New York

See how professional stager Jason Saft reimagined his 475-square-foot studio apartment without fully renovating it.

Michelle and her partner's rental apartment is a combination of new fixtures that modernize the space paired with original charm, like exposed brick, two skylights, bay windows, and original hardwood floors.

This top-to-bottom renovation took two two years to finish, and the homeowners did nearly 100% of the work themselves.

See inside food influencer Beryl Shereshewsky’s Murray Hill apartment that she fully renovated.

This family of three’s Brooklyn apartment has been totally transformed with smart small-space solutions, including an incredibly cool lofted home office and nursery.

This home is print driven, maximalist, and theatrical, and has the most beautiful pistachio-colored living room.

These first-time homeowners worked with pros to renovate a worn-down Brooklyn house originally built in 1910

See inside Gina Fuchs’ small Brooklyn studio apartment that’s full of color, tchotchkes, small-space design ideas, and perhaps most importantly, a ton of fun!

“I know it might sound silly to pick an apartment because of its bathroom, but finding an apartment with a decent bathroom is really difficult in NY,” writes Jhenene.

The moment Chyelle Milgrom walked into the apartment her eyes watered because of the smell of “rotting cat piss, frat-house boys, trash, and food so moldy it burned your eyes.” She signed that day.

"As we've grown up together and built a life, the apartment feels much more like a reflection of our tastes and loves and how we want to spend our time: reading, writing, watching, lounging, cooking, snacking, and hanging out in Prospect Park," Virginia McLure writes.

Maitri Mody, also known as @honeyidressedthepug, decorated her one-bedroom Brooklyn Heights apartment in a renter-friendly, budget, colorful way.

The couple's decor is a perfect mesh of colorful, eclectic, and thoughtful pieces rooted in both of their backgrounds.

See inside the home of two architects with a great love for interior design who use lots of bright colors to spark joy in their 600-square-foot rental.

Ashley Watson’s beautiful and cozy apartment is the ultimate retreat from the chaos of New York City.

This homeowner’s style muse is Keely Jones from “Ted Lasso” and Barbie.

See inside this rental shared by a soon-to-be family of three that’s stylish and functional despite the teeny size.

Layered wall art and limewash walls make this 700-square-foot rental apartment pop.

Christina Long runs a heavy metal magazine and has filled her Yonkers rental with musical instruments and her favorite things: "Art, lighting, and books that all reflect my identity as a queer Black woman."

There's an orange-yellow living room, a light blue kitchen, a bold blue bedroom, a pink dressing room, and more in this interior decorator's beautiful Queens rental apartment.

This is the tenth apartment Kit has lived in, in ten years and with this three-bedroom, two-bathroom rental apartment they share with a dog (and sometimes a roommate) they have put down more permanent roots and really make a space their own.

Emily and her boyfriend made sure to focus on function when decorating their small shared studio apartment, including making visually separate spaces in the one-room rental.

The top floor is bright and airy, while the downstairs is perfect for a good night’s rest.

"Everything I changed in the apartment is renter-friendly and can be un-done," explains Zoe Wetherall, an architectural and landscape photographer. "The biggest challenge was working with such a small space — making sure I could fit everything in and have enough storage."

After living in this same rental apartment for 13 years, Dave says the place was starting to feel stale and not adult enough. But he spent a few months and a few thousand dollars elevating his rental's style.

"My personal home style inspiration has a wide range, from traditional maximalist to English cottage home to Scandinavian clean lines to farmhouse to Rajasthani folk with its warm colors and block-prints, even a bit of New York loft-style with art-filled walls and plants," begins singer/songwriter Abhilasha Sinha.

Julie Finn has done tons of things to make her small space work, from a hand-me-down daybed to couch transformation, an easy TV-hiding hack, and creating as much smart storage space as possible.

Damini grew up in India and moved to the U.S. in 2016. "After four years of art school and three years into my graphic design career, this is the first place I've stayed at where I've run wild decorating and watched it transform into a space that feels like home (and part art studio)."

Thanks to the studio apartment's high ceilings and huge windows, as well as Leecy's brilliant small-space styling and organizing skills, her home feels much larger than it actually is.

Fashion consultant and merchandiser Jasmine Hart worked with interior designer and set decorator Kendra Cusic to decorate this Brooklyn rental apartment.

Photographer and interior designer Natalie Bird shares this 1000-square-foot, open-plan rental apartment in New York City's TriBeCa neighborhood with her husband.

Film, dance, and theater artist Brighid Greene has lived in this rental apartment in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood for five years, and her partner has rented here since 2012. They pay $1700 per month, and say their landlord has not raised the rent in over a decade.

Rachael Harvey, Assistant Membership Director for a synagogue in Manhattan, moved to this 275-square-foot, $1,800-per-month Upper East Side studio apartment eight months ago.

Alex Bass is more than just an art collector, she's the founder of Salon 21, an art advisory and design firm. And the small home she shares with her boyfriend not only shows off her art curating skills, but also plenty of renter-friendly ideas.

When Lindsey Kephart first arrived, the previous tenants (and friends) had painted the kitchen a color they loved: yellow. With a little paint and new hardware, Lindsey transformed the room — and the entire apartment — into a chic space more fitting to her personality.

Artist Mauro Baiocco loves a bargain, so most of the furniture in this rental apartment has been found on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or the street.

Bianca Tueretsky wrote a series of YA books called "The Time-Traveling Fashionista" about a girl who travels back in time through an enchanted vintage dress. Her small Prospect Heights apartment reflects her love of books, history, vintage pieces, and travel.

"The space had a modern aesthetic and we used the green kitchen as a jumping-off point for leaning into color and modern details," writes Mark Goldwell, the founding partner and executive creative director of Zero Studios.

This $5500-a-month West Village rental apartment of herbalist and floral designer Emily Swarts is only 550 square feet, but feels a lot larger, thanks to it being spread across three floors.

The colors in Nityasya and her partner's home are bright "and there's a lot of texture and patterns to not just take us back to India (our homeland), but also to make the feel space vibrant and full of energy — on even the coldest winter day in NYC."

Designer Kim White has transformed her cozy Brooklyn rental apartment with smart DIY projects, like using banquette seating to build a custom sectional sofa, using mirrors to make the space feel larger, and more.

Since this is Mindy’s first time owning a home, she was as involved as possible in the renovation, like knocking out the old kitchen and taking off the bathroom tiles, all to build the minimal and modern small home of her dreams.