Chicago Home Tours

Maven Collection founder Laura Hebden has traveled around the world looking for artisan textiles to sell in her shop...and put in her Chicago apartment.

From the moment you step inside, you are greeted with the open, honest expression of a couple who fills their home with good vibes, delicious food, and lots of great memories.

Name: Dave and Mollie Code Location: West Loop — Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,300 square feet Years lived in: 1 years Tall ceilings, brick walls, sleek surfaces—this raw, industrial-style space is the home of Dave and Mollie Code. They run Studio Code together, a development firm based in Chicago with the goal of restoring the historic elements of homes while also creating functioning spaces.

Name: Mollie Location: West Loop —Chicago, Illinois My husband, Dave, and I have lived in this space for a little over a year. Prior to moving in we did an entire gut rehab of the space. The condo was originally a factory that was later converted to residential condos (imagine maple cabinets and dark granite counter tops).

Name: Travis Location: Lakeview — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, rented Travis grew up in Louisiana and Texas, but has been living in Chicago for a medical residency for the last couple years. He made sure to bring his southern roots with him in the form of decor. Travis’s apartment has a sort of dark & gothic feel to it. He attributes this to all the “dead things” around the apartment. He has taxidermy, bones and shells in every room.

Name: Sarah Montgomery Location: Chicago, Ilinois Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year rented Sarah is proud of her entire 800 square feet, tucked away in a Ukrainian Village coach house, and rightfully so. She has brought art and whimsy into each of her rooms with a true DIY and frugal spirit, all while leaning on her past experience as a window display designer at Anthropologie and her current gig as a product designer at Eastern Accents.

Name: Andy Koch and Danielle Boachie, and cats Zeus and Miss Fluffy Location: Hyde Park, Chicago, Illinois Size: 325 square feet Years lived in: 8 months; rented For such a small space, Andy and Danielle have their limited square footage very well divided into areas with different purposes.

Name: Jessica Location: Portage Park — Chicago, Illinois My husband, two feline companions and I live in a spacious, open concept apartment on Chicago’s Northwest Side (Portage Park) The apartment is roughly 1100 square feet and is one of two units in a vintage brick building. It’s a cozy apartment with lots of day light and a funky angular layout. I am currently wrapping up my degree in interior design and love to work with patterns and textures.

Name: Meg Gustafson Location: Uptown — Chicago, Illinois Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 3 months; rented For a short few months, Meg has lived in this familiar space—a high rise in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, on Lake Shore Drive. The building was built in 1959 and Meg’s grandma lived in this exact unit for years. In 1978, Meg’s parents took over and began renting it out.

Name: Anna Curtis Location: Chicago, Illinois Size: 350 square feet Years lived in: 7 months; rented Small space living isn’t for everyone, but when Anna returned from a trip to Berlin, she was ready to come back to a familiar well-loved Chicago neighborhood. She jumped on this tiny 350 square foot studio. Immediately after setting foot inside, Anna agreed to take on the previous renter’s lease along with all of his much-too-large-for-a-studio furniture.

Project by: Casey Location: Chicago, Illinois My husband and I purchased a condo in Chicago nine months ago, and we’ve slowly been working to transform every inch of the 1,200 square foot space. Determined to broaden my DIY skills and try out some new power tools. I vowed to makeover our guest room all by myself. I started by DIY’ing a wood wall treatment to create an accent behind the bed.

Name: Kristen Basilo and Robby the cat Location: River West, Chicago, Illinois Size: 825 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; owned Kristen Basilo is the owner of Gather Home + Lifestyle and she says that she’s guilty of bringing her favorite items home with her. Most people’s homes would be hopelessly cluttered if they had access to so many beautiful things, but not Kristen. She’s mastered the art of living minimally.

Name: Hannah Location: Chicago, Illinois Two years ago my husband and I and our winsome Goldendoodle, Hadley moved out of a typical, dark, old Chicago three-flat apartment and into this beautiful, new construction condo near the hip neighborhood of Logan Square. My husband, Josh is in medical school and I work from home as a Creative Director so it was very important to us to have a bright, sunny, and inspiring space to spend our days studying and working!

