House Calls

Name: Tamera Location: Falconhead, Bee Cave – Texas Tamera’s apartment is filled with lights and plants and a super dreamy door. It also serves as a great space for Tamera to build and foster relationships within her apartment community. From Tamera: We love our two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,137 square foot apartment right outside of Austin, Texas.

Name: Elizabeth Location: Orange County, California Elizabeth shares her stylish Orange County home with her boyfriend. A perfect blend of their styles, the space is designed to be a chill and and inviting spot, perfect for hosting. From Elizabeth: Welcome to our sunny Orange County apartment! We have just over 1,000 square feet and live in a pretty standard apartment complex. There are about 50 other units and we chose to live in close proximity to my boyfriend Jared’s workplace.

Name: Elyse Location: New York, New York Elyse and her husband have added a considerable amount of character to their 830 square foot rental. With a strong paint choice, smartly mixed styles and pops of green, their place may be short on the historic elements they loved in their former home but it’s long on charm.

Name: Bridget Location: Lakeview — Chicago, Illinois Once Upon a Time in the Land of Chicago, a young woman named Bridget followed a magical road (Craigslist) to a big, yet unloved castle (a one-bedroom). She took one look at the space that many had overlooked and knew that with a little love care, and deep-clean magic she and the apartment could live happily ever after. From Bridget: Welcome to my vintage 750 square foot apartment in the Lakeview neighborhood in Chicago.

Name: Erin Location: Riverdale — Toronto, Ontario Erin’s Toronto home is full of clean lines and up-cycled style. She’s created a space that is both family friendly, totally functional and full of covetable finds. Her motto? “Style your home with love”! From Erin: Our home is located in a neighborhood in Riverdale, Toronto. It is a three-story, standard-looking, 100-plus-year-old historic Toronto home.

Name: Nicole Location: Red Deer — Alberta, Canada Our home is an ongoing experiment, forever changing as I bring in new pieces and try new things. I love experimenting with fresh and innovative ideas. Many of my clients squirm at the idea, but in the end, if I’m not willing to try something in my own space, how can I convince a client to do it in theirs? Built in 1973, our four-bedroom, 1,374 square foot four-level split gives me lots of different rooms to play in.

Name: Liz Location: Stockbridge — Edinburgh, Scotland I’m a New Yorker, living in Edinburgh, married to a Scotsman with a chatty baby boy. I regularly daydream about art, design, interiors, Mid-century modern furniture, wallpaper, the color yellow, and all things brand while navigating being a new mama. Why Edinburgh? My lovely Scottish husband told me “It was every Scotsman’s duty to make someone fall in love with Scotland”. It worked.

Name: Nicole Location: Park Slope — Brooklyn, New York Nicole’s house hunt was not easy (when are house hunts ever easy?) but after putting in a couple of years on the search she found this beaut. Faced with an outdated exterior and not enough room in her budget for an overhaul, Nicole got creative and decided to go to the dark side. From Nicole: It took us two and a half years to find our home. We had so many aggressive buyers outbidding us every time.

Name: Noelle Location: Salt Lake City, Utah I live in a vintage one-bedroom, one-studio, living/dining room, with a porch in downtown Salt Lake City after relocating from Chicago two years ago. There are so many amazing little details that make this apartment timelessly beautiful. It faces east towards the Wasatch Mountains, and in the morning and throughout the day there is so much light I rarely turn on my lights. Which is a good thing because there is only one electrical outlet per room!

Name: Anna Location: Baltimore, Maryland Anna’s studio in Baltimore is a warm and cozy, multi-functional space. She’s created designated areas giving the room a nice flow and the space is blessed with plenty of natural light, making the studio look roomier than it is. From Anna: I live in a 450 square foot studio apartment in the historic Mt. Vernon Neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland.

Name: Jennifer Location: Sausalito, California I enjoy living by the bay in the community of Sausalito. This beautiful home was the model for the complex. The location is perfect with beautiful views of Richardson Bay, Sausalito Marina, hills of Tiburon, Belvedere and Angel Island. The amenities include wood floors, crown molding, granite counter tops, gas fireplace, two en-suite baths. One covered parking space, storage. The development offers a community pool and clubhouse.

