Classic Glam

When fashion stylist and influencer China Calé and her family of five were on the hunt for a bigger apartment, they came upon this huge apartment that had lots of potential but needed work.

Writer Jessica Cumberbatch Anderson has managed her sanity during quarantine by tackling some home refresh projects that were on her to-do list.

Pia Thompson is the founder of Sweet Digs, where she teaches clients how to get their homes in order. The Brooklyn rental home she shares with her young daughter is spacious, tidy, and yes, incredibly organized.

Esi Agbemenu is drawn to fun, bold colors, big patterns, and glam accents.

For the holidays, Beth Sayler wanted her decor to add to their neutral, beachy color scheme, so she carefully selected items that matched the neutral colors and materials that felt natural to the beach vibe.

"When searching for a home, we knew we wanted something with character, a place in which we could manifest our black cat palace style."

The house she shares with her two kids, two cats, and two dogs was a blank canvas when she began renting it a year ago. Now it's full of life, color, art, and style!

While Shruti's style is bold and dramatic, her husband, Madhukar, prefers a calm and relaxed space. The couple has managed to strike a good-looking balance in their new condo.

This couple's rental needed to serve not just as a home, but as a wellness center, office, favorite restaurant, and refuge. They did it by making sure every single item in the apartment is multifunctional.

This interior designer traded her small studio apartment for a slightly bigger (but just as beautiful) junior one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco.

Jade Oliver's faux flowers are so popular, she counts among her customers film production sets including HBO’s Games of Thrones and Netflix’s The Crown.

And the backyard mural is must-see!

Tiara utilizes mirrors, tall ceilings, a lofted bedroom, and other smart decor choices to make her small studio apartment feel much larger than it actually is.

Robyn Blair Davidson's small NYC apartment has one of the cheeriest work-from-home spaces we've ever seen.

New York-based makeup artist Kim White completely transformed her teeny Brooklyn studio apartment with IKEA hacks, contact paper, and smart storage ideas.

Katy shares this apartment with her tween daughter; her daughter gets the bedroom and Katy turned the living room into her own studio apartment (and home office).

See why this apartment was nicknamed the "The Lavender Palace."

Spoiler alert: There's some of the best wallpaper and fabric patterns in here ever! You'll be inspired to play with print in your own home.

There are SO many good storage and IKEA hack ideas in this rental apartment!

This studio dweller chose pieces with ample storage space so her small home would never feel cluttered.

Seana says that color feels like a giant hug, and we agree!

Natasha and Rob somehow make it work in their East Village apartment, despite it being tiny!

This interior designer didn't have as big of a budget as her clients, so she had to get creative to decorate her home! She used a lot of paint to give it a fresh look (like a DIY striped bathroom or painting the kitchen cabinets).

Actor Erich Bergen's NYC apartment is like what the inside of his brain looks like.

This Edwardian four-bedroom house in Leicestershire has lots of original features and has been painted in dark colors with glamorous gold accents.

This interior designer on a limited budget turned an apartment with popcorn ceiling into a space that she can proudly call her own.

There's stained glass hanging in the window, a cool David Bowie print, and a sleek bookcase smartly separating the living room and bedroom.

Although it's a rental, Ashley used lots of low-cost upgrades, covering ugly tile with laminate stickers, ugly countertops with marble-look contact paper, and more ideas.

This mindset coach has called the same Manhattan apartment home for more than a decade... and as she has evolved, so has her apartment's style.

This interior designer's studio may be on the small side, but it has beautiful hardwood floors, picturesque windows, and original cabinetry and molding.

She didn't see a single piece of decor or furniture in person until it arrived, minus her curtains.

Name: Kellie Brown Location: Sugar Hill — Manhattan, NYC Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, renting Even Kellie Brown—lifestyle blogger and founder of AndIGetDressed—admits that her blog started out as just a way to show off what she’s wearing… but it has turned into so much more. Especially after starting her YouTube channel (over 33,000 subscribers and counting), where videos feature her infectiously positive energy, fashion tips, and more.

Name: Grace Atwood and her Persian cat Tyrion Lannister Creampuff Location: Williamsburg — Brooklyn Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Textile Designer Rebecca Atwood isn’t the only one with talent in her family. Her sister, Grace Atwood, started (and runs full time) a blog called The Stripe as a “source of inspiration for the modern woman” eight years ago, covering all sorts of topics like DIY, beauty, fashion, travel, design, and more.