Name: Sarah Location: Ukrainian Village — Chicago, Illinois My apartment is an 800 square foot coach house in Ukranian Village. It took a lot of scrubbing and painting to bring it up to my standards, but was worth it for the location. I went from a studio to a 1.5 bedroom and was able to furnish it pretty quickly with the help of my mom, auctions and Craigslist. The living room is the best looking, but I spend most of my time in the large kitchen and cozy bedroom.

Name: Scott Duff, comic/radio host; Jerre Dye, playwright/opera librettist/actor/director, and dog Emmett Location: West Edgewater — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,350 square feet Years lived in: 8 months; Owned Scott and Jerre’s Chicago loft is just…WOW! It is more dramatic and inspiring than any home you’ve probably seen in a while.

Name: Liz Klafeta, founder of BANGTEL Location: Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 9 years owned Often you hear people use words such as “daunting” or “time consuming” while referring to renovations. “Fun” and “having a blast” don’t come to mind. However, these are the exact words you’ll hear Liz use while describing the renovation process of this space.

Name: Brandon & Kate Location: Humboldt Park — Chicago, Illinois Our home is the top floor of a quaint little two-flat from 1891 in Humboldt Park Chicago. We fell in love with all the beautiful natural light that floods the apartment during the daytime and the simple white walls that were just begging for some artwork. We used to sell vintage furniture so we have a large collection of furniture and home decor to pull from.

Name: Sarah & Lindsay Location: Humboldt Park — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 months; Rented Sarah and Lindsay haven’t even lived together for half a year, but their styles have already merged seamlessly. Sarah brought the cozy Southwestern elements while Lindsay brought the Mid-century modern, and all the colors and patterns work with the nature-inspired elements to create a space that is warm and inviting.

Name: Anna Location: Lakeview — Chicago, Illinois I live in a small studio apartment (350 square feet) in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. I’m actually right on the border between Lakeview and Lincoln park, which is a popular location for 20-somethings who have recently moved to the city (I’m 25) which is nice because all of my friends live a few blocks away.

Name: Anna Zajac and her cat, Isaiah Location: Lincoln Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Anna Zajac is a talented wedding photographer in Chicago with a background in design. Both she and her lovely studio apartment could not be more welcoming. The space is truly a reflection of her: warm, sweet, positive, and stylish. Delicate thrifted pieces are carefully juxtaposed with bold, dark walls and modern elements.

Name: Kate Levinson and Mike Muschong and Snacks the cat Location: West Town — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented White walls and floors set the scene for Mike and Kate’s vibrant, patterned, curious, and classy home. Kate is no stranger to the interest of personalized space—her mother, Stephanie Wohlner, is a successful interior designer, and Kate is a location scout extraordinaire.

Name: Ashlee Location: Roscoe Village — Chicago, Illinois I want to submit my apartment because I’m freaking obsessed with it. It’s a 2-bed unit in an old turn-of-the-century smokehouse in Roscoe Village. My landlord lives in the front unit and is the former drummer for 90’s power pop band, Material Issue, and he’s always plodding around doing cool things to the building.

Name: Maggie and Howard Location: Logan Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; Owned When Maggie, Howard, and their gorgeous boys moved into their Logan Square house, it had just sat empty through a frigid Chicago winter.

Name: Meg Location: Logan Square — Chicago, Illinois Last year my boyfriend and I scored a Memphis Design Group exhibit poster at a garage sale down the street for $7. I’d been wanting to do an ’80s apartment for ages, but never pulled the trigger (I was getting my design fix through my blog). Neal was on board and began to make a copy of our favorite Memphis pendant lamp, “The Santa Fe” by Matteo Thun, out of balsa wood and an IKEA lamp cord. Thanks, Meg!

Name: Marta Sasinowska and Mike Nourse Location: Pilsen neighborhood — Chicago, Ilinois Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Rented Marta and Mike like to call their apartment “the tree house,” because of the lofted spaces, the hammock, and the light streaming in through different corners as if through the branches of trees.

