New York And Tours

This raw industrial studio is now a warm, smart home, thanks to a stylish vintage furniture curator turning it into a light-filled, multifunctional home with storage hidden in plain sight. Every piece in this Bushwick studio pulls double duty — proving small spaces can live much larger than they are.

Lauren’s cat, Mabel, even has her own little sleeping nook.

Wall murals, cozy banquettes, and vibrant color steal the show in this family's bold Chelsea rental apartment.

There’s not a TV in sight, a Murphy bed turns the living room into a guest room, there’s a skylight over the bathtub, and the kitchen is basically a bar.

A private outdoor patio is an almost a mythical luxury in New York City, but Kate Ruberti's 538-square-foot studio apartment is a gorgeous unicorn, inside and out!

When Emily got the keys, the paint was “uneven and patchy, it needed a good cleaning, and there was pee all over the walls from the previous tenant's elderly orange cat.”

11 people applied for this East Village apartment in one day and Alysse Mazakian still had three months left on her previous lease — but this small rental was so special it was worth the fight.

Designer Melody Kim's rental studio apartment in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood is only 350 square feet, but she's made an absolutely stunning and stylish home — and filled it with a ton of holiday cheer despite the small size!

Interior designer Adnan Anwar had to do some rearranging to fit his Christmas tree in his small, maximalist NYC apartment, but it was worth it. His holiday home is personal, layered, and bold, and full of clever holiday decor ideas to steal.

Sometimes she is in awe of how stunning the apartment is.

The decor is a testament to the renter’s background.

Jake and August’s landlord “wasn’t exactly open to renovations,” so the couple got creative with upgrading their rental by swapping outdated overhead light fixtures and “adding smart storage wherever we could.”

“It’s my creative lab in the morning, a workspace in the afternoon, and a chill spot to unwind with friends at night,” writes designer and founder Tyler Correawhite of her sleek and small Brooklyn studio apartment.

This creative couple – floral designer and landscape designer – took inspiration from both their love of horticulture for their renovated home’s stunningly unique kitchen backsplash.

In just 500 square feet, painter Josh Ayala created a warm, stylish space that’s part art studio, home, and place to show off personality.

Designer Hollis Loudon’s New York City home is just as patterned, energetic, gorgeous, and bold as you’d imagine!

Packed with art, vintage treasures, and personal touches, this 400-square-foot Manhattan apartment is an incredibly cozy, warm, and personal home for a creative couple and their cute dog.

Jennelle Mendes' 450-square-foot Brooklyn rental apartment came with absolutely zero closets — so she had to get creative with storage solutions in her small space. And she created an incredibly cozy bed cocoon, too!

“When I first walked into this apartment, I felt like I was stepping into a version of myself I had only seen in my dreams,” Sofiyat says.

“I think social media is great, but I often see different iterations of the same home over and over on there (and lots of white and beige!), and I wanted my space to stand out,” writes Amanda Mactas.

It’s only 700 square feet, but this renovated NYC apartment feels much larger thanks to two key elements.

Design rules went out the window in this gorgeous home.

There are so many unique, renter-friendly DIYs in this apartment.

A pink marble mantel, a gorgeous vintage vanity, and envy-inducing closet space make this fashion and lifestyle creator's small Brooklyn apartment shine.

Discover all the cozy gemstone colors and global bohemian style in this 550-square-foot Manhattan studio apartment.

“I believe it’s important to come home to a space that feels calming and like a little oasis just for yourself,” Lakesha Charles says.

“Creating a sense of balance was key,” explains renter Kelsey Matyas of this “soft but grounded, warm but not overly styled” Manhattan apartment.

“My favorite thing about our home is the way it feels like a true respite from the hustle and bustle of the city,” Hattie says.

Katy Ma is a user experience designer, so when it came to designing her home — this 400-square-foot apartment in the East Village she rented for three years — it was important for her to “create a home that is very functional” for how she wanted to live. “I’ve maximized storage solutions in closets, cabinets, and underneath my bed so that I can have everything I need but don’t have too much visual clutter,” Katy says.

