Simple Chic

Name: Sydne Summer Location: West Hollywood, California Size: 740 square feet Years Lived In: 10 years, owned “After ten years of living in my condo, I was ready for a fresh start,” writes fashion and beauty blogger Sydne Summer. “My renovation started because I needed to replace my hardwood floors after some bad storms. What began as a small project turned into a three-month complete renovation. Even though it was beyond exhausting, it was totally worth it!

Name: Sophie, Guillaume and baby Simone Location: Heart of the Plateau — Montreal Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned Avid travelers and a creative couple, Sophie and Guillaume live in their warm renovated flat in the heart of the Plateau with their young daughter Simone. The flat’s architecture is at once rich and minimal, and the couple loves to merge old, timeless design pieces with newly acquired ones.

Name: Francis Dominguez Location: Miami, Florida Size: 365 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, renting Francis had been working at a job in Miami for eight months, but the commute from Fort Lauderdale was frustrating. One day, he stumbled on an ad for a small studio for rent near his office and the places in Miami he liked to hang out. The studio was “literally a seven minute drive” from work, so he decided to check it out one day during his lunch break.

Name: Tyler Karu, her boyfriend Bobby, two Great Danes (Clyde and Winnie Cooper) and a Brussels Griffon named Haddock Location: Falmouth, Maine Size: 2,200 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, owned “This house had been vacant for a decade by the time we got to it and was in need of a major overhaul, but it had a nice layout, big backyard for our dogs and best of all, water views!” explains designer Tyler Karu.

Name: Sarah Jacobson Location: Lower East Side — New York, NY Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned “Above all, I believe in comfort—in a home that makes you feel more relaxed the second you step through its doors,” describes Sarah of her style. You can feel and see that sense of comfort in features like the two-person breakfast nook or the living room area, at least once you get over the stunning style of the apartment (specifically the kitchen!).

Name: Rachel Tepper Paley and her husband, Jon Paley Location: Prospect Heights — Brooklyn, NY Size: 1,050 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Rachel and Jon moved into their Prospect Heights, Brooklyn condo after years of renting in NYC. During their search, they were able to find a lovely and spacious 1,050-square-foot place with one tiny catch: It had NO closets. Like none.

Name: Christina and Tor Location: Stockholm, Sweden Size: 376 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned Moving the kitchen and opening up a wall in this small apartment are the key design decisions that turned what was originally a studio into a one-bedroom apartment. They’re also the secret to how this tiny, under 400-square-foot space can feel so much bigger. “Best decision ever,” confesses Christina.

Name: Lauren Rubcic Location: Upper East Side — New York, NY Size: 325 square feet Years lived in: 10 months, renting When Lauren found out that she would be relocating to New York City for work, she only had three weeks to find the right apartment. To her surprise she found an affordable studio apartment on the Upper East Side, an area of NYC that she associated with Carrie Bradshaw and a heavy price tag. Another great selling point: the layout of the 325-square-foot apartment.

Name: Ares, her husband and their baby Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,292 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting When Ares was on the hunt for a larger apartment for her growing family, the search was initially a bust. Nothing seemed to be what she was looking for, that is until this unit came across her radar. Which is kind of surprising considering the state of the space when she found it.

Name: Maddie Flanigan Location: Old City, Philadelphia Size: 500 square feet (approximately – slightly less) Years Lived In: 4 years, owned What’s old is new—that’s a theme that plays throughout every facet of Maddie Flanigan’s life. She is the founder of Madalynne Intimates, a Philadelphia-based lingerie brand (featuring bras, bralettes, undies and bodysuits that are made in the USA!

Name: Brandon and Ashley Trebitowski and kids Location: Corrales, New Mexico Size: 240 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, owned Our converted school bus has been our home for about a year in a half now and we love it. It has completely transformed our lives. We went from living in a 2100 square foot house to 240 square feet. Our bus is minimally decorated and everything was self built. We spent six months converting the bus into our home and now it’s our favorite place to be.

Name: Melissa Sonico, husband Johnny, and son Harrison Location: Redlands, California Size: 1,100 square feet Years Lived In: 2.5 years, renting Writer and jewelry designer Melissa Sonico and her husband Johnny moved in to their two-bedroom home just before their son Harrison (now two years old) was born.