Name: Heidi Unkefer (left), Brittany Meyer (right) & Jess Manning Location: Wicker Park/East Village; Chicago, Illinois Years lived in: 3 years (Brittany), 1.5 years (Heidi), 0.5 years (Jess) This is no brand-new condo made to look like an industrial space with high ceilings and exposed ducts; this is a paint-on-the-floor, full of history, open and raw, ever-evolving space, one that has changed in size and configuration over the years depending on whomever was living there at the moment.

Name: Charles Hafner Location: Bowmanville — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 9 years; Owned Most people’s apartments are decorated in a way that is personal to them, but Charles Hafner brings this idea to another level. Different rooms in his big yet cozy Chicago apartment are dedicated to different members of his family.

Name: Becca Kannapell Location: Noble Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: Approximately 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented When Becca and her boyfriend moved from New York City to Chicago a year ago, they were amazed by their new-found apartment options. Both of them lived in tiny 400-square-foot apartments in Manhattan, and now they have all this space to create in — and Becca has been taking full advantage.

Name: Katie, Vincent & Baby Roman Fuentes Location: River West; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years If you ever wanted to know how to live with a newborn baby boy and still have your home exude sophistication and charm, look no further than Katie and Vincent’s apartment in the River West neighborhood of Chicago.

Name: Maria and Tristan Location: Chicago, Illinois My husband Tristan and I have shared this classic Chicago graystone apartment together for a little over 3 years. It is roughly 1,200 sq. ft. with 3 bedrooms and 1 bath, featuring a giant kitchen, and separate dining room. We moved here from a very small garden apartment with low ceilings and little light, so we instantly fell in love with the 12’ ceilings, giant windows, and nearly double the floor space.

Name: Topaz Location: Downtown Wheaton, Illinois I work as an Art Director in the Chicagoland area and about two months ago moved into a gorgeous, half-basement nook. In the style of one of my favorite authors, L.M. Montgomery, I like to name my homes. However, accurately naming a home that is partially underground turned out to be more difficult than expected. After many word searches and some rather depressing synonym discoveries, I settled on “The Burrow.

Name: Luke and Claire Staszak Location: Logan Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 2 bedroom + office Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Luke and Claire are two incredibly warm and inspiring individuals. Spending time with them in their beautiful greystone included stories of their experiences living in New Zealand together, details on their impressive DIY projects, discussions about the music playing on their record player, and lots of laughter.

Name: Allison Reijmer Location: Wicker Park, Chicago Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented Within a few minutes of entering Allison’s apartment, I was struck by three fantastic elements: 1) Lofted ceiling! 2) Gorgeous fresh flowers! and 3) The outstanding Bloody Mary I was offered within 5 minutes of meeting her! That’s like the Triple Crown of House Tour welcomes and a great first impression that perfectly matched Allison’s warm and stylish home.

Name: Gabriel Fontes de Faria & Grant Gochnauer Location: Wicker Park; Chicago, IL Size: 4,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; owned If I had to summarize Gabriel and Grant’s home in two words, I would pick “beauty” and “restraint.” The couple’s townhouse is elegant and pared down, and each element seems considered and loved.

Name: Lauren Baker Location: Ravenswood; Chicago, Illinois Size: 927 square feet Years lived in: 10 months, owned From the moment Lauren opened the door, I knew this was going to be a fun tour. Lauren greeted me like an old friend, and her personal warmth and natural ease are evident throughout her home, as much of it is designed with one-of-a-kind pieces acquired through her relationships with local businesses and artisans.

Name: Ashley Gerou & Emily Drake Location: Lakeview; Chicago, Illinois Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; rented Cousins Ashley and Emily grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and attended college in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. After graduating from separate schools, they moved to Chicago. Now they rent a condo together in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. The ladies’ personalities shine in their own rooms.

