Simple Chic

A lot of discounted decor items were found at placed like HomeGoods and T.J. Maxx, and the super organized laundry closet is worth checking out!

Blogger Janniche shares her Swedish home with her partner and their three kids (plus two cats), and she also runs the popular blog, Blogga i Bagis.

A cookie-cutter rental unit was transformed into a space that truly reflects this creative couple.

A lot of the original features of this Vancouver apartment have been preserved over the years, and it adds a ton of charm to the rental.

Kine Ask Stenersen and Kristoffer Eng founded Ask og Eng studio, a Norway-based company that produces sustainable furniture, shelving, and kitchens made from bamboo.

Marie Letard is the owner of the Montreal-based decor shop Bouche Bée, and her apartment is a chic space filled with pops of cheery, pastel color.

Decorated by a costume designer and a cinematographer, this Paris apartment is a bold, technicolor dream.

Becky makes the most of her transformed tiny space with a lofted bed, a sunny balcony, and minimalist decor.

When Amanda first bought this tiny apartment, the walls were yellow, there were old glass flush mount lights on the ceiling, and the kitchen needed some love.

London-based home interiors writer, stylist, and award-winning blogger Cate St. Hill believes "living simply is about being mindful of the things we put in our home, where they come from, how they’re made and how they make us feel."

The home Claudia shares with her boyfriend in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood is full of vintage furniture, serene decor, and a lot of light.

Apartment Therapy's Instagram Manager made a light and bright home in this oddly shaped loft with her roommate Jasmine and Jasmine's dog, Bambi.

Apartment Therapy's Instagram Manager Austa Clausen decorated her rental apartment with furniture almost exclusively sourced from Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.

This minimalism consultant didn't purchase anything new when she moved into this small space, instead challenging herself to create a home she loves with what she already had.

Name: Kaja Bergerud Location: Grünerløkka — Oslo, Norway Size: 75 square meters (800 square feet) Years lived in: 1 year, owned Welcome to Scandi Week—Apartment Therapy’s seven-day focus on all-things Scandinavia (often defined as the countries of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway). Sometimes it seems like the whole world is obsessed with trying to copy this corner of the globe, from its timeless style aesthetic to its now-famous coziness rituals.

Name: Majken Thrane, husband Andreas, and Hans (4 years old) and Soren (1½ years old) Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Size: 1,658 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Welcome to Scandi Week—Apartment Therapy’s seven-day focus on all-things Scandinavia (often defined as the countries of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway).

Name: Ulrika and family Location: Norrköping, Sweden Size: 1,507 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, owned Apartment Therapy’s first Scandi Week might be officially over this year, but that doesn’t mean our love of Scandinavian design has ended. And this lovely, light-filled Swedish home of fashion and interior influencer Ulrika (who Instagrams under the handle, @colorelles) is a beautiful look at colorful, organic modern Scandinavian-inspired design.

Name: Stine Marie Rosenborg and Peter Location: Vesterbro, Copenhagen, Denmark Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned Architect Stine Marie Rosenborg and her partner Peter live in this simply decorated apartment in Copenhagen, where restrained Danish style emanates from every vignette. Stine has perfected minimal design that still feels warm and cozy, and the soft Nordic light that pours in helps a lot.

Keeping everything in a neutral tone and playing with textures helps the small space feel visually cohesive and less cluttered.

This bright white rental apartment in Lisbon has textiles, art, and objects that bring in color.

Oyin Antwi managed to squeeze every possible function a person would need in just 370 square feet.

Name: Jennie Hoekstra, Luke Hoekstra, Jude (9), Neve (7), Wilder (4), Marmalade (the cat), Miki and Mandu (Australian Zebra Finches), and a flock of semi-retired hens. Location: Kemble — Ontario, Canada Size: 1,665 square feet Years Lived In: 6 months, owned In the spring of 2017 a lovely four-acre lot came up for sale in the rural village where we live. We knew the property well and loved it, but understood that it was on an unmaintained road with no hydro, so building would be tricky.

After buying the house, this couple had a 30-day remodel marathon putting in all new hardwood flooring, painting just about every surface, replacing light fixtures and more.

It's so cute and bright, despite being located on the basement level!

550 square feet of peppy colors, fiber art, and smart furniture arrangements in Cindy Tung's rental apartment.

A young family of three has customized a cute tiny house on wheels to be the minimal, functional home of their needs.

A dilapidated, detached garage tucked behind a Santa Monica bungalow is now a minimal, modern, and tiny rental house.

Name: Abi Dare Location: Horfield, Bristol Size: 1000 square feet Years Lived In: 4 years, owned Minimalism isn’t exactly a new design concept these days, but there’s a really valid reason why stylist and blogger Abi Dare is drawn to neutral colors. “I have a condition called synaesthesia, which is when one sense merges with another rather than being experienced separately,” Abi says.