Name: Tracy, Jason and Lucy the Chihuahua Location: Historic Village — Zionsville, Indiana Tracy and Jason have a bright, clean and modern aesthetic that makes their 1890s historic home sing. After moving around for a bit their new home has beautiful hardwood floors, enviable amounts of natural light all in a seriously quaint small town. After a year in their space the home looks curated yet warm and is still a work in progress.

Name: Virginia Location: Madrid, Spain The goals of the redesign of our duplex penthouse in the western area of Madrid were to achieve spacious rooms, and bring natural light to areas that did not have it, such as the hall. Another one of the goals was to connect the exterior with the interior through large windows in the kitchen and living room that overlook the terrace that the apartment has on the ground floor.

Name: Rachelle Location: Berkeley, California Welcome to my mid-century rainbow bohemian cottage in the Berkeley hills! I’ve lived in the Bay Area for over fifteen years, and do a lot of hiking. When the opportunity came about to move a block away from some of my favorite trails, I was thrilled! The cottage is about 525 square feet, and sits behind the main house.

Name: Elena Location: Sunset Hills — Lawrence, Kansas Elena’s “cookie cutter” home in Kansas looks anything but. Full of calming blues and grays the palate is serene and the furniture provides pops of color and the art ads some funky style. From Elena: My husband and I were on a house hunt about two years ago when we stumbled across this 1998 ranch.

Name: Shauna Location: Fort Worth, Texas Shauna’s Texas home immediately caught our eye due to its bold colors, fun textures and that jealousy-inducing bathroom wallpaper. From Shauna: We used to live in a 1920s Spanish Tudor in the middle of the arts district. While we loved our home, we quickly outgrew the 2,700 square feet. You see, we are a blended family. My husband has two kids and I have four. A couple of them are married and have kids…so the family is big and keeps growing!

Name: Claire Location: Mission District — San Francisco, California The light in our apartment is incredible; warm and abundant. When we came to look at the listing it was mid-day and I didn’t have to do more than open the front door to know that I wanted to live here. I’ve lived in San Francisco for about eight years, when my partner and I found (and then were picked to rent) this apartment it felt like a gift from the city, encouraging us to keep putting roots down here.

Name: Chelsey Location: Manhattan — New York, New York Chelsey’s Manhattan apartment is filled with a softly sophisticated style that is full on classic glam. Her passion for interior design can be seen in her careful selection of colors, accessories and layout. From Chelsey: Hi! I live in a 750 square foot apartment in Manhattan. I’m twenty four years old and have an amazing job/ career as an editor for The Dr. Oz Show. My second passion besides editing is interior decorating.

Name: Darren Location: Washington, D.C. After we relocated from New York City to D.C., we fell in love with the Watergate. The history, the architecture and the outdoor space is truly something that tugs at your heart. When we decided to purchase this unit, our intention was to only refinish the floors, update the bathrooms, paint and maybe a few other things here and there.

Name: Susan Location: East Bay, California About a year ago, we relocated from the Chicago area to the East Bay. Not willing to settle for anywhere-America with this big move, I set my mind on a Mid-century home with a beautiful lot. On a fluke, we happened upon a home that had been sold as a “teardown” with the recent sale having fallen through. We loved the vintage home with the stunning view. It was an oasis in the midst of the East Bay hustle and bustle.

Name: Sarah Location: Georgetown — Washington, D.C. This is the third apartment I’ve lived in post-grad. I love living alone—it allows me to truly highlight my style (plus, I’m a bit of a neat freak!). I currently live in a one-bedroom apartment in the heart of Georgetown. Although I grew up in the Washington, DC, suburbs, this is my first time living in the area since high school.

Name: Suki Location: Uptown — Seattle, Washington After living in a 1920s condo building that sported a lot of personality for many years, I started having the seven-year itch and began craving simplicity. A blank canvas, a place where I could freely express myself. Also, my biological clock was ticking, and I wanted to have a modern, grown-up kitchen and a queen size bed.

Name: Jessica Location: Atlanta, Georgia We found our home well over a year ago while searching for “house number two” qualities: a big backyard and lots of character. We fell in love with it as a foreclosure, made an offer and unfortunately lost it to an investor. We were heartbroken. Nine months later when we still lived in our old house, our realtor reached out to let us know that the investor ran out of money after doing a few of the major fixes (HVAC, Plumbing, Master Bath, etc.

