The Latest

Name: Anna Johnston, My partner and our Maine Coon cat Location: Washington, D.C. Size: 680 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Our condo building is directly across from Union Station in Washington DC so we can actually hear the trains from inside. The building is aptly named Pullman Place after the historic Pullman train cars. The building itself is brand new and has about 40 different units. We live on the second floor and we are lucky enough to have one of the few units with a balcony.

The nice part about a spec home is you start with a great blank canvas with such potential for personalization.

Name: Courtney Equall, husband, three little kids, and a cat Location: Bend, Oregon Size: 1,817 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Our family moved back to Oregon last year after spending a few years in Texas for my husband’s work, and we bought our house before we had even seen the property in person! The house was in our dream location and is on the river, which we didn’t even think we would be able to find in our price range so we just went for it.

This traditional Vermont ski cabin is a well-designed space that's more than just a place to take your snow boots off in.

Before this remodel, all of the rooms were closed off. The kitchen used to be a bedroom. And the current shower used to be a tiny kitchen.

Name: Carolyn Rebuffel Flannery and husband Location: San Rafael Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned When we first saw the fabulous bungalow home at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, we were smitten. The interiors were mostly original and there was a giant blue farm sink in the kitchen, original to the house. Regretfully, the sink was completely impractical but we are turning it into a potting sink in the garden.

Name: Thalita Murray, her husband, and twin boys Location: Cobourg — Ontario, Canada Size: 2,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Thalita is an interior design professional who believes in keeping it real. She owns Thalita Murray Design and runs the design and lifestyle blog, The Learner Observer, and if that wasn’t enough, she is also a wife and mother of twin 2-year-old boys.

Name: Christina Dobrinski, my husband, our three boys—Jack (5), Wyatt (3), and Adler (4 months)—and our pup Murphy Location: Sacramento, California Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned When we bought our Spanish Revival home in the older Land Park neighborhood of Sacramento—a home that hadn’t been updated in nearly 70 years!

Name: Kelly Love, my boyfriend Chris Location: London, England Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Our home is a two-bedroom Victorian conversion in the Greenwich borough of London, built in the 1870s. It has beautiful high ceilings with the original cornice details and bay windows in the two main rooms, which flood the space with light. We also own the main hallway and big old front door of the house plus the front garden, which is often communal in conversions.

Name: Cara Hyde-Basso, husband, and our dog Oso Location: Highland Park, Illinois Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned My husband and I are architects who met while living in Brooklyn. We have since moved to the Chicago area where we bought our first home, which is our first project together as designers. The first phase was a complete gut renovation of the kitchen and opening it up to the adjoining living and dining rooms.

Plus, our top marketplace picks this week.

Name: Amy Ilias, Jim Denney (and kitties McCabe, Billie Pilgrim, and 3) Location: Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Size: 3,200 square feet Years lived in: 21 years, owned As the Executive Vice President of Art & Design for ABC Carpet & Home, you could definitely say Amy Ilias knows design. And the Carroll Gardens house she’s owned for over two decades is a beautiful display of her elegant and design-forward style.

Name: Aelfie Oudghiri, her husband, their daughter, and Shah the cat Location: Brooklyn, NY Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Fans of textile, furniture, and accessories company Aelfie are familiar with the brand’s stylish offerings—quirky graphics, loud colors, patterns that complement (and sometimes even clash, in a good way).

Name: Samantha Ladwig, my partner and our cat, Ingrid Location: Port Townsend, Washington Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 3 months, renting My partner, our cat, and I moved from Los Angeles last December. I had been working as a film cataloger at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for a few years, while freelance writing part time. I wanted to jump ship and freelance full time, so we saved up for a year and moved back to Seattle, with all 20-some plants in tow.

Name: Joe Gast and Willow the Weimaraner Location: Leschi — Seattle, Washington Size: 1,690 square feet Years lived in: 25 years, owned My 1908 Leschi cottage was a victim of several ill-conceived remodels and plenty of deferred maintenance. A transplant from Ohio, with an Ohioan’s modest budget, I purchased the house because it was in my price range and it was located on a magical stairway, steps above Lake Washington.

With a gorgeous outdoor space to lounge in, this rental apartment is much more than a studio, even though the rent is the price of a studio.