Name: Esther Lopez Aguilar, her partner Dani, and Alma Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,614 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting This amazing apartment renovation in Barcelona’s “El Born” neighborhood is full of the soul of its interior designer inhabitant, Esther Lopez Aguilar, the founder of loag studio. Esther shares the minimal home with her partner Dani and daughter Alma.

Name: Caryn Wallace and husband Location: Alphabet City (East Village) — New York, NY Size: Approx 400 square ft. Years lived in: Owned 2 Years This urban dwelling is the first New York City apartment purchase made proudly by business service manager, Caryn Wallace. It’s located in Alphabet City, a neighborhood in Manhattan’s crowded East Village.

Name: Allison, my girlfriend Laura, and our cat RhiannonLocation: Halifax, Nova Scotia, CanadaSize: About 400 square feetYears Lived In: 8 months, rentingAfter living in a number of rentals over the course of our early twenties, my girlfriend, Laura, and I were looking for a space we could call home for more than a year. Aside from the hassles of moving we were ready to have a space to really make our own without the compromise that comes from college living or sharing with  roommates.

Name: Channing Foster and cat, Cosette Location: Mount Pleasant — Washington, D.C. Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 9 months, renting Channing Foster has lived in her Mount Pleasant apartment for less than a year, but she’s already made it her own. Drawing inspiration from the building’s mid-century foundations, she’s elevated the space with a disciplined color palette and an elegant selection of furniture, art, books, and heirlooms.

Name: Su Pang Location: Highland Terrace; Oakland, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Owned After spending some time in Sweden, Su fell in love not just with Swedish culture, but with the architecture. “I fell in love with the red wooden Swedish country homes,” she said. “Being a designer, I always wanted to design my own home.” So when she had an opportunity to build in her very own backyard, she jumped on it.

Name: Franke Chung, Jason Wark, Neko the cat, and Ozzy the dog Location: Streeterville — Chicago, Illinois Size: 640 square feet Years lived in: Rented 1 year Many folks who live in studio apartments might agree — they function quite efficiently… until you have company over. That’s when there’s a sudden shift in the equilibrium. There’s one too many bodies in here.

Name: Christina and Matt Location: Novi, Michigan Size: 720 square feet Years lived in: 3 years Just married, these newlyweds are both in creative fields: Christina is a talented wedding photographer and Matt is a copywriter. Their creativity is on full display in their apartment, like Christina’s photographs, which are sprinkled around each room. They also got creative to transform a plain, cookie cutter space into a bright, airy, romantic home.

Name: Lindsay Hollinger, kitty Hewson Location: Joshua Tree, California Size: 1236 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, Owned Walking into Lindsay’s home is like walking into a desert landscape of whites and cacti and hues that just make you feel good. Lindsay felt these same good vibes when she first visited the desert, deciding to make it her home. The dreamy desert look came naturally once she moved in and began to decorate.

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: Melissa Morgan Location: Pleasanton, California Size: 380 square feet Years lived in: Renting 4 years Melissa’s been renting this tiny 380-square-foot rental for four years — a long time to try and squeeze your life and stuff in just one room. Does she ever get sick of small space living? “All the time!” she admits. “At least a few times a week I crave more space to have a sofa, a bigger bathroom to take a bath, and a bigger kitchen to cook anything I want.

Name: Jackie Blair Location: Lake Orion, Michigan Size: 882 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented Jackie is a photographer and social media creative who loves to travel. She lives in a townhouse condo with her son and her new puppy. By keeping her condo neutral and simple, she has turned it into a peaceful hangout spot where they can all play and relax. Though living in the rented space comes with its challenges, Jackie strives to add the family’s personality wherever possible.

Name: Lisanne and Romy Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands Size: 430 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting (Romy moved in half a year ago) Lisanne and Romy share a tiny apartment — only 430 square feet! — in the heart of historic Utrecht. With space maximization in mind, these roommates purchased appropriately sized furniture. Elements that match the women’s personalities fill the cozy Dutch canal apartment.

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: 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: Maggie and Lucas Vocos Location: Alphabet City, Manhattan Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 4 months, renting Maggie and Lucas Vocos met and fell in love in Chicago, moved to Los Angeles for work, and then moved to Brooklyn for work again. After living in relatively peaceful neighborhoods in the aforementioned cities, they decided it was time to try out the hustle and bustle of Manhattan.

Name: Celeste Green and Blaque Reily Location: East Nashville — Nashville, Tenneesee Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 8 months, renting With the combined creative talents of Celeste Green and Blaque Riley, their home was bound to be beautiful. And this bright 1930s home in East Nashville really marries their two styles in an inviting live-work space.

