Vintage Mix

Rachel and Ethan are a Texas couple living together for the first time in this duplex. With rent prices going up in Austin, Rachel and Ethan have saved money by scouring local vintage stores and Facebook Marketplace to make their home as unique and stylish as they are.

Claire's LA condo mixes old and new styles through pieces that feel like they're from another century. "I fell in love with the arched windows in the Spanish-style building, the abundant natural light, and the crown molding," she says.

Yuka, partner Daniel, and two fur babies, Bear and Penguin, share this colorful 700-square-foot Echo Park rental apartment.

Interior Stylist Jessica Nickerson of House Homemade loved the layout and charm of this house when she first saw it... but it needed A LOT of updating. Thankfully, this DIY maven isn't afraid of doing the work!

Alex is a consultant who’s spent the past decade working in strategy and Alyssa is an educator who now works at a global non-profit. Together they have filled this gorgeous rental apartment in Melbourne with great vintage finds.

Lily, a fashion designer and Holistic Health Practitioner, and Llew, an illustrator and folk tattoo artist, find inspiration from their collection of antiques and treasures found at flea markets.

Ginger Tayler's home's style is "Old Hollywood and Palm Springs architecture, Jayne Mansfield's house, the Playboy mansion, 1970s decor, log cabins, and old motels. Particularly American ones."

There's a recently renovated attic bedroom suite, a vintage library card catalog-turned-bathroom vanity, and a basement transformed into a speakeasy/brewery space.

This food blogger's home features DIY ideas like a divider wall, a unique furniture layout to, and an attractive way to hide an ugly shower rod.

Leney Breeden, photographer, creative, and owner of the store Folkling, lives in a 1045-square-foot rental house filled with vintage goods from her travels around the country, a variety of special family heirlooms, and lots of gorgeous vintage quilts.

90% of the furniture and decor elements in this small Barcelona rental apartment are vintage or secondhand, and the stained glass transom windows and beautiful bedroom bay window are a must-see!

Slick furniture, cool art, wild wall paint colors, a long hand-painted mural, three dogs, and a whole lot of reptiles... this mid-century house is packed with 1970s vibes.

When clinical nutritionist, cook, and educator Angel Munro and her family first moved in to this home, the original house was very dark, and so their renovation’s aim was to make it as “white, airy, and light as possible.”

The apartment came with a loft bed, which allowed Isabelle Eshraghi to create an entire living room and study space within the cramped square footage.

Alann says that nearly everything in this apartment was either found, stolen from his parents’ house, or picked up at a flea market or yard sale.

KC Cibran's TINY 280-square-foot Manhattan studio apartment won the Tiny Bracket in 2020's Small/Cool competition, and really that's no surprise to anyone who's seen inside her "Tropical Boho and Cuban Abuela" style space.

With their landlord's permission, and some funding, Katherine and her family have made some updates to make this rental feel more like their own home.

Artist Paula Mills' home is filled with vintage furniture and decor, cool collections, and her own beautiful artwork by Paula.

Sue Eggen is an artist and creative director at Urban Jungle, shares this Philadelphia home with and writer and librarian Nathaniel Eddy.

Built in 1975, it features incredible wallpapers, wooden feature walls, curved corners, modern floral artwork, and neon signs.

This home is cheery year round!

This nurse and her husband furnished an entire apartment with Craigslist and other online finds when no stores were open during early quarantine.

It's also a masterclass in mixing mismatching secondhand finds BEAUTIFULLY.

Luke Layfield and his dog Chewy Bear live in a shotgun house in the Bayou St. John neighborhood of New Orleans. Luke's style is best described as... "not minimalist."

This couple's home is almost completely furnished and decorated from thrift stores, flea markets, and yard sale finds!

A full look at this '70s patterned velvet sofa is worth clicking for alone!

Ryan and Emily (plus cute dog Eve) are a creative couple that have created a vintage-style home in their two-bedroom rental, which is situated in a quiet pocket of inner-city Melbourne above a business.

"Living in a van is allowing us to have the world as our classroom and we are so excited that we get to experience a better appreciation for the world around us while pursuing our education, and of course traveling in style."

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

Noah Marion power washed, painted, scraped, and replaced light fixtures, fans, appliances, toilets to reveal this Austin house's beautiful bones.

Name: Caitlin Hackett and Dave McHale Location: Cleveland Heights — Oakland, California Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented When Caitlin and Dave shared photos of their home in a House Call post earlier this year, Apartment Therapy readers wanted to see more of their wonder-filled Oakland home. Stepping into their spacious two-bedroom apartment, it’s obvious that their tastes and experiences have influenced their home’s décor.

This family of five has created a lively home in a UNESCO Heritage Site built in the late 17th century, in an old warehouse that was used to store sugar, coffee, and spices during the Dutch Golden Age.

When you're lucky enough to inherit good bones, less is always more. This beautiful rental is a love letter to vintage Chicago city living.

Carly and Scott have lived in this warm Chicago apartment for just over a year. It is both a haven from the busy city life and a creative space for Carly's watercolor business.

James and Lauren are two artists living in Oakland, and their apartment is perfect for work and play.

Emily's style is eclectic collector with carnival chic/plant lady vibes.

Editor and lifestyle blogger Carrie Waller hit the home jackpot when she stumbled upon this small town gem.

There's a tiki bar in the basement!

