Sheena and Jason live, work, and travel the U.S. in this completely renovated 31-foot 1977 Airstream Sovereign. "The Airstream was originally left to rot away at a storage facility in a muddy field in Tennessee. It sat for years, slowly being consumed by the earth," explains Sheena.
Originally from Ireland, Sara and Peter have decorated their colorful home with finds from local Swap Meet pages, estate sales, online auctions, and vintage stores.
Krista's 100-year-old heritage house is actually her husband's childhood home. "When his parents decided to retire in 2018 and go on an adventure, we purchased it from them and have spent the past few years transforming and updating it," she writes.
Abby and Ian's home style came down to a "compromise between the two of us. Ian likes moody colors and lots of rustic touches, and while I like these features too, I'm also really into mid-century modern antiques and style."
When Roanna Cochrane and Simon Phillips first viewed this turn-of-the-century loft, it was run-down with lime green walls in the kitchen, a shabby curtain dividing the bedroom from the living room, and no light fixtures to speak of.
Hilda's one-bedroom bungalow was originally built as a granny flat in 1999. "Stylistically, I aspire to be a layered minimalist but in reality I land closer to being a pared-back maximalist," she says.
Gaby Neira and Chris Yera moved into their Upper West Side apartment almost a year ago. "Living in New York is expensive, especially for college students. We had to design the space with a small budget, limited stock availability across the city, and a two-week moving time constraint."
"The house is pretty organized mainly because my brain chills out when everything is in its place," writes Kyla Burnet. "There are also little goofy touches around the house, like a lamp that looks like a duck and a giant painting of bananas."
Some spaces are really, really, really small — and yet, thanks to the brilliance of their residents, they're still packed with gorgeous design and storage solutions.
Johnny Coleman is an interior architecture BFA candidate at Columbia College Chicago and a bargain hunter. He was able to furnish and decorate this rental apartment with mostly upcycled and revamped furniture.
Designer Rebecca Summer and her husband, Sam, have lived in this 1930s building on Lake Merritt in Oakland for 10 years. "I was drawn to this building for all its architectural and ornate details like the arched doorways, 10-foot-high ceilings, and original crystal chandeliers," she writes.
It was small, the kitchen was basically nonexistent, and the bathroom wasn't exactly pretty, but Irene Shamas saw the potential in this studio unit. She worked with Luki Anderson of Studio Officina and EDR Construction to transform this small one-room apartment into a functional and cozy home.
Laura Moore decided to save money by finding a one-bedroom rental apartment and creating a “bedroom space” for her son to use when he is home part-time from college.
"I grew up in Hong Kong where my mother and grandmother raised me with a strong foundation in Old Chinese Feng Shui," writes Clara Leung, who designed her townhouse around Feng Shui principles... and lots of houseplants!
This San Jose studio apartment has separate spaces for living, sleeping, working, and cooking. "I'm amazed at what the right layout can do in such a small space," explains studio dweller Brett.
Kit Williamson and John Halbach have completely transformed this 1958 cabin on five acres in Yucca Valley, using patterned tiles, fun furniture, and lots of dreamy outdoor elements.
"It’s both chic and punk — a technicolor euphoria impossible not to feel at home at," describes writer, comedian, and award-winning screenwriter Greg Mania of this small rental apartment.
Desiree and her wife didn't want shy away from their Black and Hispanic heritage when it came to their intentional, cozy, and eclectic Harlem studio apartment that boasts as much small-space function as it does style.
TV writer, actress, author, and producer Franchesca Ramsey moved to Los Angeles fall of 2020, decorating this rental apartment with DIY murals, color, and more.
Britt downsized to this 773-square-foot apartment after living in a larger home, but found enjoyment and freedom in paring down. "I’m far from a minimalist, but it feels good to have a home that’s truly only filled with items I’m passionate about — even my toilet brush is pretty!"
Stefania Talento and Andreu Font are the co-founders of the blog "In and Out Barcelona," and In and Out Studio, where they handle social media strategy and content curation for international clients. They share a 590-square-foot home in Barcelona’s Gracia neighborhood.
Meng and his husband, Andrew, gorgeously transformed this outdated two-bedroom co-op, which they say hadn't been updated for almost 60 years. There was worn green carpeting, an odd layout, and a very dirty bathroom, to name only a few of the things that would need remodeling.
Mitali Gupta intentionally selected colors, furniture, accessories, and lighting to create the atmosphere she and her partner wanted in each room of the apartment they rent.
Emily Greene runs Foodie Snitch, an account about the food and design scene in Portland. The rental apartment she shares with her partner, photographer Bryan Daugherty, beats gray and gloomy Portland weather with a mix of Danish pastel and Japanese minimalism styles.
Leslie and her partner, Amy, have a rainbow media cabinet, a pink neon sign that says "queer," a candle in the shape of a plus-sized woman's figure, and more in their "Sapphic, feminist, cerebral, sensual, Venusian" rental apartment.
You don't need a pool, a yard, or even a lot of square feet to enjoy your own piece of outdoor heaven — these 17 perfectly pretty and exceptionally petite balconies are proof that you don't need a ton of space to be able to enjoy the outdoors at home!
Kissenia shares this small Bronx studio apartment with her son, Max, and partner, Kim. "Over time I have made this apartment more than I ever imagined," she writes.
Documentarian Reilly Dowd bought this vintage Airstream Sovereign travel trailer sight unseen in the midst of pre-vaccine Covid and after losing their family home in Sonoma to a wildfire.
Juliana Sarria and her husband are originally from Colombia, their sons were born in Mexico, and after moving around for awhile, the family of four has settled down in this beautiful Barcelona rental apartment.
Amber Cabral is an inclusion consultant, DEI Strategist, speaker, and published author, and lives in this "refined glam" rental apartment in Midtown Atlanta.
