House

Name: Emily and Kevin Location: Reston, Virginia Size: 2,800 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, owned This was the fifth house we put an offer on and we went into it thinking, “What’s the worst thing that can happen? We actually get the house?” Then we got it. We liked the lot, the yard, and… that’s about it. But we knew we wanted a house that we could gut and renovate, so this definitely fit the bill.

Name: Natasha Webb, her husband Anthony, and their two sons Location: Canterbury — Melbourne, Australia Size: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 study Years lived in: 3 years, owned You cannot help but smile and be happy in the colorful 1980s-era house of Natasha Webb and family. While so many other people would have knocked down and redeveloped this home, Natasha and her husband Anthony have embraced all of the brown brick and other ’80s features.

Name: Casey Mason and Cole Mason, our new daughter Sunny, and our rescue pups Bodhi and Shea Location: Ventura, California Size: 1,466 square feet Years Lived In: 2 1/2 years, owned This is the first house that my husband and I purchased together, so for that reason alone, it is very special to us. When we were looking for our first home, we knew that we wanted a fixer upper. The uglier the better in our minds. As long as the bones are good, we knew that anything cosmetic could be fixed.

Name: Aya Cash and Josh Alexander and Lucy Tammy Cash (the dog) Location: Hollywood Hills — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 4 years, owned There was nothing easy about buying a house for actress Aya Cash—star of “You’re the Worst”—and her husband, Josh Alexander. “This was the sixth place we bid on in six months. I did not think we were going to get it.

Name: Jina Javier, her husband Jeff, Lucy, and Leo Location: La Mesa, California Size: 1,285 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned When Jina and Jeff were preparing to move into their La Mesa home in San Diego two years ago, Jina was reading Marie Kondo’s megahit “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” Jina and Jeff were downsizing, moving from a large (but characterless) 2,800 square foot house, into an older home with lots of charm but far less square footage.

I’ve covered kitchen/dining room as well as the entrance/living room, so now we’re going to stroll down the hall on the main floor and visit the two guest rooms down at the other end. There is also a bathroom in between. These rooms sit exactly in the same position as the old house, because I loved the layout. They are easy to get to, but private with their doors at the far end of the hall.

Name: Steve and Heather Sacks, kids Cameron and Jasmine, and dogs Rockit and Haley Location: Potrero Hill; San Francisco, California Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 5 1/2 years; Owned Walking into Steve and Heather’s home makes you feel like you have escaped to a relaxing, tropical retreat in the middle of a city best known for its cold and foggy summers.

Name: Alicia Peiró Location: Sagunto — Valencia, Spain, Size: 645 square feet Years lived in: Owned 11 years I don’t know if was the amazing and bright light, the warm materials or the sensation of being next to the Mediterranean sea, but this place completely stole my heart. Alicia, is an amazing photographer and her work is full of light, amazing stories and beautiful color. Her love for design is palpable in all the places of her home.

Name: Melanie and Dalton Tarver Location: Dallas, Texas Size: 1088 square feet Years lived in: Owned 3 years Melanie writes: “My home is a mid-century traditional built in 1950. I have lived here for three years with my husband Dalton and two pups, Addie and Mr. Cooper. It’s in East Dallas which has a bit of an eclectic vibe and really feels like an escape from the city without being too far.

Name: Liz and Josh Carey (+ 3 human children and 2 canine children) Location: Santa Clarita, California Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented Liz and Josh, owners of the well-being shop Mascot, are the youthful heads of a full household. With three children ranging from 14 to 22 years-old and two lively pups, there’s a lot of activity and a lot of opinions to consider.

Name: Carl Blucher & Ben Location: Hackney; London, UK Size: 900 square feet Lived in: 1 year; Owned Carl has built his career curating gorgeous collections for retail stores throughout London, and his home is filled with the best furniture, art, and objects he has found. Located in a classic Victorian mansion, Carl’s flat is the exact opposite of what you expect to find in an old Victorian building.

