San Francisco And Tours

Taylor Jordan says the key with rentals is "to work with and around the things you can't change." In his San Francisco apartment he worked around the original yellow toilet and tub, and in the kitchen he "changed out the cabinet hardware and backsplash for an updated, modern look."

"We live in a mid-century home that was a bit of a blank slate when we moved in," begins Julie Mak. "It has been a wonderful palette for adding the lively fabrics, patterns, colors, and lines that I love."

Ruth and her 17-year-old son moved close to the beach in the pandemic, where they made it a priority to visit the beach every day and eat dinner together five nights a week. Their San Francisco home mixes bohemian styles with beachy vibes for a clean, welcoming aesthetic.

Tay BeepBoop is a designer and DIY-er on social media. When she accidentally bought five gallons of paint in different colors, she gave herself the challenge of adding tons of color to her San Francisco Victorian, turning it into a one-of-a-kind home.

Emma and David were dating long distance for two years before moving in together. As soon as they saw this apartment on Craigslist, they knew it was the one. They blended their aesthetics by adding new art and toning down colors.

This 560-square-foot studio apartment in San Francisco's Lower Haight neighborhood is Dipa Halder's first solo apartment, and she's personalized this blank canvas with murals, DIY art, and furniture and decor that remind her of the colors of a sunrise.

"The goal for my home has always been to make it feel like the most fun place you’ve ever been in, and I want every room to have a surprise in it once you enter," says TikTok DIY decor star Taylor BeepBoop of her "Pee-Wee’s Playhouse chic" San Francisco condo.

"Being an interior enthusiast, I also knew that I wanted a home that I could put my very-own stamp on. I didn’t want anything too turn-key. We instantly fell in love with this 1300-square-foot 1930s row house perched high up on a mountain top," says Anthony.

Laura is a pro at designing and optimizing small spaces, and lives in this condo located in a 1909 Victorian building. And a clever dog crate camouflaging idea is just ONE of the great ideas you'll find in her home.

Sheta Chatterjee, who works in user experience design at a tech company, shares this 823-square-foot condo in San Francisco with her cute pup, Stanley.

Instead of using heavy or bulky room dividers, Abigail was able to maximize all 415 square feet of her tiny studio apartment and create an entryway, living room, dining room, bar, bedroom, and office!

Nayana used white marble contact paper on the counters and removable white subway tile backsplash in her dark rental kitchen to brighten up the space.

"I have found so much joy in sharing my colorful spaces with others and showing how you can make a rental as personal as any home and that a small space doesn’t limit how much fun you can have in your home!"

This interior designer traded her small studio apartment for a slightly bigger (but just as beautiful) junior one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco.

This gorgeous rental apartment's style is modern vintage meets wabi-sabi.

It's definitely maximalist, but not chaotic.

CW Stockwell CEO Katy Polsby reinvigorated her apartment in this San Francisco house with lots of patterned wallpaper and color!

It’s like a Wes Anderson movie that hasn’t been filmed yet or like a little Madonna Inn.

Full-time freelance photographer and music enthusiast Ryan Tuttle lives in a small custom designed tiny house on wheels she calls the "Tuttle Shuttle."

Inspired by Australian and Japanese design with a little California desert mixed in, we went for a natural, relaxing, minimalist aesthetic with low profiles and warm desert colors.

Nicolette and Michael built their very own tiny house in 2018 in just seven months. And they've fit a lot in to just 300 square feet!

This interior designer's studio may be on the small side, but it has beautiful hardwood floors, picturesque windows, and original cabinetry and molding.

She didn't see a single piece of decor or furniture in person until it arrived, minus her curtains.

Before the remodel this house felt cramped. After the remodel, it feels as if it's gained 50 percent more square footage.

Every item must have at least three different uses, be used three times a week, or be used for more than three years.

Name: Krystal Bick Location: Hayes Valley — San Francisco, California Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 3 — rented Krystal Bick’s style blog showcases all of her designer duds and playful outfits. Her studio with attached kitchen and rather large closet reflects her fashion sense perfectly — eclectic, feminine, clean and glamorous. Krystal’s space is small but efficient.

Jon O'Shaughnessy is inspired by the things that make him happy—travel, the outdoors, and forests.

With the multi-colored rug anchoring the living room and the beautiful but still rather neutral blue walls in the bedroom, this is an example of how to add color to a rental without risking not getting your security deposit back.

You can Instagram every corner of this San Francisco rental apartment, where every element inspires and tantalizes your senses.