Name: Andrea Kerbuski and her dog James Location: Lansing, Michigan Size: 2,014 square feet Years lived in: 8 months, owned Andrea avoided home ownership for years, preferring the more flexible, mobile lifestyle of renting apartments. And, she always thought she’d wait until finding a life partner to buy a house. But after a brief stint in Chicago for work, she realized she loved her home state of Michigan and her community, and that she could absolutely buy a house on her own.

Name: Jessica Garvin, husband Brandon, and daughters Harper, Eloise and Claire Location: Just north of Atlanta, Georgia Size: 3,200 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned “Our style is a mix between modern farmhouse, eclectic, and a touch of whimsy,” writes Jessica Garvin, the blogger behind the wildly successful blog Garvin & Co.

Name: Jaimy van Zwieten, husband Marcel, daughter Dalí, Klaas the cat, Hiphop the rabbit Location: Krimpen aan den IJssel, the Netherlands Size: 1,722 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Near Rotterdam (the Netherlands’ second-largest city), lies the small town of Krimpen aan den IJssel. It’s where Jaimy’s parents moved to when she was only four months old and it’s where she also grew up.

Name: Mery Garriga Location: Barcelona, Spain. Size: 645 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting “Less is more” was the phrase Mies Van Der Rohe used to define a design ideal. It’s also the philosophy Mery, a Barcelona-based interior designer, focuses on in both her design business and her life at home. Soft colors, simple furniture and small details mark her style, and her home is the perfect showcase of her skills at elegant simplicity.

Name: Thomas Dobrowolski and Ben Ezrick Location: West Village, New York Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned When you only have 400 square feet to work with, every inch of your home has to be considered during a remodel. Not just for aesthetics, but for also for function. Which is precisely what Thomas and Ben did with their West Village home when they set about renovating the small space: There are sleek, smart, built-in storage solutions in every room of the apartment.

Name: Eva Goicochea and Ian Goicochea Location: Greenpoint — Brooklyn, NY Size: 1300 square feet Years lived in: 3 months, renting What happens when two creatives — one from California/New Mexico and the other from Arizona/Oregon — come to New York together with four animals? They make some serious West Coast meets Southwest minimalist magic. Ian and Eva met nine years ago through a mutual friend.

Name: Angela and Wubbi the Bulldog Location: SE Portland, Oregon Size: 2,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned When Angela purchased her turn-of-the-century home, the kitchen was literally falling off the back of the house. “After moving in, I learned the original 1906 kitchen was moved from the center of the house onto the BACK PORCH! That little tidbit explained the slope of the kitchen floor! I had myself a genuine indoor/outdoor kitchen.

Name: Gaby Suhr Location: ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands Size: 1,163 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, owned Several years ago Gaby spent a couple of months traveling around the world. Living from just a suitcase, she became conscious of just how little one actually needs on a day-to-day basis. Some time later, a friend told Gaby that he felt she had a distinct ability to see the essence of a situation. To focus on the bare necessities.

Name: Maria and her two children Location: Sant Gervasi — Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,184 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Maria came to live in this apartment when she moved from Madrid with her two children two years ago. The apartment once belonged to her grandmother, so Maria remembers fondly coming to play here with her cousins when she was a toddler. The space looks quite different these days, though. When her grandmother lived here, it was heavy on dark wood.

Name: Sasha Fominskaya and Aaron F.L. Location: Fangjia Hutong — Beijing, China Size: 645 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Living in Beijing as an expat often means working with what you have, usually pre-furnished apartments and roommates that never seem to stick around long enough to decorate. But when Sasha Fominskaya and her boyfriend Aaron moved into their first apartment together, they wanted to put more effort into making it a home.

Name: Gabriel Assouline, Sarah Marciano, and Levi Location: Outremont, Montreal Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Sarah and Gabriel’s Montreal home is on the second floor of a building located on a tree-lined street. The space itself could be described as “monochromatic tones meet a few pops of color.” In other words, it’s a space decorated with care and filled with a selection of rich materials, original pieces, and organic details.

Name: Julie and Matt Stephenson Location: Culver City, California Size: 2900 square feet Years Lived In: 6 months, owned It’s no secret that sticking to a minimal color palette can help create a sense of order and cohesiveness in design. Inspired by the stark and minimal styles found in Brutalist architecture and Icelandic design, homeowners Matt and Julie fully committed to a strict black-and-white color scheme and it definitely paid off.

Name: Stephanie Whedbee Location: Raleigh, NC Size: 750 square feet Years Lived In: Less than 1 year, renting “I’ve lived in Raleigh for four years and this is the first place that truly feels 100% me,” confesses graphic designer Stephanie Whedbee. “Since moving in last fall, I have obsessed over styling and decorating my duplex.

Name: Stacey Lipstein Location: Leslieville — Toronto, Canada Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Stacey knew that sizing up a 950-square-foot house for a growing family was going to be a challenge, but from the beginning she saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Fast forward a few years and the home is nearly complete (until Stacey’s next design vision), and it couldn’t be more charming!

