The Latest

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: Lauren Wells and Breeze Braunschweig Location: St. Roch — New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 6 months; Owned Lauren and Breeze are the kind of friends who only need each another to have a good time. On a Saturday afternoon in late November, the women, sitting together on a church pew in Breeze’s living room, are laughing so hard over inside jokes that Lauren has her hand over her mouth because she just can’t stop laughing.

Name: Jaclyn Johnson and David Kaul and their dog, Noah Wiley Location: Los Feliz — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Rented It’s been well over a year since I last visited Jaclyn Johnson, founder of Create & Cultivate, at her incredible little home in Los Feliz. Since then, her now-fiancé, David Kaul, has moved in, and they are enjoying their engagement in their home’s beautiful mix of feminine and masculine styles.

Name: Jennifer Location: Lincoln, Nebraska After years of searching for just the right home for our family, we were fortunate to find our 1925 craftsman that had fantastic bones and needed just a bit of love in some of the more neglected spaces. We completely updated the kitchen, bathrooms, added two full bathrooms, fully finished the 1,800 square foot basement, and added a number of built-ins throughout the house.

Name: Alison Location: Redfern — Sydney, Australia My cozy 49 square meter/ 527 square feet apartment is above a shop on one of the busiest roads in Redfern. I bought the unit in 2012, it was going cheap as the previous owners had done bad makeshift renovations, painted it an awful blue and managed to have about 6 people living in it.

Name: Katie Rozycki and Patrick Moore Location: Plaza Midwood — Charlotte, North Carolina Size: 702 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Owned Katie—a private school fundraiser, entrepreneur, and flower crown designer—and her audio engineer/tour manager boyfriend, Patrick Moore, completely overhauled this once-neglected one-bedroom loft in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Name: Sara and Rich Combs Location: Marina District — San Francisco, CA Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Rented Having collected each piece in their apartment one-by-one over the last six years, Sara and Rich Combs have created a home with a distinctly colorful, eclectic feel. Gravitating towards sleek, Mid-century silhouettes and furniture design, the couple have designed each room to pay homage to the bygone era in its own way, all while maintaining a modern spin.

Name: Sarah Location: St-Henri — Montreal, Canada We wanted to prove that two people can easily live in a 485 square feet space, so we bought a wonderful industrial open loft located in St-Henri neighborhood, Montreal. Our space used to be a cigarette factory in the early 1900s and it was transformed into apartments a few years ago.

Name: Isabel Location: Mexico City, Mexico I invite you to enter the house of a diplomat! This isn’t the house of Madeleine Albright or a high-brow diplomat, but rather the house of mid-level Foreign Service Officer. Our lives are unique – every three years we move to a different country, into houses we don’t choose. We normally have a weight limit and like other renters, have limits on what we can do to a home. These are photos of our current house in Mexico City.

Name: Cate and Olivier Location: Bloomsbury —London, UK Size: 725 square feet Years lived in: 8 years; Owned Design writer Cate St Hill’s blog and Instagram feed are filled with beautiful images of effortlessly stylish, minimal-yet-cozy interiors (as well as London recommendations, travel features, and lifestyle pieces).

Name: Kristen Location: Nob Hill — Portland, Oregon Located in a cute neighborhood in Northwest Portland’s trendy and walkable Nob Hill, my 1100-square-foot condo is a modern space inspired by my passion for graphic design. As an art director and graphic designer for Nike, I am constantly inspired by my travels around the world, and have peppered my living space with items collected along my journey.

Name: Savannah Sher and Mike Wynands, Finn the cat, and Nori the dog Location: Verdun — Montreal, Canada Size: Approximately 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 8 months; Rented Mike and Savannah, co-founders of The Quick Green Fox, are Montreal natives who grew up in the island’s west end. When they were searching for a new place earlier this year, an apartment close to downtown was on their wish list, as was a neighborhood with charm and a sense of community.

Name: Mara Location: Evanston, Illinois I bought my condo in June 2014. I chose Evanston because I wanted to be close to the lake, close to Chicago, and love the character of the older brick buildings. This is my first non-college living space that I can decorate and experiment with completely on my own. I’ve done a lot of updates and made some changes from paint to decor and documented everything on my blog. My style is a mix of mid-century modern and modern glam.

Name: Dave and Cathy Location: South West London; UK Size: 270 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Editor’s note: This greatest hits tour of a teeny shared studio apartment is cleverly furnished and the commentary from the person who lived in it is hilarious! I always tell people that this studio was both the best and worst place I’ve ever lived.

