started collecting vintage from the ’60s and ’70s, and then I decided to go all the way with this style. Now I’m literally living like they did in the ’70s.

Name: Sarah Choate and a spooky black cat named Jackson Dale Location: Wilmore, Kentucky Size: 400-500 square feet Years lived in: 7 months, renting This is the first place I’ve lived in totally on my own and so far, I really love the peacefulness that comes with living alone. I’m 24 and work as the marketing coordinator for a faith-based nonprofit that does international community development work.

Name: Lara and Adrian Location: Australia Size: Around 150 square feet Years in: 1 year, owned From the house tour of the cute and quirky Melbourne home of Lara Ivachev, Adrian, and their two dogs Otis and Kiku, it’s clear this is a couple that has great style. And that knack for decor extends to the road; they recently renovated a van for taking long and comfortable road trips.

Name: Kirsten Olson, partner, college-aged child, pets galore! Location: Bellefonte — Wilmington, Delaware Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 13 years, owned Our family—my husband, college-aged child, and me—have lived in this house for 13 years, along with a constantly changing array of pets. (Right now it’s two dogs and four cats.

Name: Anne Neuenschwander, her partner, and three cats, Pele, Babyteo, and Mija Location: Raleigh, North Carolina Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 7 months, owned I am a professional upholsterer and interior decorator while my boyfriend is an architect. We’ve lived together in apartments in Berlin and Raleigh but this is the first home we’ve owned.

Name: Pamela Thistle, my husband, and two black labs Location: Township of Oro-Medonte — Ontario, Canada Size: 2,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned My name is Pamela Thistle and I live in this home with my husband Kevin and two black Labs—Harley and Fionnegan. Our home is roughly 2,100 square feet. Slowly, we have been adding our stamp on our otherwise plain new-build home. We have done all the work ourselves and yet we are still talking to each other!

Name: Jessica Morris, my husband and our four kids Location: Campbell River — British Columbia, Canada Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting My husband and I have four kids whose ages range from 1 to 9. We live in a smaller 1,500-square-foot rancher and we utilize every inch of our space. We are minimalistic in the sense that we only purchase items we love and we don’t have a ton of clutter around our home.

Name: Sara Ruch, husband, and three cats Location: Jersey City, New Jersey Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned My husband and I bought this home in the fall of 2017, after searching for close to a year in the Jersey City area. We knew we wanted a single family home, and the process was so much longer and more competitive than we imagined. We were lucky to have our offer accepted on this home, which was previously owned by the same family for many years dating back to WWII.

Name: Erica Riha and fiancé Location: Upper East Side — New York, New York Size: Under 500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting My fiancé and I moved into our Upper East Side apartment a few years ago after living in a much larger Queens one bedroom. We both work on West 57th Street and moved to have a shorter commute, the trade-off being less space; I’m an interior designer so I knew I could handle the challenge.

Name: ElodieLocation: Paris, France I’m a fashion blogger, designer and interior architect and I recently did took some pics of my very little home in Paris — it’s a 26 square meter (280 square feet!) studio where I had to find creative solutions to using the space. And I did! We have a little bedroom, a huge wardrobe, a desk to work at home, a dining space and a great living room.I live here with my fiancé and my 2 cats.

Name: IdaLocation: Harlem / Sugar Hill – NYC I consider my home to be inspirational — an organized reflection of what I love to look at! My apartment is the parlor room in a brownstone (a studio) which is already beyond charming on it’s own.I am a big lover of vintage/old things, so I had some pieces I loved, but really hadn’t found a home for them yet. Once I moved into this apartment, I decided to surround myself with only things I really felt happy about having.

Name: Dee AdamsLocation: Oakland, California You may have already seen images of the home of Oakland artist (and interiors consultant and senior producer at Yahoo!) Dee Adams, as it was featured on the Herman Miller blog. We contacted Dee about a house call and she shared with us more about her style as well as the unique challenges of living in a loft.I’ve been in the loft since June of 2009.

Name: Katherine HammondLocation: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn I would like to share my bathroom! It is a 5′ x 6′ shower room which is used by our two kids (6 & 8 years old) my husband and me. I designed a shower room , popular in Europe, to meet our long term and immediate needs. I used red subway for the walls and pennys for the floor, tiliing high on the walls to create the feeling of more space…Summer before last we bought a 4 story limestone building in Prospect Heights.

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: Reena & PriscillaLocation: Tremont— Cleveland, Ohio Moving into a new neighborhood can a tricky and intimidating process, but Reena Samaan was one of the lucky ones who didn’t have to search long before she fell in love. After finding the loft-like duplex and signing a lease, her next move was figuring out something to do with all the space!Step one: find a roommate. Step two: Tackle the job of decorating the open space while maintaining a sense of intimacy and interest.