Name: Liam and Emma Paton, with children: Finn (4) Violet (1) Location: Stoke Newington, London Size: 1700 square feet Years Lived In: 5 years, owned Emma Paton, a fashion buyer-turned-blogger (her blog is called Finlay Fox), and her musician husband Liam live in Stoke Newington in London with their two children Finn and Violet. It took them over two years to find and secure this double-fronted Victorian house; they completely gutted and renovated it with an architect friend.

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: Sunny Ravanbach Location: Dana Point, California Size: 1,899 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned Sunny Ravanbach is the founder of the VIP event planning company White Lilac. Known for transforming spaces into “dreamlands for one night,” Sunny and her team have recently waded into more “permanent” spaces, launching ShopWhiteLilac.

Name: Klaas Hogeweg Location: ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands Size: 969 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Gray, beige, white, black. Generally, these colors don’t evoke feelings of warmth and coziness. But if you visit Klaas Hogeweg’s home those are the exact words that come to mind, together with stylish and elegant.

Name: Emily Schuman, husband Geoffrey and daughter Sloan Location: Hancock Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 2,000 square feet Years Lived In: 4 years, owned Cupcakes and Cashmere founder Emily Schuman’s Los Angeles home is the perfect representation of her brand’s signature California cool aesthetic.

Name: Jamie Lundstrom Location: North Vancouver, BC, Canada Size: 2500 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned “My love of French Vintage decor has always been something I loved since I was young, writes Jaime on her website, So Much Better With Age. “I have taken my two loves (vintage items and French decor) and combined them to make it something that is truly me.

Name: Manon Thibault and family Location: Brossard, Quebec Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 15 years, owned After earning a business degree and working as an Account Director at a large live-event company, Manon Thibault made a career switch. Clearly already imbued with a “designer’s eye,” she worked as an interior decorator at a Pottery Barn for awhile, before founding her own company called Manon Thibault Design.

Name: Leti, Julian and Helenita Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Size: 1,184 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned When it came to starting the project of renovating their apartment for their new family, Leti and Julian were all in. They worked with an architect to help with the layout of the space, but the couple was very hands on: “We chose every material in this apartment.

Co-host of the podcast and HBO special "2 Dope Queens" just added another impressive line to her resume: homeowner. And in New York City, no less.

Name: Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton and Adam Fulton and dog Rocky Location: West Village — New York, NY Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton knows about self-care and spaces where you can relax. She’s the founder and CEO of Chillhouse, a nail salon/spa/cafe that’s “a destination for modern self-care” on the Lower East Side.

Name: Emily Kellerman Location: Ditmas Park — Brooklyn, NY Size: 450 square feet| Years Lived In: 3 years, renting Prop stylist Emily Kellerman’s small studio apartment is proof you don’t need a ton of space—or separate rooms—to live beautifully and well. We first saw a sneak peek of her small 450-square-foot Brooklyn rental apartment in a house call, but I wanted to see more.

Name: Chelsea Poling and cat Piper Location: Santa Monica, California Size: 1,450 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned “I love the location of my home; I am less than a block from the Santa Monica Beach. I make it a daily task or indulgence to go to the beach every day, whether it be a walk on the beach, a dip in the ocean, or quiet meditation,” wrote Chelsea Poling, the founder and CEO of the online wellness boutique Rose Botanica.

Name: Fiona Morrison, owner of Wolf Circus Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Size: 850 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, owned While she was still at British Columbia’s University of Victoria, entrepreneur Fiona Morrison founded Wolf Circus, “a line of demi-fine jewelry thoughtfully designed and hand fabricated in Vancouver, BC.

Name: Elizabeth Podlesnik Location: Queen Anne — Seattle, Washington Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Back in June, this former personal stylist-turned-photographer got an itch to redecorate. Like, seriously redecorate. “I sold everything on Craigslist and Offer Up, and started from scratch,” Elizabeth told me. I was slightly jealous of the adventure she’d just been on. From scratch, you say? Swoon. I really do have a thing for blank slates.

