Tours

Name: Clara Marina and family Location: Exaimple — Barcelona, Spain Size: 970 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting This modest Barcelona attic apartment actually started out as the building’s laundry rooms. After renovations, it’s now the bright, warm, nature-inspired home for a young family. After living in Chile for six years, Clara and her husband decided to come back to Spain.

Name: Naeme El-Zein and partner David Rousseau Location: Pointe-St-Charles, Quebec, Canada Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Naeme is a creative director, strategist and writer who’s worked with a variety of brands like PULP magazine, British Vogue, WANT Les Essentiels, and ALDO Group, to name a few. She’s passionate about boundary-pushing ideas, visuals, words, and experiences that evoke an emotional reaction.

Name: Lauri Carleton, husband Bort Carleton, kids Kelsey and Ari Carleton, Buoy the Aussiedoodle, Zorba the Yorkshire mix, and Jake the orange tabby Maine Coon cat. Location: Lake Arrowhead, California Size: 2,300 square feet Years Lived In: Owned, renovations for 7 years, lived in for past 5 years Our family planted their roots in Lake Arrowhead in the 1940s. Lauri grew up spending an extensive amount of time with her grandparents that had built a family lodge in Lake Arrowhead.

Name: Jennifer Jorgensen and two pups Location: Kingfield — Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: I purchased it in 2012, so 7-ish years… I had no idea until I just looked up when I bought it—that’s a long time! Jennifer is one half of the Minneapolis-based, custom hand-painted and printed wallpaper and furnishings company, She She. (Kate Worum is the other half of She She, and we toured her home, too!

Name: Kate Worum Location: East Isles — Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Not all Minneapolis brownstones are created equal. The moment you step into Kate‘s spacious apartment, you forget where you are. Kate, one half of the Minneapolis-based custom hand-painted and printed wallpaper and furnishings company She She, lucked out when she nabbed this spacious, bright, and beautiful upper floor apartment.

Name: Adria and Dan Location: Ballard — Seattle, Washington Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned Adria—who works in UX design and is also the founder of the food and travel blog, The Emerald Palate—says she never considered green among her favorite colors. But when she and Dan—a software engineer—first walked into this house in Seattle’s Ballard area, she immediately knew that the wall in the dining room needed to be green.

Name: Kate Keesee, Robert, Gracie , and our doggy Guinevere Location: Orange County, California Size: 1,375 square feet Years lived in: Grew up in this home! I was gifted this home that I grew up in by my mother who adopted me when I was 12 years old. I have over the years taken the unwanted and discarded to create a space that tells the story of how I found myself within these walls.

Poet and artist H. Melt's home is filled with colorful art, captivating books, and a few flamingo-themed home decor items.

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.

Lorenzo's studio apartment may only be 320 square feet, but it's fill with his collection of art by black artists.

This home aims for sustainability in small but impactful ways.

For John Ellis and Laura Preston, living in a 34-foot Airstream means having a different backyard every week or so, meeting new people, and seeing the country.

Lifestyle blogger Tanika's home is super cozy with added hints of boho charm.

It took six months and less than $10,000.

When it was time for Dana and Dan to renovate, they had a secret weapon: Dana's mother is a wizard when it comes to maximizing space and storage.

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.

This home features an eclectic, maximalist mix of Parisian Chic, Hollywood Regency, and Art Deco styles.

What do you do with a white walls, brick, and cold concrete: Add lots of color! Holly Conrad's studio loft in the heart of Chicago is refreshing and full of vibrant colors.

Name: Sean Michael Davis + Dog, Charlie Location: Ponce City Market in Old Fourth Ward — Atlanta, Georgia Size: 575 square foot studio Years lived in: 1 year With great natural light, clean lines, and a touch of creativity, this space is the envy of bachelor pads everywhere. Local Atlanta graphic designer, Sean Michael Davis, welcomes us into his home. Coming in at a whopping 575 square feet, this studio space is on the smaller side of the spectrum.

Name: Eryn and Jared Erickson + Dog, Sprocket Location: East Atlanta; Atlanta, Georgia Size: 1200 square feet Years lived in: 7 months, Renting Eryn Erickson of lifestyle brand, So Worth Loving, and Jared Erickson of the beloved Atlanta motorcycle co-op space, Brother Moto, combine their individual aesthetics and open their doors to give us a glimpse at where the magic happens in this beautiful and eclectic East Atlanta home.