The number one rule is there are no rules!

Name: Jamie and Byron with Roux, Simone and Coco Location: Cow Hollow — San Francisco, California Size: 2,300 square feet Years lived in: 1 — rented We first saw Jamie and Byron’s dining room in the 2011 room for color contest. Painted shades of grey, their apartment embodies a sense of mystery and glamour. Byron describes it as the canvas for Jamie’s artworks, and they truly make a statement on these walls.

Name: Susan Gregg Koger and Eric Koger, with dogs Winston and Blue Location: Noe Valley — San Francisco, California Size: 3 bedrooms, 3 baths Years lived in: 5.5 Susan and Eric Koger have come a long way from the cramped dorm room where they founded ModCloth in 2002. High school sweethearts turned college entrepreneurs turned retail power couple, their current home may be a bit bigger than their original digs, but the spirit behind things hasn’t changed.

Name: Girolamo and Alex Location: Dogpatch — San Francisco, California Size: 871 square feet (1,200 square feet including the coffee shop) Years lived in: 7 years; Owned Very few people can roll out of bed and be at work in just a few steps. For Girolamo and Alex, getting to their coffee shop—La Stazione Coffee and Wine Bar—is just a quick commute down a spiral staircase.

Name: Paige Bennett-Primke & Thorben Primke Location: Mission District; San Francisco, California Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Paige and Thorben’s Mission District apartment shows what good teamwork can create. When they were tired of looking at the white-walls in the living room, they brainstormed and decided to change it up, covering it with reclaimed wood they found in a near-by neighborhood.

Jane’s San Francisco home is inspired by her surroundings from architecture, retail spaces, and nature (plus some mid-century modern)—a style Jane calls “Happy Californian.” If you’re inspired by these things, as well as clean lines and craftsmanship, check out the shoppable links below. Teepee — Similar: Etsy Table lamp — Similar: Zinc Door Credenza — Similar: Overstock Mini globe — Similar: World Market Brass duck — Similar: Jet.

Name: Cindy Zhang Location: Soma — San Francisco, California Size: 232 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Finding a nice, affordable apartment has become a challenge for anyone moving to San Francisco. When Cindy Zhang moved in 2016 from San Diego, she was super happy to find a cute little studio in the hip neighborhood of Soma.

Name: Jory Dayne Location: Tenderloin — San Francisco, California Size: 525 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented The bustle of the street scene just outside Jory’s doorstep is a contrast to the warm, serene studio apartment he calls home. A flood of light pours in through bay windows, reflecting off the cluster of plants in the corner.

Name: Leo and Daniel Location: Dolores Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 1,250 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2.5 years Leo and Daniel consider themselves fortunate to live in a stunning, spacious San Francisco apartment overlooking the city’s skyline. Daniel’s parents own the building, so he and his sister (who lives in the unit above the couple) got first dibs.

Name: Kym Pesola Location: Lower Pacific Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting “I wouldn’t say ‘no’ to a real dining table and more space, but it’s actually cozy to gather around on the floor and the sofa when friends come to visit.” In one sentence, media relations manager Kym Pesola sums up big pros and cons of studio apartment living: the intimacy it can offer and the lack of space.

Name: Mallory Guraya Location: The Marina — San Francisco, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting For over a year, Mallory has called this adorable little studio in the hip Marina neighborhood her home. The broadcast producer was born and raised in California and has East Indian roots. Her style gravitates toward bold colors, rustic trinkets, and dhurrie rugs, while adding touches of the Golden State through beach accents like seashells.

Name: Danielle Walsh and Greg Brownstein Location: Laurel Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting Traveling is fun, but can also be hard work — especially when you’re a senior editor at a travel magazine. So your home needs to be something you love coming back to; a place you can take a vacation from vacation.

Name: Claire and Kasey Location: Mission District, San Francisco Size: 675 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Claire and Kasey chose this apartment because of the light; it’s warm and abundant. “When we came to look at the listing it was mid-day and I didn’t have to do more than open the front door to know that I wanted to live here.

Name: Suzanne Bryan and Peter Carlstrom Location: San Francisco, California Size: 258 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned The basement level of Suzanne and Peter’s San Francisco house is where their garage is located, but there was also a basement room when they purchased it three years ago. Well, the word “room” is a little too generous for what the space was before.