Name: Liz Martin Location: Charleston, South Carolina Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, owned Charleston blogger and shop owner Liz Martin has a simple mission: to make every day feel like the weekend. And according to Liz, it starts at home. “It’s about being surrounded by little things that make you smile,” she says. “[things like] fresh flowers, glorious candles, and fun decor.

Name: Lauren MacLean Location: Montreal, QC, Canada Size: 700 square ft Years lived in: 1 year, rent Born and raised in Ontario, a few years ago Lauren was ready for a change and looked to Montreal for a new adventure. Knowing little about the city, she was nonetheless drawn towards its culture and beauty. “I found a listing online for a tiny vacant studio, so I checked it out and loved it right away. It was one small room with zero closets,” she says.

Name: Becca Tobin, husband Zach Martin, and Orly Martin the dog Location: Laurel Canyon — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years Lived In: 2.5 years, owned We moved into our home a little over two years ago. We were drawn to the space because the house had so much charm! Los Angeles is filled with a lot of new construction that feels really sterile, so this 1930s gem felt super special.

Name: George Mendes and Siamese cats, Roscoe and Daisy Location: Downtown Brooklyn, New York, New York Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years George Mendes knows good food. He’s the chef behind Aldea, the Michelin-starred New York restaurant whose offerings reflect the cuisine of his parents’ native Portugal. He’s also the inhabitant of a beautiful Brooklyn apartment that seems an embodiment of the mantra “less is more.

Name: Meredith and Luke Coe + our 1.5-year-old son, Nathan Location: King of Prussia, Pennsylvania Size: 1,830 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, owned My husband and I bought this home (our first!) in May of 2017. It was very dull and slightly neglected when we first bought it—all of the walls were a shade of brown or yellow and the floors were in need of some serious TLC. We’ve been able to make several minor updates that have really helped turn it into a space we love!

Name: Kaitlyn Shimazaki Location: Belmont Heights/ Belmont Shores — Long Beach, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Kaitlyn has one of those quintessential beach cottages we all imagine landing when we move to California. Her small home is technically the guest house to a larger home, but she gets all the perks of a “standalone” building.

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: Stevie Van Horn Location: Fort Greene — Brooklyn, New York Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 2 months, renting Stevie Van Horn recently began renting this apartment in Brooklyn’s Fort Green neighborhood—employing “zero-waste” philosophies when decorating the interior.

Name: Rachael and Virgil Gibilterra and Jovie (our little border collie mix!) Location: Highland Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 408 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting We found this little slice of L.A. on Craigslist. I was sold on the windows. We jumped on it as quick as we could! We were living briefly in an Airstream before this (we unfortunately had to sell that beauty due to job opportunities in L.A.

Diana and Jesse didn't let the fact that this house had just been renovated get in the way of adding their own personality to the space.

It's the first time Sarah's lived solo...and she's LOVING it.

Name: Jill Dupre Location: Fairgrounds Triangle — New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 160 square feet Years owned: 3 years, owned “Let’s hit the road, Ann.” Jill Dupre remembers her grandfather’s catchphrase whenever she’s getting ready for travel, big or small. So it seemed only fitting that when it came time to name her vintage Airstream trailer, she chose Ann, after her grandmother.

Name: Ashley Petrone, her husband and their three kids Location: Southern California Size: 180 square feet Years Lived In: 9 months, owned Last year, Ashley and her husband sold their five-bedroom house and bought 2.2 acres of land to build a dream home. Instead of renting an apartment while their home is being built, they decided to try sharing an RV! Impressively, it only took them three weeks and $2500 to finish the RV’s renovation.

Name: Gabriel and Debbie Mayes and kids Gracen, Darby, Deacon, Jovey and Gideon. Location: Redding, California Size: 250 square feet Years Lived In: 6 months, owned Gabriel and Debbie Mayes’ journey to small home living started when they purchased a school bus in February 2017, with the intent to convert it to a full-time home for themselves and their kids. Unfortunately, their first bus buy turned out to be a (rust-covered) lemon.

Name: Leo + Jordan Miller + Alexander Lynch Location: West Village — Detroit, Michigan Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 8 months, renting Jordan is an Ohio native who moved to Detroit on a whim in the summer of 2016 because of her love for the state of Michigan, particularly its lakes. Al grew up in a small town in the Upper Peninsula called Norway.

