Jill Ruzicka

When I moved into my apartment last summer the closet doors in my second bedroom/office were already banged up and constantly falling off. It was a small room with bi-fold doors on the closet, so I was daydreaming about the space-saving benefits of sliding doors. Finally, after months of constantly putting the doors back into place after they fell off, I decided to fix the problem for good and install some brand-new sliding doors.

Name: Phyllis and Bill Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois Years lived in: Owned 25 Years This is a house I know intimately…because it’s the home I grew up in! My parents, Phyllis and Bill, bought this house over 25 years ago when it was filled with pink and teal decor from the ’80s. Once we moved in, they chose to decorate with neutral colors and vintage furniture that seemed more appropriate for a house built in 1902.

Name: Jeannine Riske Location: East Pilsen — Chicago, Illinois Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, rented When Jeannine was apartment searching last year, she was sold on the interesting architecture of this one-bedroom home in Pilsen. She was especially drawn to the huge semi-circle window in the living room, which lets in lots of light. She knew she had found the perfect place.

Name: Mark Dye and Jeffrey Spivock Location: River North — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, renting Jeffrey and Mark have lived all over the world. Jeffrey is from Montreal, Mark is from London, and the two met while they were both living in Toronto. They then moved to Japan where they lived for two years, and most recently they relocated to Chicago.

Name: Matthew Location: Avondale — Chicago, Illinois Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: Renting 2 months When I walked into Matthew’s one-bedroom apartment, I was shocked that he’s only been living there for two months. He found a gem of a building in Avondale featuring wood floors, bright clean walls with contrasting dark molding, and lots of natural light. But I was more impressed with what he’s done with the apartment in such a short time.

Name: Jill and Mickey Location: Logan Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: Rented 4 months My partner Mickey and I have been renting our current apartment for about four months now. We often struggle to settle on just one design style, so our two-bedroom apartment is a mix of mid-century, Scandinavian, and urban-modern details.