With only 290 square feet and one closet, Elizabeth created functional storage out of thin air with $300 (and a few tears).

“We've transformed every inch of our 750-square-foot space as our family has grown from newlyweds to a family of five.”

It’s so dreamy.

Each time, sound musician Jackie Cantwell has transformed small rental apartments with color, cool vibes, and style.

Justine added removable peel-and-stick tile backsplash, changed out handles and outlet covers, and installed new overhead light fixtures to transform this 600-square-foot rental.

"Every corner of the apartment has something tucked under or inside it to reduce clutter and free up visual space," Sarah shares.

It's filled with so much beautiful art.

Railroad apartments definitely come with some floor-plan challenges.

It’s repainted almost monthly.

Christine and Nik have spent the last two years making renter-friendly adjustments to their small Bed-Stuy loft to create an incredibly dreamy, DIY home.

The apartment needed a gut renovation.

Full-time food and lifestyle content creator Gwyneth Yuma’s 695-square-foot Brooklyn rental apartment is warm, cozy, and eclectic, and has a little tropical flair.

The renovation budget was $100,000.

There have been so many changes, and it’s a rental!

Tour this couple’s rental home in Astoria, New York, that was in such rough shape before moving in, everything needed painted (and some things completely redone!).

There’s a must-see small room used as an inspiring home office called the jewel box: “As this room has a pretty small footprint, it was important to me that every piece of furniture was beautiful and well-appropriated.”

The renovation is stunning!

“Deep blue for the endless night or sea, terracotta white and brown for the sandy desert, cactus green for a muted botanical touch,” Ze writes about the color influences in her Brooklyn condo.

There’s even a walk-in closet room in this 800-square-foot apartment.

“The living room walls, cloaked in black, evoke a sense of a speakeasy from another age — rich, intimate, as though time itself has slowed,” describes renter Javier Riostello.

It was also a pepper factory!

The main feature of this 700-square-foot apartment is a "huge brick wall with a hand-painted advertisement for an old market that used to be in our neighborhood," writes renter Brandon Corcione.

“My space is slightly cluttered, but also intentional. Everything has a place. Nothing matches perfectly, but goes together. It’s my little urban cottage,” writes Claudia.

“Making a small space work efficiently, and not being afraid of color, is definitely a result of my having embraced New York culture, which allows for any type of style experimentation,” writes Kim Narby.

Laura Bindloss, founder of Nylon Consulting, renovated this modern coastal cottage, using white walls to keep it bright and colored trim around the windows and fun wallpaper “to give it a punch.”

This rental was sad when Jillian moved in. “It was dark, cold, many things were broken, the vibe was off … ” Jillian put a lot of TLC, love, and effort to turn this dingy rental into an oasis.

"The apartment was rented as-is, meaning it needed a really good scrub, a lick of paint, and an updated kitchen and bathroom," explains artist and native New Yorker Kellie Rogers.

Before Danielle moved in, she described this Brooklyn loft as "drab, industrial, and soul-less." But now it's "bohemian, colorful (but not aggressive), layered, artsy, and autobiographic."

Abby didn’t realize quite how bad this Brooklyn apartment was when she first moved in: “ There were broken tiles, missing pipes, and it was filthy.” But after a huge transformation, Abby’s rental is now cheerful, colorful, and fun.

Some people live in New York City for a while, and then, when they start a family or grow tired of the hustle and bustle, they retreat to the suburbs or smaller cities. While it might not be the most common storyline for a family of four to trade their spacious home in Texas for a small apartment in New York City, that’s exactly what Tim and Liz Everett (and their children Ethan and Harper) did.

Alexa Priego is a full-time content creator and mom of three, and for the past 10 years has rented this 525-square-foot, one-bedroom NYC apartment.