Name: Jess, Zach, and Roxie Monette Location: East Lake — Atlanta, Georgia Size: 1400 square feet Years lived in: Owned 3 years Take a visual stroll through a bohemian dream in a 1938 “American Small House.” Jess, curator of Scoutmob‘s maker shop, has filled her home with charming family mementos and handmade goodies, lifting this depression-era cottage into its serene style.

Name: Rachel Stroly, husband, and two rescue cats Location: Atlanta, Georgia Size: 1,600 square feet Years Lived In: 3 years, owned The house has a totally granite exterior and sits on top of a hill, so we fondly call it the “Frankfurter Fortress,” a.k.a. “The Fort.” I met my husband four years ago at a Halloween party. He was dressed as a chicken and I was a hot dog (frankfurter) so there are a lot of hidden (and not so hidden!) references to that around.

Name: Kevin O’Gara and family Location: Cabbagetown — Atlanta, Georgia Size: 1,500 square feet Years Lived In: 5 years, renting My dad first moved to Cabbagetown, a historic neighborhood in Atlanta, when my parents divorced in 2009. His first pad was a three-room shotgun duplex where my sisters and I first started exploring the neighborhood, and quickly we fell in love with its artistic charm!

Name: Giana Shorthouse Location: FLATS at Ponce City Market — Atlanta, Georgia. Size: 655 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, renting I’m a designer and prop stylist living at Ponce City Market; the building is a historic, mixed-use community hub and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. My apartment is an extension of me and what I do.

Kevin and Mandy bought this 16-year-old Keystone Cougar fifth wheel for $5k and renovated it as cheaply as they could.

Name: Greg and Becky Simpson Location: East Austin Size: 1,500 square feet Years Lived In: Owned 2 years Greg and Becky don’t have any particular favorite time period of design. Nor do they hold any allegiances to any brands or designers. Truthfully? They just buy what they like. Influenced heavily by their “groovy friends” and the lively city of Austin, their home is a playful, unique reflection of their two fun personalities.

Name: Amanda and Chris Covo Location: East Austin, Texas Size: 967 square feet Years lived in: 7 months owned, after an 8 month renovation Amanda and Chris live in Austin, Texas — East Austin, to be specific. They are right down the street from Franklin BBQ and East Side Pies, local favorites. The house isn’t just cool because of its proximity to the hippest restaurants, though; it’s also a historic landmark.

Name: Chad Palmatier and Anthony Sobotik Location: North Austin, Texas Size: 1,850 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, owned In their business—Lick Honest Ice Creams—as well as their home, Chad and Anthony focus on bringing an appreciation of simple things into the world. When it comes to decorating their North Austin house, they only brought in items they really love. The kind of items that bring them joy every day. For the couple, that means color, pattern and family heirlooms.

Name: September Scott Location: Austin, Texas Size: 740 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, renting Designer September Scott is all about the hunt—for treasures, one-of-a-kind finds and absolutely any found object she can reinvigorate. “Almost all the pieces in my space are reclaimed from an estate sale, flea market, Goodwill or on the side of the road. My passion is bringing new life into found objects,” she writes.

Name: Lara and Adam Location: South Austin, Texas Size: 930 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, owned Not counting the couches and chairs, nearly all the furniture in this home was built by its owners! Pallets, old fences…any reclaimed wood Lara and Adam found around their neighborhood became building material for their home’s contents. And they saved a lot of money by salvaging fencing they took down during the renovation and other wood scraps.

Caroline is owner of Patchwork Harmony, an interiors and lifestyle blog celebrating all that is vintage, thrifty and handmade.

Name: Katy and Jules and their dog, Otto Location: Bermondsey — London, UK Size: 749 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; owned This new-build apartment in London, just south of the river, is home to interiors blogger Katy Orme, her partner Jules, and their (adorable!) Golden Retriever, Otto.

Name: Faye and Dave Campbell, and their four children Location: Sutton Green — Surrey, UK Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 6 years With its tall elevations and white-painted, wood-clad exterior, this house gives an impression of New England that feels quite unexpected in the heart of the quintessentially English countryside.

Name: Ned and Sarah Corbett-Winder Location: Shepherds Bush, London Size: Around 1600 square feet Years lived in: 18 months, owned Ned Corbett-Winder is the founder of Not-Another-Bill, an online subscription service from London that sends subscribers a unique surprise gift in the mail every month.