Jeff and Tim aren't allowed to paint since they're renting, so to bring warmth and color into a sterile, concrete space, they've incorporated warm and organic textures of leather, wood, vintage rugs, and faux furs.
Jeff and Emily Daws have combined their creative fields — textile design and woodworking — to create a one-of-a-kind home out of a blank slate new build.
This small studio apartment's style is serene, minimal, dreamy, peaceful, functional, and the view from the balcony overlooking the marina/bay is stunning!
Where are all my natural-wood enthusiasts? Aleksandra Zee and Antrom Kury, artists and woodworkers, live in this rental house that showcases the beauty of warm wood tones and terrific natural textures.
Law student Madi's studio is the first time she's lived without roommates and so her first time with total freedom to decorate however she wanted. "Naturally, this meant pink, plants, and disco balls!"
The 20 homes that make up the second round of the 2022 Small/Cool Contest are all 1,000 square feet or fewer — and positively packed with beautiful decor and genius ideas.
Illustrator Gica Tam shares this 760-square-foot rental apartment with a roommate, but thanks to smart storage ideas and lots of light, the space doesn't feel too cramped or cluttered at all.
Kelsey Bush's home is a direct reflection of her personality. "I love to be creative and get my hands dirty. So having the ability to design my own space has been very rewarding. I love mixing patterns and style and old with the new. Color is my comfort zone."
This 560-square-foot studio apartment in San Francisco's Lower Haight neighborhood is Dipa Halder's first solo apartment, and she's personalized this blank canvas with murals, DIY art, and furniture and decor that remind her of the colors of a sunrise.
Hannah Conklin is a teaching assistant on a budget, and when it came to decorating her rental apartment, she incorporated items that were thrifted, handed down from a family member, or rescued from the side of the road.
Momina and her husband, Ali, moved into this Toronto townhouse at the start of the pandemic and spent A LOT of time at home. Since then, they have been spending their time slowly and intentionally customizing their space.
热爱历史architec Equana戴维斯ture and the whimsical consumer brand, Anthropologie, and both passions are on full display in her gorgeous Atlanta condo she's owned for over three years.
Designer Kelly Bach is the owner of RetroBabeCo, and found her current home in 2018. She shares the Florida house with husband, Nate, sons, Kalani and Keanu, and three chihuahuas: Lola, Hobie, and Mookie.
Most of the art on the walls of this rental apartment is by Frances herself, and scattered throughout are dozens of ceramic hands, rocks, and other “treasures” her diver husband brings back from dives.
Photographer Kat Malo only had a few plants when she moved in, but when she saw how well they were doing in this light-filled space, she fully embraced being a plant parent and now has over 50.
Janelle and Spencer's apartment is in an old Victorian house (built in 1883!) that’s been broken out into units. Their space has a ton of character, including original molding and ceiling medallions, chandeliers in every room (even the kitchen and bathrooms), a working fireplace, a large verandah, and big, lovely bay windows not overlooking someone else’s condo balcony.
Film fan Madison's Seattle studio apartment is smartly designed and filled with fun elements, like a “Honk if you’d rather be watching the 1999 cinematic masterpiece ‘The Mummy’ starring Brendan Frasier and Rachel Weisz” sticker.
The credenza under the TV holds board games, Play Doh and art supplies, as well as napkins and placemats. The sideboard in the dining area is actually a dresser that holds clothes.
“总有一些在4walls of my apartment — whether it’s testing a new recipe for my blog, tinkering with the interior design of the apartment, an art or DIY project, hosting friends for a mandoo (Korean dumplings) party, or simply cranking away at my computer," writes Christine Han, a Korean-American recipe developer and food blogger who founded the blog, Dear Saturdays.
This penthouse loft is in a famous old factory building that has been renovated, so Gwendolyn and Ron are surrounded by exposed brick walls and beautiful wooden beams that give the whole space a charming feel.
“Growing up I spent Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and so many other holidays in this house,” April describes of this house, which was once owned by her grandparents! Now she and her husband Joe are making this house their own.
Kelby Mayberry and her husband, an active duty member of the military, share their home, this 1,300-square-foot rental duplex, with their two young kids and their pets. They've thrifted and DIYed a lot of elements in the home for a budget-friendly and stylish space.
Annie is an avid deal hunter and never pays full price. "All of my items in my house were purchased secondhand from Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Offer Up, or thrift stores," she writes.
Aurora Yim has used smart layout and small-space ideas in her Brooklyn studio apartment, like using a rug to visually define the living room area, creating the coziest sleeping nook with storage shelves and a very cool plant stand, and wielding mirrors to bounce light around the space, making it feel larger and brighter.
Whether through paint or decor, color adds a ton of inspiration to one's home, and the rooms in this year's Small/Cool event space had a few surprising applications worthy of a decor deep dive.
Coach and facilitator Erinne Brown has been renting this light-filled 451-square-foot studio apartment in Chicago's Printers Row neighborhood for two years now.
There were several fake plants sprinkled around Apartment Therapy's Small/Cool NYC event that look so good, I bet you can't tell just by looking at them! And the best part, these fake-but-real-looking plants can be purchased online, so you can snag a few for your own home.
Melissa Chang's thoughtful (and smart!) furniture layout, her approach to collecting, and her experiences living even smaller in Tokyo have all contributed to a gorgeous, cozy, functional home, despite being a one-room studio apartment only 250 square feet large.
Ineke Nordt used to rock bright colors in her previous homes, but found that light, natural colors calm her down. Her home in The Netherlands is light, bright, natural, Scandi, and bohemian.
Emma and Henrik's home style is heavily influenced by the patterns and colors of the 1970s — particularly orange and brown, hence the name of Emma’s Instagram, Home of Orange Brown.