Italian Rationalism meets Scandinavian Chic meets New York '70s Glam meets Dutch coziness.

Name: Emma Gray Location: Prospect Heights — Brooklyn, New York Size: 430 square feet including the entryway Years lived in: Owned! I’m a brand new homeowner (eek!). Just 2 months, but it feels like much longer! After living in her last apartment with a roommate for about six years, Emma decided she was ready to purchase her first home. “I kind of thought I’d rent forever,” she says.

Jessica Yatrofsky is an artist, photographer, minimalist, and a certified tidying consultant specializing in the KonMari Method™.

Name: Emily and Kevin Location: Reston, Virginia Size: 2,800 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, owned This was the fifth house we put an offer on and we went into it thinking, “What’s the worst thing that can happen? We actually get the house?” Then we got it. We liked the lot, the yard, and… that’s about it. But we knew we wanted a house that we could gut and renovate, so this definitely fit the bill.

Name: Paige Hansen Location: Union Square — New York, NY Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned “My apartment is more than just a place I live; it has become a source of happiness, comfort, and connectedness to this city, my friends, and myself.

Name: Shiloh Enoki Location: Echo Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Shiloh has lived in Los Angeles for nearly five years in several configurations: She lived in the spare room of a model’s Hollywood Hills house, she rented the bottom floor of a first-time homeowner’s Silver Lake home, and now she lives in this one-bedroom apartment by herself.

Name: Jina Javier, her husband Jeff, Lucy, and Leo Location: La Mesa, California Size: 1,285 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned When Jina and Jeff were preparing to move into their La Mesa home in San Diego two years ago, Jina was reading Marie Kondo’s megahit “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” Jina and Jeff were downsizing, moving from a large (but characterless) 2,800 square foot house, into an older home with lots of charm but far less square footage.

Name: Alecia & Jon Zasiebida Location: Near North Side; Chicago, Illinois Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; rented The first thing you see when you enter Alecia and Jon’s apartment is sky. High ceilings and a wall of windows flood the space with openness, peace, and possibility. And the simple beauty that infuses their home only begins there. Alecia is a graphic designer with a love of simple, minimal style.

Name: Jennifer Pade Location: West Village, New York, New York Size: 325 square feet Years lived in: 17 years You may know Jennifer’s apartment from her Renovation Diary, where we chronicled the transformation of her tiny kitchen from a crumbling disaster to a sleek, modern space. After all the dust settled, Jennifer graciously invited us back to get a look at the rest of her space.

Name: Mikola Accuardi and her almost 3 year old son, Valentino Location: Portland, Oregon Size: 1700 square feet Years lived in: 1 1/2 years; owned You may remember Mikola Accuardi and her adorable son, Valentino from their previous house tour with us. Since we last spoke with them over two years ago, they have purchased a gorgeous Tudor home in the shire-like Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland.

Name: Katherine Harris Location: Highland Park; St. Paul, Minnesota Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 9 months rented As a professional photographer, Katie has a keen eye for design, finding inspiration in vintage kitchens and old farmhouses. Most of all, Katie leans heavily on the philosophy that decor need not be expensive. To Katie, meaningfulness trumps all else, with the majority of her furniture being gifts, hand-me-downs, and local purchases.

This recently renovated home includes carefully thought-out and well-planned decor and custom features. With no detail overlooked you're sure to find something to love.

Name: Athena Pelton Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned After moving her family from an older home (often in need of repairs and attention as so many are) into their brand new digs, Athena began to decorate. Soon after the move, however, Athena and her husband realized that they didn’t exactly account for furniture and decor in the budget for building their new home.

Name: Robyn and Sam, plus their two Dachshunds Carl and Prune Location: The Junction — Toronto, Canada Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: Owned 3 years There is much debate when it comes to minimal design and living. It seems to be a lifestyle that draws polarizing views — you either love it or you really don’t!

Name: Kyle and Alex Location: Tenderloin — San Francisco, California Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 4 years rented After 20+ apartment viewings, Kyle and Alex settled on this 1920s apartment in the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco. They had some basic criteria for their would-be apartment.