Name: Melanie Abrantes Designs Location: Oakland, California Size: 900 square feet Years using space: 1.5 years Melanie Abrantes is a crafty Jane-of-all-trades. With her company, Melanie Abrantes Designs, she specializes in handcrafting a plethora of one-of-a-kind goods, ranging from cork planters to wood bowls and vessels. Her Oakland studio, located in what was a tomato factory at the turn of the 20th century, features exposed brick walls and big, bright windows.

Name: Kiana and Steve and their kids, Mathilda and Milo Location: Chelsea, Quebec Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Owned This beautifully renovated house in the woods is a playful and welcoming space brimming with its owners’ personalities.

Name: Gawie and Karen and their children, Mila and Gabriel Location: Cape Town City Bowl, South Africa Size: 600 square meters (6,458 square feet) Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Karen and Gawie share their beautiful two-story home with their two teenage children. Nestled on the slopes of Table Mountain, this magnificent home has a lush garden and incredible views across Cape Town to the sea. Architect Wynand Wilsenach designed their house and Karen took care of the decorating.

Name: Emily & Erica Location: Armory District — Providence, Rhode Island Our home is a 1850s gothic revival (circa 1900) in the armory district on the west side of Providence, Rhode Island—an area we love with lots of historic architecture and great food options within walking distance. We live here with our two terrible-adorable dogs, Kevin & Sally.

Name: John and Shauna Stanton and their daughter, Isla Location: Guildford — Surrey, UK Size: 1,064 square feet Years lived in: 17 years; Owned There’s something fascinating about the homes of artists—I love the way the style and character of their art is expressed in the way they decorate and inhabit their spaces. The home of Guildford-based artist Shauna Stanton and her family is every bit as colorful and quirky as her beautiful, vibrant paintings.

Name: Lindsey O’Donnell Location: West Hollywood — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,550 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Owned If one thing’s for sure, it’s that interior designer Lindsey O’Donnell is not afraid of color. From Blackberry Wine to Midnight Navy to Black, O’Donnell’s paint choices are pretty fearless. Inspired by the bold interiors of designer Mary McDonald, O’Donnell’s lavish lair is anything but modest.

Raya is inspired by natural materials, classic colors, found objects, and timeless modern design.

Name: Susanna-Cole Location: Baltimore, Maryland I was nineteen, in a dead-end job, daydreaming at a desk dusk to midnight – of seeing the world, instead of fluorescent strips of yellowed, artificial light tattooed under my eyelids, as I drifted to sleep.

Name: David Jameson (with Treasure Hance) Location: Downtown — Houston, Texas Size: 817 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Working with 817 square feet of space can be a challenge, especially if you are a collector. David, however, manages to pull off the seemingly impossible by arranging years worth of procurements in an ingenious way, making every inch of his apartment interesting and beautiful.

Name: Jeanette Moncada and Mikul Eriksson Location: Emeryville, California Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 4 Months; Rented Jeanette and Mikul have lived in their Emeryville open factory loft for a mere four months, but they sure have nailed down their own rhythm and routine. The two creatives run Sugar Sugar Studio, a rental space for video and still shoots, just off of the apartment’s kitchen area.

Name: Robbie and Dan Location: Brooklyn, NY Size: 635 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Robbie and Dan have lived in their apartment for a little over two years. Since this is their first home together, they wanted to find a place that matched both of their lifestyles and tastes. After persevering through the rat-race of apartment hunting in New York, the couple finally landed this fantastic place in Brooklyn.

Name: Erin Location: Downtown — Los Angeles, California Mehmet Bozatli and Erin Eisinger say that despite their strong personalities, they find a natural harmony when collaborating — which they do often. Both work in the creative industries (he as an architect and developer, Erin as an interaction and service designer), and they co-founded their first joint venture —FourByNorth Studios— in Istanbul, Turkey, nearly six years ago.

Name: Nicole Location: East Downtown — Albuquerque, New Mexico Located in the former Main Hall of the historic 1914 built Albuquerque High School, this loft apartment occupies a former administration room. As a designer, the architecture, detail and character of the campus drew me in, and the space itself provides a perfect canvas for creativity. Three things that inspire me are light, life, and color.

Name: Alexander & Carla Zidarevich and their dogs, Sadie and Rocco Location: Willard-Homewood; North Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 1600 square feet Years lived in: 6.5 years; Owned After moving to Minneapolis from Michigan, Alex and Carla lived downtown in a modern space that they quickly outgrew. The couple discussed their home aspirations and agreed their ideal would be something historic with tons of personality. Not long after, they found it: a 1924 Dutch Colonial in need of some love.