Name: Missy Logan, Antony Shaw, Prudence (6), Lili (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, 2) Location: Harrow, London Size: Around 800 square feet Years Lived In: 3 years, renting You may remember this warm and funky garden flat submitted by Missy last year; it felt so cozy that I wanted to come and see it in person! Since then, Missy and her partner Antony have been busy upgrading the flat, putting in wooden flooring, new wallpaper, and painting walls.

Name: Ruth Matthews, husband Dan and son Ted Location: Wallington — London, UK Size: 1,050 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years “The right colour has such an impact on the way you feel about your home, and I like to think the colours we’ve used make ours a relaxed and happy home,” says Design Soda blogger and interior stylist Ruth Matthews of the London home she shares with her husband and their two-year-old son.

Name: Natalie Pollard, owner of Villagers, and cat Melon Location: Candler, North Carolina Size: 265 square feet Years lived in: 6 months Natalie’s home may only be eight feet wide, but it is packed with inspiring design details and unexpected features for a tiny home including a large side entrance, a central bedroom loft, and the creative use of heirloom furniture pieces to contribute to that familiar feeling of home.

Name: Angela Henley and her dog, Tex Location: Lauriston; Victoria, Australia Size: 30 square meters (323 square feet) Years lived in: 1 year; Owned Earlier this year, a friend posted a few photos of her friend’s home in Lauriston, which is a cute, wee town about 1.15 hours from Melbourne.

Name: Julie and Andrew Puckett, Starbuck the dog, and Mr. Butters the cat Location: Stone Mountain, Georgia Size: 200 square feet Years lived in: 4 months; Owned The American dream seems to change with each generation, and with the high cost of living these days and the longing to simplify, many young Americans are skipping the white picket fence and jumping straight into the tiny house movement.

Name: Jordan and Brittany Griggs Location: Charlotte, North Carolina—but currently traveling the country! Size: 276 square feet Years lived in: Owned since December 2015 Brittany, a newborn/family photographer and business coach, and Jordan, a banker-turned-aspiring golf pro, traded in their Charlotte, North Carolina home for life on the road to chase Jordan’s dreams.

Name: Niki Azevedo Fairchild and Bennett Harrell Location: Brooklyn, New York Size: 22 feet long Years lived in: 1 year, owned Most of the year Niki and her partner Bennett share a fearlessly decorated Brooklyn apartment with “Jonathan Adler Goes Dumpster Diving at the Golden Girls Estate Sale” vibes. And while that creative space is their permanent residence, every now and then the couple calls this incredibly colorful bus home.

Two photographers call this 27-foot long, 1972 Airstream Overlander home...and they did every project themselves.

This tiny house took two years to build by hand and from scratch. Oh, and it EXPANDS. You have to see the inside.

Name: Natasha Lawyer and Brett Bashaw Location: Seattle, Washington Size: 200 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Natasha Lawyer and Brett Bashaw’s 1971 Airstream Sovereign packs incredible style into a compact space — every inch has been thoughtfully designed and curated by the couple. Over one very eventful year of renovation and restoration, they have been able to build a home that is warm, bright, and that even boasts a feeling of loftiness, all in 200 square feet!

Name: Liz and Tim Kamarul, with pups Bo and Cudi Location: New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 176 square feet Years Lived In: 5 months, owned I find it incredibly inspiring when people shirk off their worldly possessions, say no to the 9 to 5, and trade a rent check for a home on wheels.

Name: Sheena Armstrong, husband Jason and Riley the dog Location: Currently in Southport, North Carolina Size: 180 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned The dynamic duo behind Mavis the Airstream sold this first home—a 1975 Airstream Overlander—last spring, and are currently renovating a 1977 Airstream Sovereign they are calling “Mavis 2.0.” (The original Mavis went to a good home, don’t worry.) Mavis 1.

Name: Steph and Matt Location: We’re constantly on the move: currently in Portugal then heading to Morocco! Size: 140 square feet Years Lived In: 3 years, owned Stephanie and Matt live a pretty slow and steady life…but one that’s also full of adventure, travels and creativity! They’re the duo behind Slow ‘n Steady Living, and they’ve shared this beautiful boho van home for the past three years.

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: Rachael Gibilterra, her husband Virgil, and their rescue pup, Jovie Location: San Diego, California Size: 180 square feet Years lived in: 3 months, owned Rachael and Virgil live full time in this Airstream (currently parked at an RV park in San Diego) that they renovated themselves.

