Small Spaces

Content creator and small studio renter, Imani Keal, is on a mission to get people with small spaces to paint them black.

Erinne moved into this apartment right before the pandemic, and she quickly learned several things: She would need separate zones for working and living, she wanted to love the way her apartment looked from every angle, and she actually loves the color pink.

Inside designer Colby Kern's apartment, high-end splurges, flea market finds, original art, and even a few big box-store scores coexist. The result is a style that exudes luxury without the high price tag.

A few months of layering their place with things they love and need gave Aparna and her husband's small rental apartment a warm makeover and became incredibly personal.

Tynan wanted this small studio to feel like a "1950s honeymoon suite, a cocktail lounge, a powder room, the Playboy Mansion, a 1960s TSA terminal, and a little gay space station in the clouds."

Haley has been able to create distinct sections in their studio that help with the fact that they work from home. "I have a 'bedroom', 'office/workout room', 'living room', and 'kitchen' all without having walls separating them."

Emma says the first room she focused on when she moved into this rental apartment was the kitchen, where she added contact paper to the counters, and used baskets to create highly organized kitchen cabinets.

This small backyard rental in-law suite's style is "traditional, simple and charming, yet refined."

The only thing that came in Julie Gordon's rental studio apartment was a small stove, fridge, and three cabinets. But after some major TLC, a few great peel and stick finds, and lots of patience, she's turned this shoebox-sized into a cozy, beautiful, and organized home.

"My style is modern vintage, eclectic, maximalist, seriously whimsical, adventurous, nostalgic, queer, unapologetically colorful and femme, bold, energetic, cozy, life affirming, unconventional, and wholeheartedly personal," explains Sarah Hartley.

"My style is sexy and edgy and a little bit frantic, but is also warm and simple and cozy," renter Xenia Polychronis says. "These two 'styles' do not go together on paper, but they go together for me!"

Thanks to collaborating and facetiming with her bestfriend everyday, Christine was able to DIY furniture, create an enviable bed loft/home office setup, give an ugly kitchen a renter-friendly facelift, and create a stunning home that feels much bigger and more expensive than it actually is.

It packs so much style (and so many mementos!) into 578 square feet.

The wall-to-wall exposed brick is the star of this small home, and Fredd has filled the rest of the space with books, plants, and music.

Renter Jiske Kosian describes her apartment as eclectic, goofy, colorful, original, and Jugendstil (the German iteration of the Art Nouveau movement).

Musician Emma Frank and her husband work from home in this bright rental apartment in Park Slope. "It’s a really nice space to be creative in."

Erica and Kristen purchased this airstream for only $500, then gutted it, cleaned it, and re-built the interiors to fit exactly what they need.

Josua Kärnbo completely transformed this dated, run-down, and small Stockholm studio apartment, turning it into a stylish and modern one-bedroom apartment, and doing it on a budget!

Celia runs a YouTube channel and founded the decor shop Sticki Icki, and shares this 760-square-foot apartment with her partner, Sean, and their baby son, Cassius.

Lisa Swatt and her 13-year-old daughter live in a small in-law unit to have low overhead and be able to travel and enjoy life the way they want to.

Nicole, also known as "The Cuban Carrie" on Instagram, transformed her entire 600-square-foot rental apartment, including turning a tiny loft into a very chic dressing room, home office, and yoga area.

Sarah Norman has transformed her small NYC rental apartment, including turning the living room as a home office, instead.

Katsia Augustin renovated and converted her parent's basement into a modern, cultured, eclectic, artistic, and comfortable apartment.

Maleeha has dreamt of living in New York City since she was a little girl, and renting this 400-square-foot studio is making her dreams come true!

Aly, her partner Mitch, and their parakeets moved to this one-bedroom after living in a studio and have enjoyed filling their larger (but still small) space with furniture and fun energy. Mitch has a knack for finding cool vintage furniture while Aly's original paintings hang throughout the space.

It has incredibly tall French doors and a potted cactus that stretches just as high.

Marie-Helene's Quebec City studio apartment may be small, but she fits a ton of style in just 275 square feet.

Denise Bayron's tiny home is like a secret oasis... a personal paradise that's both a home and a creative workspace.

Franco Cheng renovated this small Toronto studio apartment, completely upgrading the kitchen and bathroom, and creating a neat bed alcove where a built-in mirrored closet used to be.

At 622 square feet, Ariel and Patrick's Prospect Heights apartment has just two rooms, and they set out to make this small home a multi-functional space they can work, relax, and pursue creative endeavors in.

Registered Nurse Lisa Macaya needed a place to escape to during the height of the pandemic. She worked three days a week for a major hospital system and three days a week at the cabin renovating it with her father.

Johanna's rental came with tall ceilings and windows and a spacious floorplan for one person. But the space needed a lot of work!

Graphic designer Claire Latchem and her music director partner, Dan Broadley, bought their home in early 2020, have worked to transform it into a home that inspires creativity.

These grand prize winners have a warm, colorful, and cheerful space they DIYed themselves.

The period charm in Danielle's Upper East Side apartment is a dream: original hardwood floors, exposed white brick, a painted tile backsplash in the kitchen, and a wood burning fireplace.

Jenny and Cory have rented this small one-bedroom apartment in New York's Upper East Side for 14 years... and it's had to change and adapt with the addition of a 4-year son and 1-year-old twins. 

Sure, the shower is in the kitchen, but there's also a sink on top of the toilet, a bed loft with walk-in closet below, and plenty of other smart small space ideas to steal from this ultra cozy and comfy tiny studio apartment.

Adam worked with Kim White to design this 715-square-foot rental apartment that came with a unique element: a small platform bed area that instead got transformed into a perfect home office.

After moving back to Atlanta after living in the Dominican Republic for 15 years, Karen added an apartment in her son’s unfinished basement.

This home represents new beginnings for Tiffany Lanham.

To travel the U.S., spend more time together, and pay down debt, Karen and Sylvester sold their family’s home and bought an RV off Facebook Marketplace to opt for a life on the road.

Artist and content creator Symphony J. loves hidden storage for the less-cute everyday essentials, and shelves for the curated clutter.