Name: Tamasyn Gambell Location: Bow; London, United Kingdom Size: 2 bedrooms, 1 bath Years lived in: 3 years; owned Who else lives here: Tamasyn’s boyfriend Jamie and their baby Stepping into the home of Tamasyn Gambell, the first thing you notice are the patterns and collections, but go deeper into the home and you will see that her use of pattern and color is united by nature themes which lend a tranquil feel to the home.

Name: Meagen and Mike Coburn and dog Dozer Location: Cherry Hill Historic District; Grand Rapids, Michigan Size: 2,800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; owned I arrived on Meagen and Mike’s street on an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon in mid-December. The forty-degree weather, mist and visible green grass didn’t feel like Christmas in Michigan.

Name: Kenneth Close and Tracy Wilson Location: Richmond, Virginia Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 2; Owned With toys, turntables, colors that pop, and vintage posters that will make you long for the days of playing Pacman at the arcade, Tracy and Kenny’s 1961 ranch is modern, playful, and kitschy in all the right places. The open floor plan allows for great views from all angles of Tracy and Kenny’s living, dining, and kitchen space, and there is certainly a lot to take in.

Name: Melissa and Brian Crochet Location: Franklin, Tennessee Size: 3,400 square feet Years lived in: 7 years Comfortable, welcoming, and stylish, Melissa has masterfully furnished her home on a budget. Rooms that would cost others thousands cost her hundreds. How does she do it? With patience. She has, over the years, scoured the Nashville Flea Market, Goodwill, and Craigslist to make her home a unique and comfortable place to live.

Name: Jen Garcia & Andrew Carnwath Location: Richmond, Virginia Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Owned Jen and Andrew, known also in the Richmond antique trading fold as The Odd Couple, have an eye for the delightfully unusual, and a knack for bringing it all together to create a space that is as curious as it is inviting. Throughout their space, sophisticated furniture and an abundance of curios combine harmoniously against a backdrop of richly colored walls.

Name: Danielle Rowe, Patrick Flannery and son Pete. Location: Berkeley
, California Size: 1,380 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Rented The home that Danielle and Pete share with their son hits all of the right notes: it is modern but maintains a sense of warmth, lived in but not messy, collected but not cluttered.

Name: Beci Orpin, Author, Crafter, Designer, Probable Cringer of this introduction, with her talented family Raph, Tyke & Ari Location: Brunswick West, Victoria, Australia Size: 1,290 square feet Years lived in: 7 years; Owned I felt instantly at home stepping into Beci & Raph’s home. Despite being a stranger, Beci left me alone in her front “ex-studio” while she popped down the street for milk.

Location: Wicker Park; Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 7 years As a young person living in Chicago, I spent many hours rambling though Wicker Park, an area of the city that used to be synonymous with art and music. The neighborhood, home to historic flats on shady, tree-lined streets, has since been gentrified six ways from Sunday.

Name: Jeremy and Kim Kasten Location: South Pasadena, California Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Rented My dear friend Jeremy Kasten had his previous loft featured on Apartment Therapy almost six years ago. It was a stunningly sexy apartment in the Eastern Columbia building in Downtown Los Angeles. Two and a half years ago, with a baby on the way, he and his lovely wife Kim were forced to find something bigger for their growing family.

Name: Francina and Joe Baldi Location: Frederick, Maryland Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 34 years; Owned Built around 1900, Francina and Joe Baldi’s townhouse has no doubt been through many transformations over the years. The couple have been through a few renovations themselves, but they have been careful to preserve as many of the original features of the house as they could, from the second stair in the kitchen to the thoughtfully embellished door hardware.

Name: Casey Anderson Location: Highland Park; Los Angeles, California Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Owned With a penchant for unconventional activities (read: dodgeball and tap dancing), and an affinity for Spielberg-ian extraterrestrials, it goes without saying that Casey is one rad kindergarten teacher.

Name: Ben Lee and Vivian Ritchie Handler Location: Los Feliz; Los Angeles, California Size: 2,100 square feet Years lived in: Almost 2 years; Owned Ben and Viv’s ‘70s-inspired home appears to jut out above the narrow streets in the hills of the Los Feliz with confidence. From the outside, the seemingly modest, stream-lined house offers a unique view of the city, including the Griffith Observatory.