Name: Sam Rosen and Linsey Burritt Location: Noble Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Rented Linsey and Sam met in 2008. In 2009, Linsey realized her new friend Sam was the best friend she ever made so she asked him to dinner on graph paper. At the end of 2014, Sam asked Linsey, on an index card (her favorite) if she would marry him. This June they wed at the Garfield Park Conservatory (they love plants).

Name: Ty & Lynne McDaniel Location: Humboldt Park; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 Ty and Lynne McDaniel, owners and founders of the fantastic Chicago furniture store An Orange Moon, have created a hip and airy crash pad in the back of their shop. Located in the heart of Humbolt Park, the store/studio is brimming with history and charm. Lynne has been a pioneer in the advancement of the neighborhood, and has used those same skills in transforming their personal space.

Name: Sarah Location: Lakeview – Chicago, IL After graduating from the University of Michigan with a B.F.A. in Art & Design, I risked a move to the bustling city of Chicago to begin my pursuit towards a career in fashion. I only planned on staying a few short years, but, five years on, I’m still a happy resident of the ever chic and fashion-forward Windy City.

Name: Liz Klafeta, Founder Bangtel Location: Lakeview; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1100 square feet Years lived in: 1 When Liz moved to New York two years ago, she started renting out her revamped home in Humboldt Park on Airbnb. She couldn’t bring herself to sell since she had gut rehabbed every inch of the space. Instead, she chose to share the fruits of her blood, sweat, tears and expenditures with Chicago visitors. You can experience the magic for yourself on your next Chicago visit.

Name: Jack Location: Chicago, IL My apartment is in an amazing vintage building in Lakeview that used to be owned by the Roosevelt family. There is no lack of character, which is one of the best parts aside from great lakeside location. Although it’s a smaller unit (roughly 450 sf) as a result of the chopped up floor plans when it was converted to a rental building, it’s very efficient.

Name: Stephanie and Ryan Sievert Location: Wicker Park; Chicago, Illinois Size: approx. 900 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, Rented Walking into Ryan and Stephanie’s top floor Chicago apartment, you are immediately greeted with a wealth of light and music. The stylish, tidily arranged furniture and decor is a direct result of the superb taste shared by the couple. For two years they have inhabited this artful space with their two cats, Meatloaf and Vom.

Location: Wicker Park; Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 7 years As a young person living in Chicago, I spent many hours rambling though Wicker Park, an area of the city that used to be synonymous with art and music. The neighborhood, home to historic flats on shady, tree-lined streets, has since been gentrified six ways from Sunday.

Name: Jaimie & James Location: Evanston, IL Our house is a Sears kit home called The Fairy in the old Sears “Modern Homes” catalog. It started out as a two bedroom, however we made the living room into a large dining room, and made the bedroom in the front a small sitting room. We are located in Evanston, IL the first suburb north of Chicago. It is less than 600 Sq. feet, which is perfect for my husband and myself.

Name: Brittany Skwierczynski and Brittany Purlee Location: Wicker Park — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,070 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Graphic designer Brittany Skwierczynski and photographer Brittany Purlee, art school classmates and friends reunited in Chicago, have collaborated in styling a two bedroom apartment in Wicker Park. This bright, lively space is a direct reflection of both of their creative backgrounds and welcoming personalities.

Name: Jill Dudones & Chris Campbell Location: Berwyn; Chicago, IL Size: 3,225 square feet; 5 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2.80 lots Years lived in: 2 years; Owned The up-and-coming neighborhood of Berwyn, Illinois is filled with beautiful, historic Chicago-style bungalows. But among them is a special home, a Prairie-style Craftsman house designed by the famed architect George Grant Elmslie, that is unique in its beauty, scale and architectural detail.

Name: Rebecca Crall & Eric Neagu (and Bailey) Location: Ravenswood; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; rented Warmth. It’s the word that best describes the feeling you get the moment you step inside Rebecca and Eric’s Chicago apartment.

Name: Yana Puaca of NoMad Luxuries and Petar Location: Lakeview; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,385 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Owned The name of Yana’s lifestyle blog, NoMad Luxuries, also accurately describes the style of the home that she and her husband Petar share.