Name: Shelbie Engelgau, Blake Cox, MJ Tantingco, Myles Huff (and fifth roommate Brian, who isn’t featured in the tour) Location: Oceanview — San Francisco, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 months, rented Shelbie’s move into this San Francisco apartment required no driving: She and her roommates only had to schlep their furniture up a small flight of stairs from the unit below into this newly remodeled four-bedroom upstairs unit.

Name: Cai Haun and Britt Maton Location: Oceanview — San Francisco, California Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 5 months, renting Having a complete and comfortable home is really important to Cai. She’s moved at least once a year, every year, since she was 13, so adapting quickly has never been an issue. But because of the frequent moves, she noticed she wasn’t putting much effort into her homes as she’d like to (since she would inevitably move out within a year).

Name: Kirstie Maryott Location: Lower Pacific heights — San Francisco, California Size: 420 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2 years Kirstie has bounced around from state to state the past few years of her life, including stops in Colorado, Virginia and Georgia. A California native, she has called the Bay Area home for the last two years, where she lives in a charming studio on the top floor of a building in the Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood.

Name: Allison Shiman Location: The Mission — San Francisco, California Size: not sure about the square feet Years lived in: 5 years, renting “I’m so excited about having my apartment memorialized on Apartment Therapy,” Allison tells us. She’ll be saying goodbye to her beloved apartment soon…to leave on a trip around the world. “I have put so much effort and love in my little space that having it somewhere captured forever makes me so happy!

Name: Jessica Henry Location: Duboce Triangle — San Francisco, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Jessica likes to collect things that remind her of a specific time and place, like the leather butterfly chair she got in Argentina, or the bedroom mirror she found at a San Diego thrift store. All of those mementos combined with eclectic accents — and lots and lots of greenery — are what makes her place special.

Name: Vera Claire and Sam Cheadle Location: Bayview — San Francisco, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned For Vera and Sam, the past three years have been filled with the never-ending process of renovating and personalizing their home. The fact that Sam — the acting handyman and contractor — has no experience with renovating is even more impressive.

Name: Danielle Moore and Bryan Wang Location: Berkeley, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned You can feel the beachy California vibes in the air when entering Danielle and Bryan’s little Craftsman in Berkeley. Maybe it’s the open-space layout of the living area and the hanging macrame planters combined with soft colors.

Name: Bonnie Berridge Faxén and Per Faxén Location: San Francisco, California Size: 650 Square Feet Years Lived In: 3.5 years, renting Designer and interiors consultant Bonnie Faxén says she has a passion for “art, design, architecture, colors, fonts, materials, textiles, paint, wallpaper. If it has to do with design I’m thinking about it!” This healthy obsession for visual elements has spilled over into the small apartment she shares with her husband Per.

Name: Mohammad and Rachael Gorjestani Location: Western Addition — San Francisco, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, rented Mohammad and Rachel’s San Francisco apartment is so cozy and serene, it’s easy to forget that it’s right next to a busy intersection at the center of the city. The original hardwood floors add warmth to the space, and the view of greenery in their spacious backyard (a true luxury in San Francisco) is beautiful.

Name: Maya Goldfine Location: San Francisco, California Size: 400 square feet Years Lived In: 6 months, renting Call it fate or luck, but something aligned the day I found this studio. By chance I had come across the listing on Craigslist the evening prior—at 5:45 p.m. it was posted that an open house was happening at 7:30 a.m. the next day.

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: Anna Korkobcova Location: Lower Pac Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 420 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented The moment you cross the threshold of Anna’s home, you are greeted as warmly as an old friend. I arrived on her doorstep late and battling a cold, for which she insisted on sending me home with her own tried and true remedy.

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: Caroline and Eduardo Location: North Beach — San Francisco, California Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Stylist and model Caroline and her boyfriend, Eduardo, have taken a sunny San Francisco flat and made it all their own, enhancing it with items collected on their travels—like the giant papier-mâché rhino head from Mexico in the kitchen—and references to their cultural backgrounds.

Name: Isaac Orloff and his dogs, Sammy and Roo Location: Dogpatch — San Francisco, California Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 2 months Animator Isaac Orloff and his two pups, Sammy and Roo, have found a home in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco. Having kept an eye out for an apartment in the city that was affordable, dog-friendly, and stylish for years, Isaac was able to land this triple-threat abode just two months ago.

Name: Kenya Moncada and Conner Jay and their dog, Hugo Location: Marina District — San Francisco, California Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented When Kenya and Conner aren’t traveling for work, they can be found at home in their top floor Marina District apartment in San Francisco.