Name: Emily Location: Petworth — Washington, D.C. Ron and I moved in together after we’d been dating for about a year and a half. Ron had these two overstuffed brown couches and I had a small white one… His apartment looked like nobody lived there because he traveled for work all the time. My old space was perfect for a single gal about town but Ron didn’t love my style.

Name: Rachel & Russell Location: Boerum Hill —Brooklyn, New York We’ve lived in our amazing apartment in Brooklyn for almost 3 years now. I spent countless hours arranging a mix of purchased, made (e.g. the RIOT painting and wood/metal plant stand), and found (e.g. our vintage typewriter and metal stool) objects into the decor we live with today. Of course there are things I wish I had done differently, but overall I think I did a great job maximizing the beauty of our space.

Name: Drew Location: Bed-Stuy — Brooklyn, New York My partner Danny and I have been living in our 1,100 square foot one bedroom brownstone apartment in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood since February 2016. We were drawn to its 11′ ceilings, parquet floors, crown moulding, wooden blinds, and floor to ceiling windows.

Name: Christian Location: Museum District — Houston, Texas I live in a rented town home in the museum district that I share with two college friends and my dog, Adelaide. The townhouse is about 2,200 square feet and the exterior is what I’d like to call pre-recession tuscan (it was built in 2007 and was probably inspired by the original Real Housewives of the OC, but on a much smaller scale).

Name: Lauren Location: Osgood, Indiana We live in a two story modern farmhouse on about five acres of land just outside of a little town with one stoplight, Napoleon, Indiana. My husband and I were both born and raised here and went to the same school. So, we purchased the land and we have been living in our home for just a little over a year. We have three little boys Blake (8), Callen (6) and Nash (2).

Name: Darcie Location: East Geelong — Victoria, Australia We bought our cute two bedroom, weatherboard dutch-gable house in East Geelong around seven or eight years ago as first time home buyers, and saved like mad for years to renovate. Its been over 12 months since the work was finished, but because everyone knows houses are NEVER finished, it’s still a work in progress! The yard is next..

Name: Andrea & Christopher Location: Coventry, Rhode Island We visited this 1958 mid-century ranch on a miserable New England winter day. We weren’t even on the market but as soon as we walked into the kitchen, I turned to the realtor and said, “We’ll take it.” A mid-century ranch in New England that was built with every mod-con available in 1958 and never updated is a rare find. We’re putting the house on the market but wanted to celebrate it before we say goodbye!

Name: Jen Location: Adams Morgan — Washington, D.C. My name is Jen; I’m a 27 year old baker, foodie, and policy wonk originally from Boston. I live in a 685 square foot studio in the heart of Adams Morgan, D.C. I work in foreign policy at a think tank in Dupont Circle, and moved into my current apartment two years ago after three years living in Eastern Market.

Name: Lisa Location: Graz, Austria We’ve lived in this apartment for two we love everything about it. The house was built around 1910, so there’s a lot of history in it. We have very high walls, folding doors and wooden floors, which makes the rooms bright and spacious, yet it’s really cozy. The apartment is rented and about 74 square meters/ 796 square feet with a nice balcony.

Name: Ricardo Location: Washington, D.C. With its Washingtonian charm, this lovely renovated row house became the perfect home to four young professionals living in one of the fastest growing and most vibrant cities in America. Like them and many millennials across the country, getting a start in the big city can sometimes be daunting, which may suggest that shared housing is the only affordable option.

Name: Breanne Location: South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania I live on the first floor of a two home building in the South Philadelphia Pennsport neighborhood. The front and back rooms of my home get hit with nice light, but that disappears in the center as the ceilings drop. Because of this I’ve filled my home with bright colors and an abundance of plants to make the vibrancy flow throughout.

Name: Diana Location: Mile End — Montreal, Quebec My partner and I rent a 900 square foot two bedroom apartment with traditional details in a 1903 heritage building in the heart of Montreal’s hip mile end. We love the juxtaposition of modern and colorful decor with traditional details like hardwood floors and wall moldings (very reminiscent of Parisian apartments). We also love the old school brass light fixtures and tall ceilings.

