New York

After the passing of Troy's father last summer, she "needed a change of scenery and a fresh start in a place that would foster an environment of creativity, newness, and exploration as I navigated my grief."

The renter even teaches yoga classes in the living room.

The original apartment was also described as “cramped” and as having a “musty odor lingering in the air.”

Kalin Stovall “could talk about curtains all day,” and each room of the three-bedroom apartment she shares with her family “has a different combination of curtain length, fabric, and header.”

“I am often torn between maximalism and minimalism, and my apartment definitely straddles the two,” writes Lake Buckley, who describes her home’s style as “California New Wave or Brooklyn Beach House.”

When Sin Ying Tracy Leung first bought this small apartment, it was “old, dull, and lifeless,” but three years later it’s now a colorful, playful, eclectic, and warm home.

"It may seem a bit cluttered to some, but I love it!" exclaims Melanie, who shares this tiny studio with her cute cat. "Maximalism isn't for everyone, but I keep it clean!"

Rachel Schwartzmann, the author of “Slowing,” lets her Brooklyn Brownstone’s historic details — like moldings, wood floors, and fireplace — shine thanks to her minimal decor style.

Salome Mergia's Upper West Side studio was furnished a lot from places like Housing Works, Salvation Army, Goodwill, and other vintage spots.

After decluttering and downsizing, Matthew Jeffers embraced this small studio’s natural flow to create a personal retreat — what he calls “functional tranquility.”

Apartment Therapy’s video producer Margaret and her husband, Alex, have made a dreamy, cozy home for their two young daughters in this small Washington Heights apartment.

Shaped like a “T” and with original picture molding lining the hallway, this NYC rental apartment has a “modern folk, moody modernism” vibe.

Sydney Fazende says it took a lot of trial and error with furniture arrangements (and custom pieces) to maximize her small SoHo apartment.

This native New Yorker has personalized her small rental apartment with renter-friendly DIYs and “98% secondhand finds.”

Dalton and Dave transformed their blank, white shoebox of an apartment with art and vintage treasures.

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

Teju’s rental came with typical NYC apartment challenges like old infrastructure, window issues, uneven floors, and weird walls.

Renter Aviv Grimm describes her home as “warm, calm, and artistically inspiring all at once.”

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.

Alicia got a second chance at decorating when she moved out of, and then back into, this Astoria apartment.

The biggest challenge has been navigating the different stages of a family living in a small space (and accommodating all the kid gear!).

It’s the perfect place for entertaining.

Camoy Briscoe says it was important to "support small business owners" in their 900-square-foot, one-and-a-half bedroom rental apartment.

“We decided to lean into the industrial/brutalist style and outfit the space with lots of stainless steel, mirror, chrome metal materials, but also contrast it with softness using plants and vibrant, abstract-shaped wool rugs.”

This food artist and baking enthusiast’s identity is reflected in her rental home. “Each item, from the brightly colored chairs to the vintage lamps, embodies our love for creativity, narrative, and cultural heritage.”

Impressively, there are five different paint colors in just 515 square feet.

Decorator Barbara Campbell isn’t a “white wall” person; instead she insists on being surrounded by “uplifting, welcoming color.”

There’s also an incredible 3D-printed coffee table, gorgeous wood moldings, and a neat art collection.

Fernanda Clark landed THE vintage orange couch used in Jeremy Allen White’s viral Calvin Klein ad.

Ariel Sun and her husband describe their 600-square-foot rental apartment as “colorful, energetic, curated, eclectic.”

When Sofia Marcogliese and her boyfriend, Oleg, moved in together for the first time into this 950-square-foot rental apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, they weren’t expecting their existing furniture to go so well together. “But what really ties everything together is my mother’s oyster painting,” Sofia explains. “She’s a Montreal-based artist, and my sister, Laura-Michelle, curated and digitalized her work through her online gallery, Glasshouse.

It also has Scandinavian finishes, light wooden floors, and modern appliances coupled with a soothing color palette of creams and terracotta.

“We spent the first month just removing everything — pulling down dated wood paneling, dropped foam board ceilings, and shag carpets from the ‘70s, pulling up layer upon layer of vinyl flooring from every corner of the house,” writes homeowner Christina Salway.

There’s peel-and-stick wallpaper in the entryway, peel-and-stick panel molding, a gorgeous sketch from 1884, and a ton of other traditional, refined details.

“My home is my sanctuary,” renter and mom of three kids Lisa Miller says.

Interior designer Mariellas Urrutia worked with organizer (and fellow small-space dweller) Rachael Harvey to pack stylish storage into every inch of this home.

From glass blocks, vintage sofas that make a conversation pit, and more, secondhand finds have made this Bushwick rental incredible.

Amanda Phillips pays $2389 a month for her 425-square-foot studio apartment in Manhattan’s Rose Hill.

There's a brilliant cat litter box solution in this small Upper West Side studio apartment too!

Holly and her partner describe their home's style as "antique and cozy."

Honestly you'll forget you're even in New York City thanks to this apartment's chic floral pattern mixing.

It’s super small and has a bizarre layout and a tub in the middle of the space, but Austin’s filled it with color, patterns, storage solutions, DIYs, and unique decor.

The plants are bathed in abundant natural light in the sunroom.

A road trip through France inspired this cute Parisian-style rental apartment.

Maria-Elena Stellas and her husband have rented this 800-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment in New York City for one year.

Shiva and Hakhamanesh tackled this loft’s renovation themselves, customizing the floor plan and interior to match their personalities and needs.

Designer Dan Mazzarini “inherited a real ‘before,’” with this apartment that needed major structural and system updates. “Plumbing, electrical, lights, kitchen, bath, floors, closets … really everything.”

And it's packed with chic but renter-friendly ideas to make any space look stylish.

This couple was able to fit a dining area, coffee bar, TV and gaming zone, conversation area, bar, office, and music space all in their home’s living room.

The large home might be over 100 years old, but the husband-and-wife team did a beautiful job with the restoration, adding bold personality to the rooms but also respecting the home's history.

When designing their space, Scott Csoke follows a Dorothy Draper quote: “If it feels right, it is right.”

Shaya’s idea of cozy was influenced by his grandparents' homes, one side of which was mid-century American, the other, North African.

Tour this software engineer's 280-square-foot studio apartment in Crown Heights that rents for $2150 a month.

Sonam Dolker was born in Nepal, raised in Queens, and has spent her 20s in Brooklyn, with the last year in this small but stylish studio apartment.