Name: Isabella and Oscar Location: Wembley, London Size: 870 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 year, owned Having grown up, studied, and worked in Hong Kong, Isabella and Oscar went on a trip of a lifetime to Iceland, fell in love with Europe and decided to relocate to London together to pursue their dream of traveling around this little continent.

Name: Jason and Colleen Wachob, of mindbodygreen Location: Dumbo — Brooklyn, New York Size: 1,751 square feet Years lived in: 8 months, owned After back injuries left him in excruciating pain in 2009, Jason Wachob began his yoga practice…and was encouraged by the positive, powerful, life-improving effects. This change sparked an interest in living a more balanced, holistic lifestyle. “It was a real awakening for me,” he confesses.

Name: Melina Peterson Location: West Village — New York, NY Size: 300 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting When Melina found her tiny West Village studio, she knew she’d have to get creative. Even though small apartments are fairly standard in the Manhattan real estate game, Melina’s space is particularly narrow. And up four flights of stairs.

Name: Audrey Morissette her husband Francois and baby William Location: Blainville, Quebec Size: 2,380 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Audrey Morissette established her store Boutique Vestibule in 2014 in the Mile End of Montreal. Vestibule is an original lifestyle concept shop that offers decorative accessories, clothing brands, jewelry and many local products carefully chosen, all in a minimalist, feminine and timeless style.

Name: Steph Waterman Location: Carroll Gardens — Brooklyn, NY Size: 600 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting Kaz and Steph are the “design obsessed duo” behind The Stylephiles. “We are oceans apart in Sydney and New York.

Name: Meg and Julia Rigano Location: Fox Park — St. Louis, Missouri Size: 2,126 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, owned Five years ago, hosting a party at this address would have been unheard of — the century-old home was falling apart and on the market for less than $40,000 at the time. But in recent years, St. Louis investors have been quickly buying up homes like this one to flip.

Name: Lisa Palmer, husband Rob and son Quinn Location: Fenton, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit) Size: 5,300 square feet (including basement) Years lived in: 16 years, owned Lisa Palmer is a seeker of all things vintage, lover of nostalgia, and fan of making her home a place where anyone can walk in and feel loved by it. On the professional side, Lisa is a serial entrepreneur (16 years in) who has a knack for developing products and building lifestyle brands such as her most recent Lillybee.

Name: Whitney and Jordon Giancoli Location: Chelsea — New York City, New York Years Lived In: 2 years, renting Whitney Giancoli — native Texan, new mom and interior designer based in Chelsea — didn’t always work in design. But after transforming her fifth floor walk-up (hence her social media handle @5thfloorwalkup) on the Lower East Side, she unexpectedly kick-started her own design career.

Name: Marlène Deshaies Location: Villeray, Montreal Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 10 months, owned Marlène considers herself a decor magazine junkie. She lives in a 950-square-foot flat in a duplex she shares with her daughter Corine and her boyfriend Maxime, and it’s inspiring publications like Martha Stewart Living and IDEAT that helped her completely renovate the kitchen and bathroom, as well as decorate the entire space.

Name: Karlijn, Daniel and their cat Harrie Location: Utrecht, the Netherlands Size: 1,076 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Karlijn is a teacher at a school for children with special needs. It’s a very rewarding job, though at times it can also be pretty challenging. When a day has been especially strenuous, she loves to unwind in the lovely home she shares with Daniel and their cat Harrie. In fact, decorating the house they bought three years ago has become quite a passion.

Name: Alana and Kristopher Location: Upper West Side — New York City, NY Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Successfully pulling together a space that is a minimalist sanctuary, but also interesting (and one that still feels decorated), is surprisingly hard to do. Which is what makes this New York City couple’s Upper West Side apartment so impressive.

Name: Anna, Jason and Freddy Location: Ballard — Seattle, Washington Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned After buying their Seattle home five years ago, Anna and Jason spent about two years updating elements that likely hadn’t changed in decades — all new windows, refurbished kitchen counters, new paint throughout — and the list goes on.

Name: Leela, Chris and Violet Location: Bedford Stuyvesant — Brooklyn, New York Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Leela describes her family’s Brooklyn home as a constant work in progress. When the she and Chris purchased the whole building about four years ago, lots of work needed to be done. Their full gut renovations left them with a “Brooklyn industrial recycled Scandinavian” duplex, though.

Name: Amy Chan Location: Chelsea — New York, New York Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: Renting Amy Chan, the founder of Renew Breakup Bootcamp and a relationship columnist, has a philosophy when it comes to designing spaces. “Spaces have energy. Your body can feel the energy of the space once you walk in — listen to that. I saw over 20 apartments before I found this one, and when I stepped inside, I just knew it had to be mine.