Name: Ruth Location: London, United Kingdom We absolutely love our new family home, having always lived in apartments it’s so lovely to have our own front door, garden and space to fill out. Our style is pretty colorful and eclectic, maybe bohemian modern. I love finding the right vintage items that have meaning to me and mixing them with more modern design in the home.

Name: Jason Location: Fremont — Seattle, Washington I live in a three-story, 1520-square foot town home in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood. I bought the house a little over two years ago after leaving Washington, DC to start a new job at Amazon. I fell in love with the house right away. Built in 2009, it was one of the first LEED Platinum developments in Seattle, complete with a rainwater recycling system and other green building elements.

Name: Gillie Location: Prospect Park South — Brooklyn, New York When I first viewed my one bedroom close to the park, it was in total shambles. Under rennovation for the first time in (I assume) years, the previously lime green walls were half painted, the wood floors were scuffed beyond recognition, and then kitchen was a vacant construction area.

Name: Matt Location: Belleville, Illinois Our home was designed by mid-century modernist architect Charles King in the St. Louis suburb of Belleville, Illinois in 1957. It was commissioned by a family that owned several car dealerships in the area. We bought it eight years ago from their daughter and have tried our best to tastefully update it to accommodate our needs as a family but preserve the history without being too much of a time capsule.

Name: Jeffrey & Mark Location: River West — Chicago, Illinois Recently moving back to North America from Tokyo, we needed to create a space where we had enough room to live, but still kept with the Japanese feeling of efficient space. We settled on a great two bedroom in River West, with an extraordinary view of the city. What we love most about being in North America is the ease and convenience of everything.

Name: Samantha Location: Los Angeles, California At 280 square feet, my boyfriend and I have been sharing our studio apartment for the past three months. Of course studio living isn’t ideal for two people but Los Angeles is an expensive city and we don’t own a car, so we sacrificed space for windows and location. The Mid-Wilshire neighborhood sits in the middle of the city and it’s easy to get around on public transportation from where we are.

Name: Sasha Location: Rhododendron, Oregon We acquired this dilapidated and mold-infested A-Frame with wall-to-wall carpet and kitschy mountain interior decor about a year and a half ago and spent pretty much every single weekend since then lovingly reinventing it. I redesigned the interior and my husband and I performed almost all of the buildout ourselves.

Name: Amber Location: Long Beach, California My husband and I recently moved into this space, and we decide to take on a small renovation. It’s my own home, so I wanted to take some risks and I wanted it to be a little fun. As a relatively new designer I wanted to take the opportunity to design something that reflected my personal design aesthetic which is midcentury, eclectic, and can be a little glam too. The space had good bones, but it was dated.

Name: Roger Location: Chicago, Illinois Our home is considered a Vintage home. It has four bedrooms and the upstairs is a bedroom suite. There is also a basement and one car garage. We are located on the northwest side of Chicago and we live across the street from a large public school which is grades K to 12 that takes up the entire block. We choose to live here because my husband works downtown and we wanted to be closer and have the opportunity to utilize public transportation.

Name: Matthew & Rick Location: Toronto, Ontario Designed by Toronto-based interior design firm Heirloom & Knot, and decked out for the holidays, this glamorous space strikes the right balance between festive geode-inspired décor & regency styled furnishings. The home of newlyweds Rick and Matthew Bettencourt has been furnished over time & curated with mementos that have a sense of personal history.

Name: Jennifer Location: Temecula, California I just recently relocated to Southern Cali from the Seattle area. I moved here with my husband and two youngest kids (12 and 5). With three kids already out of the house, we decided to finish raising our brood in a drastically different way. From a 2,500 square foot custom farm house in the great NW, to a 1,600 square foot stucco in a neighborhood that we transformed from a cloned tract house to a mock Palm Springs Spanish Modern.

Name: David Location: Verdugo Woodlands — Glendale, California We bought our 1962 Ranch-style house in 2012. We were only the third owners. We were immediately drawn to the privacy, and great flow of the 2,600 square foot, two bedroom, three bath house which was built for entertaining. All the entertaining spaces open to the kidney shaped swimming pool and patio. The house hadn’t been redecorated since 1975.