Name: Kate Hayes DesignLocation: Size: ~Years Lived In: In a whirlwind of color and eclectic detail, Jack and Kate have managed to retain the old southern charm of their lovely home in Grant Park while keeping it fresh and modern. Kate is the head of her own design company and I was ecstatic to visit with the designer in her natural habitat. Being at Jack and Kate’s home was such a pleasure to explore as every room seemed to tell a story.

Name: Sarah Mac & Davey Riot Location: Parkdale; Toronto, Canada Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented Most Apartment Therapy House Tours offer a look inside the dwellings of folks who are happily settled — or newly settling — into their homes, but this tour is a bit of a swan song. By the time these photos are published, Sarah & Davey will already have left the cozy lodge-style apartment for a new place across town.

Name: Charlotte Starling, her husband Boris, their children Florence and Linus and rescue greyhounds, Velvet and Dash. Location: Dorset, United Kingdom Size: 4,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 years Driving into the pretty Dorset village of Frampton, I feel as if I have unwittingly gate crashed the set of a Richard Curtis movie.

Name: Melinda and Mark Fay Location: Eagle Rock; Los Angeles, California Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 16 years; owned Melinda Fay, owner of Good Eye Gallery in Eagle Rock, has a background in therapy and finds the act of curating spaces deeply beneficial to her well-being. Her ability to refine and curate her family’s extensive collection of art is nothing short of impressive.

Name: Brooke Baker Eide Location: Ballard; Seattle, Washington Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented I came across a really exciting and unique House Tour adventure to bring you all on. We have two individually inspiring tours to go on by a very design savvy couple. You see they were just about to get married and move in together, and I was lucky enough to catch them at their individual homes just a few weeks before their wedding.

Name: Katy Minton and Emily Stroud Location: Nashville, Tennesee Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 1 year When entering Katy and Emily’s home, you know their personality right away. Eclectic with a side of whimsy and a dash of smarty pants. From their “bitch please” embroidered hoop, to the taxidermied deer over the fireplace, to the poppy colors used in the home, you get an impression of two quirky interesting ladies you’re going to have fun with.

Name: Tyler Eide Location: Queen Anne; Seattle, Washington Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 3.5 years; Rented Last month we introduced the Design & Chemistry House Tour Trilogy with Brooke’s Modern Boho Loft. Now get ready for Part 2 as we get a peek at Tyler’s space weeks before he and Brooke moved in together as a married couple.

Name: Dawn Lindsay Location: Bayside; Melbourne, Australia Size: 3 bedroom house (around 1300 square feet ) Years lived in: 17 yrs owned, with my husband. Dawn is a very talented lady of fabulous style and her home is a homage to an era she lives and breathes, be it as Dawn Lindsay, entrepreneur-around-town, or her alter-ego Dolores Daquiri, Queen of Burlesque! Dressed from her own vintage collection, Dawn welcomes me through the cherry red door and into her home.

Name: Gabriel Fontes de Faria & Grant Gochnauer Location: Wicker Park; Chicago, IL Size: 4,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; owned If I had to summarize Gabriel and Grant’s home in two words, I would pick “beauty” and “restraint.” The couple’s townhouse is elegant and pared down, and each element seems considered and loved.

Name: Kelly and Dave; son Litton (“Lit”) Location: Lawrence, Kansas Size: 3,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Owned When Kelly and Dave purchased their split-level home back in 2012, there were months of renovations ahead of them. The neighborhood is what initially drew them to a house that, as Kelly put it, “was an ugly eyesore! Asbestos tiles! Wood paneling EVERYWHERE! I have some before pictures if you care to see,” (which we will share in more posts to come).

Name: Rebecca Caridad Facteau (a photographer and artist) & Dustin Facteau Location: Boulder, Colorado Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 3.5 years; Owned Stepping into the colorful, light filled space belonging to Boulder residents Rebecca and Dustin Facteau, you might be shocked to discover that you are actually standing in a mobile home (although it will probably take you a while to notice).

Name: Javier Ferrer, Ana Lanfranco, Mina, and Fedra Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 13 years; Owned Javier and Ana are the entrepreneur powerhouse duo behind two of the trendiest cafés in Valencia as well as Simple, a charming downtown decoration store that specializes in vintage and artisanal products for the home.

Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant — Brooklyn, New York Size: 3,900 square feet Years lived in: 2 years This Brooklyn brownstone is pretty much perfect: tall ceilings, ten-foot doors, all those glorious moldings, and floors to die for. But it wasn’t always this way. Working through endless rounds of renovations—and living in the house while it was updated—was a real labor of love for the owner.

Name: Robyn Rich, husband Jonathan, and daughter Abbey Location: Frankston, Australia Size: 145 square meters, (1,560 sqft) Years lived in: 11 Years I stumbled upon Robyn via her Facebook page one night when I was probably avoiding doing other things. I’d “liked” one of my artist friend’s newest pieces and old Zuckerberg and pals asked if perhaps I’d like Robyn’s work too? Well, I think I would, thankyouverymuch.

Name: Lara Linn Location: Newport, Rhode Island Size: 630 square feet + 140-square-foot porch Years lived in: 4 years; Rented Lara Linn enjoys a simple life. She lives right in the heart of Newport, just blocks away from her small art studio and the Newport Art Museum, where she is an active member and ceramicist. She is walking distance from all the seaside city’s best restaurants and nightlife and lives in a spot where it’s easy for friends to drop by and say hello.

Name: Isaac Aptaker Location: Silver Lake; Los Angeles, CA Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Aside from the fact that it’s oozing with Mid-century charm, Isaac Aptaker’s home in the hills on the east side of Los Angeles has two big things going for it: privacy, and spectacular views of the city.

Name: Jodi Capobianco & Michael Bell and their daughters Location: Parsonsfield, Maine Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; Owned After three years of looking for the perfect nest, Jodi (Martha Stewart’s former personal head gardener) and Michael (a busy landscaper) found their dream home: a sun-flooded wooden house on top of a mountain.

Name: Elizabeth Wissel Location: Irvington; Indianapolis, Indiana Size: 2,508 square feet (including unfinished basement) Years lived in: 6 years; Owned In design, as in real estate, the key is location, location, location — at least that’s the case in Elizabeth’s home, in which everything is arranged beautifully. The layered clusters of curios around the house provide rich texture and engaging depth in every corner.

Name: Vasanti Lackner and her dog, Tango Location: Silverlake; Los Angeles, California Size: 650 square feet + 256-square-foot detached art studio Years Lived In: 5 years; Owned You’re either an artist or a musician if you’re a Lackner, and Vasanti and her mother, Diana, are both fine artists.

Name: Laura, Bob, Conor, and Frederick Ker Location: Back Cove; Portland, Maine Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Owned When Laura and Bob moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Portland, Maine, they knew exactly what they wanted: to be closer to family and to have more space. They’ve not only created a stylish home for their family, but also opened Find, a buy-trade-sell boutique which has become a staple in the Portland shopping scene.

Name: Charlotte Evans & Tom Evans and their two children, Lola & Ted Location: Muswell Hill — London, UK Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Owned Finding a property in London that still retains the charm, detail, and character from when it was created in the early 1900s and has been untouched for 25 years is like finding treasure.

Name: Jen Lorentzen and Eric Thompson and their dogs, Sage and Bruiser Location: University Park; Portland, Oregon Size: 968 square feet Years lived in: 11 years; Owned Along with lots of color, Jen and Eric have filled their mid-century home in Portland’s University Park neighborhood with furniture and decor they’ve found at vintage stores, scored at estate sales, and inherited from family.

Name: Elissa Hall Location: King; Portland, Oregon Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented When Elissa finally found her Portland home, it had been preserved to honor the integrity of the architecture while also gently renovated to make the most of the space and available light. With the gift of a clean palette in front of her, Elissa’s challenge was then to make the space homey and reflective of her taste while nesting in with two other roommates.

Name: Megan and Jason Clark and their 7-month-old son, Ever Clark Location: West Seattle, Washington Size: 2,300 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Rented Though they each hail from other places in the Northwest, Jason and Megan have made a beautiful home together near Alki Beach in Seattle. She is a VP at the non-profit LifeCenter Northwest, and he works for Groupon and writes the blog THE BLACK CANOE.