Name: Francesca Sifferlin Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 380 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, renting Francesca’s tiny natural-light-filled Minneapolis studio is the perfect size for her first place away from home. Just big enough to fit everything she needs, yet small enough to not gather too many odds and ends (or dust bunnies). With limited space, Francesca has included only the things that bring the most inspiration and fond memories to her tiny apartment near a lake.

Name: Michelle Lopez, her partner Erlend and their cat Penny Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, rented Michelle and her partner Erlend recently relocated from Portland, Oregon to this sunny Brooklyn apartment. The couple moved to New York for Erlend to attend grad school at Columbia University. Michelle is a food blogger, specializing in desserts.

As modern as Mel and Austin's Chicago loft is, they've made sure it feels inviting and homey, thanks to filling it up with things they love.

Name: Austin Young and Jeremy Rodgers Location: Jamaica Plain — Boston, Massachusetts Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1 Year, renting Jeremy Rodgers and Austin Young’s apartment in a converted schoolhouse in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood feels much larger than its 800 square feet. Simultaneously sparse and personal, with soaring ceilings and an open layout, their place achieves the ultimate apartment goal: comfort without the clutter.

Name: Angel and Ben Location: Fremont — Seattle, Washington Size: 580 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting The first thing you notice when walking into Angel and Ben’s Fremont studio is the huge floor-to-ceiling windows at the far end of the space, letting light pour into their living area.

Name: Holly Location: The Mission — San Francisco, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting The first thing you notice when you open the door to Holly’s apartment in San Francisco’s popular Mission neighborhood is the light in the hallway that runs two-thirds of the length of the space. Windows all along the right side — some stained glass — make it feel very airy and ethereal.

Name: Fabiola, Javier, Claudia (5) and Guillermo (2) Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,720 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned When Javi and Fabi first saw this space on the top floor of a beautiful duplex in the family-friendly neighborhood of Eixample, it was completely different. All of the fixtures were outdated and the layout needed to be reconfigured. Undeterred, they saw the potential of the space and decided to do a complete overhaul.

Name: Lucia and Paige Location: Highland Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, rented Roommates Lucia and Paige have a decorating motto when it comes to treasures from thrift stores: If you want it, you get it! That’s how they were able to create a pretty home even though they don’t have a big budget. The roommates say they complement each other perfectly: Paige is good at solving problems and Lucia is the handy one.

Name: Tami, Gleb and their two-year-old daughter, Mia Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 915 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, own Imagine relocating to a new city where the language, culture, and landscape is completely different from your own and with only three suitcases in hand for both you and your partner. This is exactly what Tami and Gleb, a young couple from Moscow, Russia, did just four years ago when they decided to uproot themselves to the sunny city of Barcelona.

Name: Anna Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 754 square feet Years lived in: 13 years, owned Anna has a degree in geography and has worked for 13 years as a publicist for IKEA, but after finally finishing her apartment’s two year-long renovation, I think it’s safe to say she also has quite the passion and expertise for design. Responsible for all of the design decisions in the 754-square-foot space, the biggest priority was a roomy and functional kitchen.

Name: Line Tiller Location: El Clot — Barcelona, Spain Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Stepping into the home of Line (pronounced Lee-Nuh) Tiller is like stepping into a cozy retreat in the middle of the city. “Warm and cozy are the main ingredients of a Norwegian home because it’s cold in Norway,” says Line, originally from the Scandinavian country.

By visiting flea markets wherever they travel, the couple finds unusual objects to create a warm, romantic, and textural style throughout their home.

Name: Rachel Winard, and Stacey Flannery and their cat Location: Carroll Gardens — Brooklyn, NY Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned When Rachel and her partner Stacey bought their Brooklyn apartment five years ago, they put in lots of work to create a clean and comfortable space that supports a healthy lifestyle.

Name: Edmund Lam Location: Montreal, Canada Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 3 months, owned Edmund Lam, creative director of fashion retailer Frank and Oak, lived in a mid-century house for five years in Montreal-West. Missing city life, he moved back into a smaller apartment a few months ago in Le Plateau Mont-Royal.

Name: Camilla Larsson and family Location: Nyköping, Sweden Size: 1,539 square feet Years lived in: 7 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). 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.

Julie Progin and Jesse McLin have their own homewares brand called Latitude 22N.