Name: CarolynLocation: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Before getting married last spring, my husband and I lived in separate spaces. I owned a west-coast modern/ranch hybrid of 4,600 square feet, and he lived in a 1,200 square foot condo. After having talked about moving in together for many months, it came as a surprise to both of us that we chose to sell both and start fresh. The idea of amalgamating and downsizing was daunting but exciting as well.

Name: Benjamen PurvisLocation: Ballard — Seattle, Washington My style mixes colorful Pop Art with warm, earthy traditionals. Most of the artwork I have on display is my own — the “Hard Day’s Night”-era Beatles made out of Legos; the Lichtenstein-esque Superman painting; the Warhol-esque Coke can painting and soup can labels, plus others that aren’t in these shots.

Name: SallyLocation: Austin, Texas My boyfriend and I just moved to Austin, Texas two months ago, into a home that we decided was perfect for us solely based on the photos posted along side its’ Craigslist ad. Arriving at this three bedroom house, with only what could fit in our small prius (our 45lb dog taking up quite a bit of that space) we were daunted by the idea of turning this big empty shell into a “home.

Name: Alexandria CarterLocation: Nolita — New York, New York My apartment is the perfect eclectic mix of old and new. When I first moved to NYC two years ago, I immediately furnished my apartment with practical IKEA furniture. As I started walking around the city, I discovered a lot of beauty in antiques and used objects. They seemed to have an air of wealth that came from a history and a past life.

Name: Kristen EllisLocation: Pike Place Market — Seattle, Washington My apartment is located in the heart of the world famous Pike Place Market. The apartment is a studio and is approximately 125 square feet. The building in which it is located was originally built in 1907 and offered housing to the fisherman who needed a temporary place to stay while on shore. The building has a roof top balcony that not only overlooks the Market but the Puget Sound, Mt. Rainer and the Olympic Mountains.

Name: KatLocation: Reno, Nevada When we moved to Reno, Nevada from Oakland, California, I was hoping to purchase an old ramshackle barn and restore it into a rad loft, in the style we were accustomed to living. However, due to our great desire to take advantage of Mr. Obama’s phat tax credit for first time home buyers, our selections were limited by time constraints (the tax credit expired at the end of April).

Name: Jennifer, Andrew and Little One (our cat)Location: Paris, France (15th arrondissement) We moved to Paris from Philadelphia in March of this year and have found the journey to be an amazing one. However, one of our greatest hurdles was finding an apartment that would serve well as a home and office – and also have enough space for family and friends to visit.

Name: SukiLocation: Capitol Hill — Seattle, Washington It has taken me two years and four months to get my 470 square foot condo finally ready for a House Call. It proves that my style is patience! It takes me forever to find any object that I truly love. Every shopping experience is like searching for a soul mate. I am mostly drawn to old, used objects that make you wonder their life story. Therefore, used goods stores, craigslist, and garage sales are my muse and inpiration.

Name: Rosie & MattLocation: Highlands neighborhood — Louisville, Kentucky In January of 2008 we began the process of converting our new house, a very dark, cramped 1950s house with a bad 90s remodel into the space you see in the photos. I am a graphic artist, and my husband, Matt Frederick, is a furniture designer. We did all the design of the interior spaces ourselves, as well as most of the work.The big idea for the public spaces in the house was to make them as gallery-like as possible.

Name: Nelly Reffet & Samuel DesmarisLocation: Watermans Bay, Western Australia (a mere hundred metres from Indian Ocean beaches) We were desperately looking for a cute beach house to rent at an affordable price. So when we stumble upon a very neglected shack that was screaming potential, we jumped onto it!

Name: Ryan Brinkerhoff & Katie TyneLocation: Victorian Village / Short North — Columbus, Ohio I am owner and head designer of Bandito Design Co.. I live in a 450 square feet one bedroom apartment that I share with my girlfriend. It serves as both a living space as well as a studio space where I work as a graphic designer.The space is small, but that has led us to be creative with the boundaries (or lack thereof) of design area and living area.

Name:Bradley & Jonya and 15-month-old Julian GreyLocation: Beaverton, Oregon When Bradley and Jonya Streeper found a midcentury Rummer for sale just outside Portland, they left their loft in San Francisco and headed for the Pacific Northwest. Both have backgrounds in the arts—Bradley as a gilder and painter, Jonya in art history—and knew that the house, a developer’s knockoff of an iconic Eichler, would perfectly showcase their revolving collection of furniture and artwork.

Name: DanaLocation: Grant Park — Atlanta, Georgia We bought the house as a foreclosure in 2009. It had been vacant for over a year and severely neglected. Despite having no functioning toilet or shower, no working appliances, outdated electrical and no heating or air conditioning, we still fell in love with this historic home.