Name: Jill and Dan and their 2-year-old, Branson Location: Hillsdale; Portland, Oregon Size: 4,100 square feet Years lived in: 6.5 years; Owned When Jill and Dan moved from a small condo in Portland’s Pearl District to their brand-new home in the Hillsdale neighborhood, they weren’t in a hurry to fill the house up with furniture and things that didn’t have meaning for them.

Name: Katie Costick and Andrew Nielson Location: Boyle Heights — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Our lovely homeowner Katie hails from “across the pond,” and she’s styled her East Los Angeles home with the sophistication and refinement often associated with her English roots.

Name: Maggie and Howard Location: Logan Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; Owned When Maggie, Howard, and their gorgeous boys moved into their Logan Square house, it had just sat empty through a frigid Chicago winter.

Name: Lauren, Danny and their dogs, Mr. Belvedere and Junebug Location: Mount Washington — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented Salon owners Lauren and Danny’s comfy cottage is like the brick-and-mortar equivalent of a breath of fresh air. High ceilings and interesting, multi-level mid-century architecture allow natural light to flood in from every direction, bouncing off the simple white walls.

Name: Tyler Parker (a photographer) and Kelsey Harper (a custom floral designer) and their 2-year-old, Harrison Harper Location: Eagle Rock — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 1 years; Rented Tyler and Kelsey have been thoroughly enjoying their East Los Angeles home. Making room for a baby on the way while raising a 2-year-old, they’ve somehow managed to create a home that is not only beautiful but incredibly functional as well.

Name: Amhalise Morgan and her children, Harmony Cree and Rebel Spirit Location: Brooklyn, New York Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 11 years; Owned The home of Amhalise and her two teen-aged children is the definition of a labor of love. She bought the home after traveling and living overseas for many years and essentially had a clean slate to work with upon purchasing her 19th-century Brooklyn brownstone.

Name: Travis and Jessica Kiger and their two children Location: Fullerton, California Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Owned Jessica and Travis’s charming 2-story home is a historic Southern California landmark—built in 1923—that looks as though its roots are deep-seated in a Grimm fairytale.

Name: Jeff and Jenni Swedlund and their son, Decker Location: Austin, Texas Size: 1,497 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Jenni and Jeff come from different parts of the country—Seattle and Chicago—but met on common ground when they were both living in California. Six weeks after Jenni moved to their beach town, they met in a sequence of events involving tequila shots, mistaken advances toward a waitress, a whispered coaxing from a friend, and an ocean swim.

Name: Sara and Rich Combs Location: Joshua Tree, California Size: 1,241 square feet Years Lived In: 8 months; Owned You may remember Sara and Rich from our House Tour of their Colorful, Calm & Sunny California Haven in San Francisco. Today, we have the pleasure of sharing their latest collaborative interiors project: their vacation home in the Mojave Desert dubbed The Joshua Tree House.

Name: Dave Winkler Location: Capitol Hill — Seattle, Washington Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Owned The first time I visited Dave’s home was for a summertime party that he and his housemates hosted. The house was filled with people laughing, enjoying cocktails and relaxing. It’s easy to relax in such a comfortable space that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Name: Thomas Wegner Location: Longfellow — Minneapolis, MN Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 20 months; Owned Longfellow, one of south Minneapolis’ tight-knit neighborhoods, is full of row after row of early 1900s gems. The exteriors of these houses—which are found throughout the Twin Cities—share many similarities, so walking into a unique interior like Thomas’ is a special treat.

Name: Bill and Kristina Sager and their dog, Wisco Location: Fletcher Hills, California Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Creative duo Kristina and Bill breathed new life into their San Diego area Mid-century modern home while also lovingly preserving its gorgeous original character. Both Wisconsin natives, the couple met while working together in advertising in Milwaukee.

Name: Christina Birch and Lars Fynbo and their two sons Location: Zealand, Denmark Size: 39 square meter (420 square feet) Years lived in: 8 years; Owned When Christina, a photographer, and Lars, a sociology professor, decided to continue living in central Copenhagen with their two boys, they knew they’d also need a place in the country for peace and nature.