Name: Brett Location: Oakland, California My home is a 1900 Craftsman that has been a true labor of love. The house was a complete fixer upper when my husband and I bought it earlier this year and we’ve spent nearly half the year completely renovating the entire thing. My husband and I had been talking about moving from San Francisco to Oakland for a few months and just so happened to stumble upon our house at the right place and the right time.

Name: Jenny Location: Lake Worth, Florida I’m a floral designer living in Lake Worth, Florida. While my friend Lauren was in town, we spent a few hours shooting a home/studio tour. I currently work out of my 1950s house, but will be opening a store front in downtown Lake Worth in 2017! Most of our furniture and design choices are influenced by mid century modern design and unique vintage pieces.

Name: Rachel & Eric Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania My husband is an architect and designed our house from the ground up. It’s new construction, located in Pittsburgh, in the north side neighborhood of Deutschtown. Deutschtown is a city neighborhood with mostly row homes and this is our own modern interpretation of a classic north side row home. We love the neighborhood and lived here for about five years before building from scratch.

Name: Julia Location: Austin, Texas We have lived in this classic 1963 ranch home in South Austin for 10 years, slowly remodeling over time. Just before our son was born a little over two years ago we made a big push to realize our long held dream of converting the old garage into the kitchen- but retaining a garage door. Combined with a deck and fenced-in yard in the front, this has made a great indoor/ outdoor space that is perfect for family and entertaining alike!

Name: Silvia Location: London, England I am an Italian Architect living in London, with a passion for interior design and calm minimal interior spaces. For years I worked for a top Italian Minimalist Architect, so when my boyfriend and I bought this two bed flat in North London one year ago, I wanted to create a minimal and calm interior, without being too cold. The flat has been decorated and styled on a low budget by us, with a Nordic and Italian touch.

Name: Catherine Location: Santa Barbara, California Charlie Chaplin is a big deal to me, so you can imagine the thrill when I was told that the 1920s bungalow apartment complex I moved into was built for his cast and crew to stay in during the filming of his own, as well as, other silent movies of that era. The architectural integrity is still intact; including ample built-ins, a small vanity room, and now sealed off hatches, like the dumbwaiter in the kitchen.

Name: Szilvia Location: Budapest, Hungary I would like to show you my very first “project”. I designed every inch of the interior of this flat without professional assistance. I usually read blogs, interior design magazines and search for ideas on Pinterest. As a Hungarian lawyer and not an interior designer I am very proud of it! The apartment is located in a classical building in downtown Budapest, 7th district.

Name: Teri Location: Arlington, Virginia Our condo building was built in the 1930s and has beautiful architecture and detail. It was actually marked a historical building this year! I was very attracted to the charm throughout the whole space. The working wood fireplace wasn’t so bad either! When re-designing our home, my inspiration was mostly my relationship. Before my boyfriend Patrick moved in, my apartment was very youthful and feminine.

Name: Isabel Location: Emerald Hills — Hollywood, Florida My name is Isabel and I’m so excited to be writing this right now! My husband and I bought this 1600 square foot town home two years ago and trust me when I say IT DID NOT LOOK LIKE THIS! The house had been abandoned for two years when we first came to see it, and even though there were piles of trash, and roaches that belonged in Jurassic Park, I immediately fell in love with it.

Name: Adrianne Location: Lower Pacific Heights — San Francisco, California I was drawn to the apartment’s natural light and vintage touches, such as the 1926 ironing board that’s in the kitchen wall, or the onion shaped cutouts in the doorways and pass-through window. I was apprehensive to downsize at first – but once I started, I found myself surrounded by my most meaningful things and suddenly it became personal rather than visual.

Name: Emily Location: German Village — Columbus, Ohio When I was first moving to Columbus, people would ask me where I wanted to live. The first place I would say was German Village… followed by a little laugh, because it was silly of me to think I would be able to find/afford a place there. It felt like a long shot, but it was also my dream. The quaint brick streets, historical homes, coffee shops, restaurants, a great park, all within walking distance.

Name: Ruth Location: Manchester, England I bought my first home a year ago, where I now live with my partner Adam. This came after 16 years of house-sharing so I couldn’t wait to unleash my creativity on it after living so long with magnolia walls! My house is a Victorian two bed terrace just outside the centre of Manchester, England.