Name: Britain Spinney Location: Logan Square, Chicago, Illinois My boyfriend and I live in a one-bedroom apartment in the heart of Logan square that is about 600 square feet. We didn’t have much time to find an apartment and we had been traveling back and forth from Minnesota to find one. We already loved the location of this place and once we learned the building was a converted old hotel, we both decided this was the one!

Name: Lauren Svenstrup of Studio Sven Location: Andersonville; Chicago, Illinois Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 2 years When Lauren’s House Call was featured this summer, readers were intrigued by her wonderful mix of vintage and modern, so I was thrilled when Lauren gave an enthusiastic “yes” for a full tour. On my recent visit to Lauren’s home, I was inspired by the distinct yet harmonious moods and tones she’s achieved in one relatively small space.

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: Robyn and Drew Location: Logan Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,250 square feet Years lived in: 5 months Robyn and Drew’s vintage graystone apartment is filled with more than just cool-looking pieces, it’s filled with original vintage finds and soul for days. They choose their belongings thoughtfully and they take their time; they scour Craigslist and local vintage stores—they celebrate secondhand furniture for its craftsmanship and unique style.

Name: Beth Puscheck, owner of Blue Cottage Hill Location: Villa Park, Illinois Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 6 months; owned Who else lives here: Beth’s boyfriend & their dog, Aaron A professional beautician by day, Beth’s always had an eye for style. And from the moment she and her boyfriend bought their 1926 cottage in the Chicago suburb of Villa Park only 6 months ago, she’s been taking her talent home and completely transforming the formerly uninspired space.

Name: Kelly Furman Location: Graceland West; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; owned Kelly is a colorful person, vibrant in personality and exuberant in spirit. Her home, which she affectionately calls the “tree house,” captures the poise, humor, and grace with which she approaches the world, but it does so with an understated elegance.

Name: Yana of NoMad Luxuries Location: Chicago, Illinois The great thing about this city is that each and every neighborhood has its own style and energy. We live in the Uptown/Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago and really enjoy the proximity to the lake. We especially fell in-love with the charming details of our condo. When we started looking, we knew we wanted a space that had good bones and vintage character, but didn’t necessarily want to pay for someone else’s style.

Name: Meg, Joe, & Wells Piercy and their toy poodle Jack Location: Uptown; Chicago, IL Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; owned In Meg and Joe’s living room, there’s a blackboard with a family friend’s delicately drawn reminder to “live life in full bloom,” and the Piercys have certainly taken this advice to heart.

Name: Dave Widmer, CB2 eCommerce Brand Director and Chad Ross, Crate and Barrel Visual Merchandising Team Lead Location: Andersonville; Chicago, IL Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Never hesitate to walk through a bright green front door: I promise you, only good things are waiting for you on the other side. In the home of Chad and Dave every last detail from the foundation to the roof and everything in between was meticulously thought about and designed.

Name: Nick Fanelle & Spiro Georgi Location: Andersonville; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented There’s no reason you can’t enjoy both the vibrancy of city life and the peacefulness of a rural retreat. Now, if you were to find an urban townhouse on a farm, it might strike you as a bit odd, but bringing the rustic, worn-in feel of the country into a Chicago apartment turned out to be just the thing for Nick Fanelle and Spiro Georgi.

Name: Lindsey Location: West Loop, Chicago In our seven years in Chicago, we’ve moved seven times and this is honestly the most interesting building we’ve ever lived in… We packed up and purged from a 3-bedroom house into a 900-square foot space with our dog, Max. As soon as we unloaded the truck, people began welcoming us into the building and telling us about its history. We were invited to the annual progressive dinner where you visit different units.

Name: Nancy Sickbert-Wheeler, Andrew Wheeler, and their dog Bailey Location: Evanston, Illinois Size: 2 bedroom + finished basement Years lived in: 19 years; owned Metal, enamel, and film: all three media require a creative eye, a deft touch, and a sense of possibility.