Name: Ethan Morris and Tarleton Walmsley-Morris and their cats, Tozer and Etta Location: Asheville, North Carolina Size: 980 square feet Years lived in: 6 years: Rented Antique dealers Tarleton and Ethan have filled their home with many of their favorite finds, and the result is an eclectic mix of art, textiles, and Mid-century furnishings.

Name: Jennifer Maxcy and her husband, son, and their dogs, Doug and Daisy Location: Newbury Park — Ventura County, California Size: 1,143 square feet Years lived in: 7 months; Owned Stylist and maker Jennifer Maxcy of The Ranch Uncommon employs the same vision and design ethos in her home goods collection as she does in styling her personal abode. Her approach celebrates unique finds, pairs vintage with new, and favors the handcrafted and repurposed.

Project by: Lee Location: Mequon, Wisconsin We moved into our house in 2004. At that time, the house was like a time capsule of early-70s design, so we promptly gutted the kitchen and family room. Eleven years later, I decided it was time for another update … but with the big money we sank into it a decade ago, I wanted to do it all myself this time, as inexpensively as possible. In 2004, we spent around $20,000 on our gut re-do.

Name: Blanca Martinez and Cody Perez Location: Seattle, Washington Size: 1160 square feet (560 sq ft cottage with a 600 sq ft basement) Years lived in: 2 years; Rented When Blanca Martinez and Cody Perez moved into their small, one-bedroom cottage in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, they immediately saw the potential for more usable living space in the concrete basement—all it needed was a good bit of TLC.

Name: Liza Monteagudo and David E. Peterson + Dog, Paco Location: Grant Park — Atlanta, Georgia Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years Designer and DIY guru Liza Monteagudo and abstract painter David E. Peterson have created an eclectic, creative home in the Grant Park neighborhood of Atlanta. It’s a treasure trove of David’s paintings, art from Liza’s home of Puerto Rico, carefully chosen antiques, and plenty of clever DIYs.

Name: John and Laura Frame Location: Wrightwood, California Size: 2,500 square feet Years lived in: 30 years; Owned I’m a fan of sculpting mastermind John Frame, so touring his home was an honor, which makes it difficult for me to write this feature without giving you an essay-style rundown of his poignant, otherworldly carvings and stop-motion animations.

Name: Sara Dahlquist and Shawn Dimke, sons August-Jack and Hudson, dogs London and Tallulah, and cat Maddog Location: Portland, Oregon Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 5 months; Owned Sara, Shawn and their brood just moved into their North Portland home a few months ago, but you’d never know that by how inviting and put-together the space feels.

Names: Jag Nagra, Agata Matyszcuk and their two dogs Location: Port Coquitlam — British Columbia, Canada Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Owned “When Agata and I decided to move in (and purchase our first home together), we went to visit a new townhouse development on a lazy weekend on a whim,” begins Jag. “As soon as we walked in, we knew we had to live there. It was the only place we visited in person and it was exactly what we wanted.

Name: Alison and Jeff Allen (and sons Finn & Gus) Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 2,200 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Owned I stumbled upon Alison’s home via Instagram and knew right away that I found a gem. A bold teal living room is always a good sign! As I got to know Alison through her blog (Deuce Cities Henhouse), which features her home improvement projects, my excitement grew to see it in person.

Name: Allen Loeb and Nate Clark Location: West Hollywood — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,450 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; Owned When my friend Jason Martin told me about Allen and Nate’s gorgeous West Hollywood home, I jumped at the opportunity to photograph it. This home is one that is stylish but warmly minimal. Each room has a personal touch that expresses their personalities but still feels both refined and functional.

Name: Vaishali and Rasesh Shah and their son, Malhar Location: Ahmedabad, India Size: 5,400 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Owned The outskirts of western Ahmedabad are dotted with farmhouses and weekend getaways. Driven by their love for nature, Vaishali and Rasesh made the decision to move away from the city into a home that brings together all their passions: the outdoors, travel and the quiet life.

Name: Liz Klafeta, founder of BANGTEL Location: Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 9 years owned Often you hear people use words such as “daunting” or “time consuming” while referring to renovations. “Fun” and “having a blast” don’t come to mind. However, these are the exact words you’ll hear Liz use while describing the renovation process of this space.