Name: Alicia Location: Prospect Lefferts Gardens — Brooklyn, New York My husband, two month old baby boy and I live in a bright two bedroom corner unit in Brooklyn. The apartment is modern and brand new (we moved in April 2016 and were the first ones to live in it) and has great amenities (washer/dryer, dishwasher and bathtub), which is hard to find in New York. We moved here because we were looking for these amenities with a baby on the way.

Name: Rebecca Location: Mercer Island, Washington I live in a quant 1950s brick apartment building in one of Seattle’s premier suburbs, Mercer Island. I’m a commercial interior designer specializing in office space design. My work is busy making great space for clients but my own home was left to random pieces from collage. This last year I finally made time to work on my own place realizing how important it is to love your home.

Name: Carlos Location: Williamsburg — Brooklyn, New York We were looking for something with character that felt like New York – we didn’t have a big renovation budget but were willing to find the right space and do our best to personalize it. Since we’re both expats we wanted a home that felt relevant to its geography and it doesn’t get much more New York than a former cheesecake factory!

Name: Julieta Location: West New York, New Jersey My apartment is a two bedroom located on the waterfront and right across the river form New York City. I’d like to compare it to Battery Park City but much quieter and less commercial. I love the fact that I was the first one to moved into this apartment after living in a prewar building in NYC. It’s brand new and super clean. The view is absolutely stunning and I have NYC views from every room, even the bathroom.

Name: Paul & Simon Location: Hell’s Kitchen —New York, New York Our one bedroom Hell’s Kitchen apartment is approximately 625 square feet. We love the neighborhood and have been renting this place for a little over a year. The space is small for two, however, we have managed to make it work by ensuring every bit of space is used. Storage is added through vintage suitcases and an antique armoire.

Name: Anna Location: Flatbush — Brooklyn, New York I’ve been living in this tiny studio apartment in Flatbush, Brooklyn for just over two years. Living alone was a longtime goal of mine and I knew that I’d have to sacrifice size in order to have my own roommate-free space. But it was a trade that I was happy to make—plus, my place has several features that make it seem larger than it really is.

Name: Lisa & Sam Location: Nashville, Tennessee My fiancé and I recently moved from Sydney, Australia to Nashville, TN and we are so excited to share our home with you! Sydney to Nashville was a very big move, and it was incredibly overwhelming to figure out how to logistically move around the world. So in the end, we decided to sell most of our belongings in Sydney and start fresh in the USA.

Name: Jossie & Kenny Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts My husband Kenny and I have rented this apartment for about one year. It’s around 800 square feet, is one of six units in our “double triple decker,” and is surrounded by other houses on all sides in our dense neighborhood. Luckily, the surrounding trees make it feel private and tree-house-like.

Name: Carlee Location: Templeton, California My husband and I rented a granny unit studio that was 400 square feet. We were just teenagers when we first moved in and couldn’t afford much, which is why we decided to rent it. The perk was that while it was hideous as all get out, our landlord was willing to let us do whatever we wanted to the place. When we first moved in it was covered head to toe in wood panelling and ceiling tiles.

Name: Brittany Location: Leysin, Switzerland Our cozy apartment is roughly 700 square feet and located on the 3rd floor of an older building. It’s in a great location in the middle of our village and only a three minute walk to the grocery store! Our favorite part: The balcony and THAT view! The mountain range located directly across from us (Dents du Midi) is stunning and we never tire of it!

Name: Meghan & Jesse Location: Los Angeles, California Our Apartment is a 1920s Spanish Studio in an older neighborhood of Los Angeles. We fell for the roof beams, dark hardwoods and french doors in the apartment immediately, as we’d been looking for an older place with charm, and it had even more than we’d have hoped (especially for LA). It’s around 550 square feet and has a lot of old, fun details like a pull-down ironing board and a stained glass kitchen pendant light.

Name: Ellen Location: Oakland, California I don’t know if our home can be pinned down to any one style! It’s a mash up of what I like most from many different eras. Timelessly eclectic! We have a lot of inherited antiques from my parents. My father was an antiques dealer and ran a very successful estate sale business. I grew up rummaging through estates with him, and over the years I have acquired many treasures.