"Have you ever looked at an apartment in the pitch black without heat? It's not great."

It's filled with art, plants and micro shrimp.

Lucas is a chef who teaches private cooking classes out of his home for his business. The apartment was originally part of a castle connected to an old city wall and tower.

Name: Simone Raitzik and Ruben Zonenschein, and their sons Paulo and Tom Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Size: 2,368 square feet Years lived in: 21 years, owned After a four-year stay in Europe, Simone and her husband Ruben returned to Brazil and began their search for a spacious house with natural light, hardwood floors, and potential to remodel. When they found their current home in Rio de Janeiro, it was love at first sight, but it was in terrible shape.

Name: Dean Sameshima Location: Berlin, Germany Size: 1,044 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, renting When Dean Sameshima came to Berlin in 2007 to put on an art show with Peres Project, he didn’t expect to stay put for so long. What started out as a one-month stay quickly became three months, and luckily, he found this gem of an apartment at the end of his trip.

Name: Charlotte Rozenberg and Marvin Fockens Location: Center — Amsterdam, The Netherlands Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: Less than 1 year, renting Originally from a small town in the north of the Netherlands, Charlotte and her boyfriend Marvin moved onto this small but cozy houseboat in Amsterdam last spring. Charlotte works at a local bar and is considering a career as a sex therapist, while Marvin is a musician.

This family of six has turned an outdated, 100-year-old house into a beautiful, functional, and fun home.

This couple merged different styles, decades, and objects to create a place that fit with their personality.

He's basically trying to live in a tree house.

Name: Thoey and Sutty Location: Jingletown—Oakland, California Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented Thoey and Sutty’s spacious loft is filled with colorful, vintage items that create a happy home they and their friends love to spend time in.

Name: Kate Sykes Location: Raleigh, North Carolina Size: 840 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2.5 months To find her new apartment, Kate bypassed typical rental search engines and opted to drive around her ideal neighborhood in Raleigh, scouting beautiful facades and “For Rent” signs. That’s how she landed this home just three months ago. How she managed to pull it together so quickly and skillfully speaks to her background in design.

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: 3 roommates (plus their cats Boogie and Sammie) Location: California Size: ~600 square feet Years lived in: 5 years These three roommates live in a two-bedroom attic apartment in a historic mansion that was converted to apartments. The space has its perks, such as the walls painted yellow and its convenience to downtown Oakland and public transit. But the awkward attic space also has its drawbacks: small windows resulting in low light, weird ceilings angles, and a tiny kitchen.

Name: Rachael Barlock Location: Metro Detroit — Ferndale, Michigan Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting There’s a duality to Rachael’s life: She’s a water engineer by day, but by night she runs a hand-lettering and paper goods business, Hazel + Dolly. She loves balancing the structured, math and science half of her life with the fun, creative half. And her home is a balanced mix, as well.

Name: Anna Saffer and Clementine the cat Location: Mt. Vernon — Baltimore, Maryland Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting At only 450 square feet, it takes some flexibility to make this small space (an apartment carved from a historical Mt. Vernon townhouse) work. Somehow, Anna has managed to do that, despite several space challenges — like the kitchen being too small for the refrigerator.

Name: Ashley and Terry Reth, and their two cats, Boy and Girl. Location: Portland, Maine Size: 1000 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, renting Ashley and Terry celebrated their first six months as a married couple this April and have been together for over ten years…but they originally met all the way back in kindergarten! New to marriage, but not to each other, they are happy to now have a place their family can grow into.

Name: Ciara Elliott and family Location: Mistley, Colchester, Essex UK Years lived in: 2 years, owned “I do love big statement pieces — like our brightly coloured yellow sofa and the stand-out rug in our lounge — and I think if you have a few of these big-ticket items you can actually revolve a whole scheme around them,” smiles Ciara Elliott, editor of leading UK interior magazine Essential Kitchen Bathroom and Bedroom.

Name: Jes and Caleb Plain Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania Size: 1600 square feet Years Lived In: 9 months, owned Though they both grew up in Central Pennsylvania, Caleb and Jes have spent their entire relationship elsewhere. Nashville, Philadelphia, Los Angeles…and even a year on the road in an 18-foot travel trailer. This 1950s brick home in Lancaster is the first roots they’ve put down close to their families.

Name: Timothy Scheel Location: Humboldt Park — Chicago, Illinois Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting If you told Tim his apartment reminds you of your grandma’s apartment, he’d likely take it as a compliment. Over the years, he’s inherited a ton of pieces from his family and bought from many estate sales, so the space exudes a comfortable, lived-in feeling.

Name: Krysta Jabczenski and Joel Leshefka Location: Barrio Libre — Tucson, AZ Years lived in: 3 years, owned Tucked away in the historic Barrio Libre neighborhood of Tucson is a little strip of lovingly restored adobes. The airy structures are full of desert charm, and they owe their new lives to a couple that split their time between arid Tucson and soggy Seattle.

Name: Julie Morel Location: French Concession — Shanghai, China Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Julie’s apartment love story all started with a radiator. No one moves to Shanghai — or spends even a night there — without hearing grave warnings from residents about the damp, drafty homes that skimp on central heating. Tenants in century-old flats depend on space heaters and electric blankets, or take solace in trips a little farther south.

Alex and Sean refuse to leave any walls bare in their Oakland apartment and share a love for mid-century furniture, classic TV, and cheesy movies.