Name: Rhonda Drakeford Location: Hackney, East London Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: Rented for 1 year Living in a rental flat can be very limiting. You usually have to live with pretty bland walls and remodeling isn’t really an option…unless you want to spend a lot of money upgrading someone else’s house. So what can you actually do to a rental to make it a bit more Pinterest-worthy? Come and take a look at this one-bedroom flat in Hackney, East London.

California-based artist and designer Bridgette Thornton started taking painting seriously all the way back in 8th grade. “That age was very intense for me socially and academically. Art making was not only an emotional outlet but made me feel empowered,” she says. “As a child my mom would always have me working on a craft. Whenever I wanted to buy something, instead of purchasing it from the store, she would say, ‘you could make that!

Name: Cynthia Zamaria and Graham Loughton Location: Keene — Ontario, Canada Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, owned Cynthia possesses an incredible ability to see the potential for a space and then make it come to life. For years she has been exercising her creativity through interior design by transforming her family’s city and country homes.

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.

Name: Ginger Griffice and Chick Rabourn Location: Marfa, Texas Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned If you ask people what the town of Marfa, Texas is all about, you’ll hear a variety of different narratives describing this small, rural cultural curiosity: It’s an old place that is having new life breathed into it; It’s a dying town that’s being reborn as a cultural center. It’s hip…it’s dried up.

Name: Corey Dane Location: Madison, Wisconsin Size: 809 square feet Years Lived In: 5 years, owned My 800-square-foot condo has been a labor of love since purchasing it in the winter of 2013. Funny thing…I wasn’t looking to purchase a home at the time. I had just moved to Madison and planned to rent an apartment while I got a lay of the land, then stumbled upon the building and my home while helping a friend move into another unit.

Architect Andrea Serboli's Barcelona apartment was completely renovated, and it's now a sleek, bold, and modern home.

You may know Rachel Castle from her colorful instagram feed, her gorgeous bed linen range, or her witty artwork.

Tami was going for warm, trendy, hipster cafe vibes in her small rental garage apartment.

Graphic design professor Summer Winston‘s plan when first deciding to move to California from Texas was to build a tiny house. But after taking a zoning workshop, Summer discovered California didn’t feel very welcoming to alternative living solutions. “They have all of these rules and regulations if you’re building a tiny house on a trailer, like in terms of how you can live in it, where you can live in it…” they said.

Do you have unusual inspirations like Pee Wee Herman, Banksy and Lady Gaga? Do you take pride in that? If so, check our Bob and Heather’s Oakland loft and shop similar items that will fill your space with color, rainbows and overall weirdness (that’s a good thing).

Small space or not, you will likely glean some inspiration from Morgan and Andrew’s Atlanta home. They’ve kept their small home feeling peaceful and surprisingly spacious while chock-full of plants, textures, and light at the same time.

Gilles, Ismérie and Alexie’s Montreal home features graphic patterns, Scandinavian-style furniture, nautical themes, and a whole lot of DIY. If you’re looking for this wide range of styles for your home—and maybe some Star Wars art—check out the shopping sources below.

As a writer and photographer for Apartment Therapy, Emily Billings knows that readers look to House Tours for inspiration. She was kind enough to provide a glimpse into her Boston apartment—where she lives with her partner Max— and also provides links to most of the items in her beautiful home. Check them out below.

Betsy and Manny went from a tiny New York City studio to a spacious bungalow in Savannah. The new layout allows them to fill the space with functional antique furniture and family heirlooms, as well as modern Scandinavian accents and decor. If you’re into the Scandinavian-meets-craftsman style, check out the sources below to get a similar look in your home.

Jaime’s cozy Chicago loft is a perfect example of working with what you’ve got. While not short of beautiful, it showcases how to successfully implement gorgeous yet functional furniture to create an artsy and comfortable space. Check out the sources below to get this artful and vintage-inspired look in your home.

Natasha’s 450 square foot condo appears much bigger than it is, partly because she keeps a neutral palette of whites, grays and blues in each room. However, she sprinkles color into each vignette whenever possible, such as fresh, pink flowers as a coffee table accent or framed, colorful prints on the wall. The end result: a comfortable, classic space in Montreal that allows her to cook and entertain in peace. Use the sources below to shop some of the items in Natasha’s home.

Dawn and Darren keep it simple in their inner-city Melbourne home. The decorations are minimal and they only invest in pieces that are bold, bright and certain to make anyone smile. You can shop some of the items in their home using the sources below!