New York And Tours

After waiting 13 years for his dream Brooklyn loft, designer Kiron Akeem finally moved into this 850-square-foot rental. His goal? To bring in "mid-century flair while adding warmth and character.“

When her last home flooded after Hurricane Ida, Alison Beshai had to find a new last-minute home, landing in this Brooklyn Brownstone with original mantels, an open layout, and tons of natural light pouring in from every side.

When this creative couple first walked into their Brooklyn Heights apartment, the original crown moldings were gone, the ceilings had been lowered, and every surface was gray and white — but they’ve spent years bringing the character back to the brownstone.

The bareness of the original home was an advantage to Kate.

This apartment wasn’t "love at first sight" for Jordan and Luke, but it had potential. After a thoughtful reno, it feels like being in the desert while still in NYC.

The outdoor space is what NYC dreams are made of.

This 320-square-foot apartment in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood is filled with the most brilliant organizing and style ideas of all time.

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!

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.

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landlord “wasn’t exactly open to renovations,” so the couple got creative with upgrading their rental by swapping outdated overhead light fixtures and “adding smart storage wherever we could.”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

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.