Name: Rachel Yacapraro, blogger at Taffeta and Cedar, and Brian Willard, Visual Effects Artist at Radar Studios Location: West Town; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 9 years; Owned Warmly considered and lovingly maintained, Rachel and Brian’s flat has the broad, open feel of a loft, while retaining the flow and privacy of a traditional apartment. Luckily for this couple, Rachel and Brian share a similar clean, modern aesthetic with a vintage twist.

Name: Jaclyn Simpson, of Jaclyn Simpson Photography Location: Lincoln Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Jaclyn is exactly the kind of wedding photographer you want with you all day during your big celebration: warm, generous, funny, and absolutely genuine. Her live/work space is filled with personal pieces and DIY projects galore, creating an earthy/quirky combination that is distinctly her own.

Name: Tim Speicher, Director of Marketing and Communications at Victory Gardens Theater in Lincoln Park, and Ellenkate Finley Location: Lincoln Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: almost 9 months; Rented You know a tour is going to be different when you’re warmly invited to check out a cozy crawlspace/adult fort underneath a completely DIY lofted bed!

Name: Taryn & Sanford Parker (and their dog Iris and cat Tron) Location: Logan Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 3.5 years; owned It’s almost unimaginable. You buy a house, and a few days before you’re slated to move in, some hooligans break in and burn the interior, and you are faced with a gut rehab of what you thought would be a virtually move-in-ready space.

Name: Shaun Sperling & Matt Leyes Location: Andersonville; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 3 years Matt and Shaun’s loft is a study in the type of creative freedom that comes from having a loft space, loving DIY projects, and joyfully merging two design styles.

Name: Tim Naus Location: Albany Park, Chicago, Illinois Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; Rented Tim had to rescue the model building from being demolished, so he found his way into the abandoned school and grabbed the plastered to-scale model of Independence Hall. A similar one rests in the Smithsonian American History Museum, but this one was completely original, a true treasure.

Name: Amy Haiar and Todd Donahue Location: Avondale/Logan Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Owned What happens when two creative directors have carte blanche to design a new home from the ground up? In the case of husband-and-wife duo Todd and Amy, colorful, interesting, and beautiful things happen. Amy and Todd purchased their newly-constructed Smart Tech home a little over a year ago.

Name: Andrew Samuel and Anne Greenwald Location: Ukranian Village; Chicago, IL Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 3 months, rented I visited Drew and Annie’s apartment on the first snowy day of the season, when everything outside was still and white. Annie was out of town, but Drew, who used to work at several independent record labels and who now works at Intelligentsia Coffee, played the perfect wintertime host, serving up warmth, conversation, and great music.

Name: Kim Knoll and Kyle Eertmoed, graphic designers at Knoed Creative Location: Ravenswood Manor; Chicago, Illinois Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 7 years; Owned Kim and Kyle know a thing or two about space. As graphic designers who started their own company, Knoed Creative, they spend endless hours thinking about how forms and language communicate across visual dimension.

Name: Andy Location: Chicago, IL My brick and timber loft in the West Loop was recently remodeled. My friend helped with the design work. The style is mostly industrial with a bit of MCM in the mix. . Much of the furniture is vintage. Some items were purchased at local shops and fairs and some I came from my family. They’ve been in the dry cleaning business since 1907 and we were able to use items from the original plant. My building is was built in 1910 so it worked out perfectly.

Name: Matt Leyes, owner and esthetician for The Men’s Grooming Parlor Location: Andersonville; Chicago, Illinois Years lived in: 5 years Matt knew there were men out there who wanted professional grooming services, but didn’t want to end up in a pink robe sitting next to five women in a typical salon waiting room.

Name: Sabreen & Terrence Madden Location: Lakeview; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,250 square feet Years lived in: 4 years There’s no better project for a newly married couple than to build a nest together – a place where the new commitment can grow with shared experiences. Finding the right place that represents both spouses can be tough, but Sabreen and Terrence found their perfect place in this historic loft, housed in the once popular Belmont Theatre.