Name: Dominic A. Cerino IV Location: West Hollywood — Los Angeles, California Size: 560 square feet Years lived in: 4.5 years; Rented When interior designer Dominic submitted his House Call, many of you proclaimed that you couldn’t believe it was a rental. Well, that impression is all down to Dominic’s incredible attention to detail.

Name: Broderick St. Location: Cow Hollow; San Francisco, California Size: Approximately 7580 square feet About: Remodeled in 2013. 7 bed, 7 full baths/2 half baths. My interior design firm just completed a project that I am practically drooling over. Our client gave me the ok to photograph the completed project and share it with you, so we can all drool together! The property is going for a cool $11.

Name: Corina Kramer ( and her three kitties: Mojo, Mr. Pants & Snuggles)Location: Thai Town / Los Feliz — Los Angeles, CaliforniaSize: 600 square feetYears lived in: 8 months — rent Corina — an Emmy award winning hair and makeup artist — lives in a quintessential Spanish casita which she first shared in a House Call: Corina’s Starlet Bungalow.

This apartment's decor will inspire you to think outside the box when it comes to furniture.

Laurie was diagnosed with ADHD over three years ago and knew a key component to managing her mental health would be the way her home looks, feels, and functions.

From the glossy and matted black print in the dining nook, to the wallpaper mural behind the bed, to the wallpapered bathroom, Blake has used pattern brilliantly in this apartment.

Along with sharing her beautiful home, Caroline Turner also reveals clever (and often affordable) expert tips on how to make a rental feel like a home and not look like a plain, boring rental.

A lot of discounted decor items were found at placed like HomeGoods and T.J. Maxx, and the super organized laundry closet is worth checking out!

Name: Monique, Kelly, and Mouse the Cat Location: Nashville, Tennessee Years lived in: 11 years owned Our home is a collection. A collection that may never end. At least I hope it never ends. Each piece has a story, a place where it was found, a day spent together hunting, a customization that we made. We love old furniture. It’s solid, it’s built well, and obviously it’s going to last a very long time. Mixing vintage items with modern touches keeps it all fresh.

She describes her style as "Parisian chic meets bohemian glam".

Lifestyle blogger and photographer Shehar Bano Rizvi was able to take a fairly beige rental house and turn it into a personal space for her and her family.

This expert update is great inspiration for anyone looking to refresh their own home without doing a complete overhaul.

Name: Beth Brown and family Location: Buckhead — Atlanta, Georgia Size: 4,000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years,owned Stepping into interior designer Beth Brown’s home is like walking into a luxurious boutique. Not surprising, considering she grew up visiting her mom’s chic Buckhead jewelry store, Tassells, which sells inspiring wearable objects.

Name: Simone and Mimi McGurl, their cats Jimmie and EZ Location: NoMad (Flatiron) — New York, New York Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting (but 10 years in NYC) Simone and Mimi had moved away to San Francisco for the winter a couple of years ago, with a plan to come back in the spring. After looking at hundreds of apartments online and many in person, she let her lease lapse and figured they’d find something after they took a pause on searching.

Name: Kristy Degina Location: Hollywood, California Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: Renting 4 years Kristy is a merchandising manager at Crate & Barrel Beverly Hills who shares her Hollywood studio apartment with two cuddly canine roommates. She’s made the most of her small space by incorporating big, bold statement pieces into a minimal black-and-white color palette.

All the door and windows are painted gold!

Name: Ariene C. Bethea and Daren Z. Bethea II (and Mini) Location: Charlotte, North Carolina Size: 3,100 Square Feet Years lived in: 9 years, owned There are dreamers and there are doers. Ariene Bethea fits into the latter. Ariene brought her dream to life through her designer furnishings storefront, Dressing Rooms Interiors Studio. She has been called a “design maven,” whose arrival is “changing the face of design in the South.

Name: Kym Pesola Location: Lower Pacific Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting “I wouldn’t say ‘no’ to a real dining table and more space, but it’s actually cozy to gather around on the floor and the sofa when friends come to visit.” In one sentence, media relations manager Kym Pesola sums up big pros and cons of studio apartment living: the intimacy it can offer and the lack of space.

Name: Devin VanderMaas, her boyfriend Ranga and Chelsea the cat Location: Murray Hill — New York City Size: 775 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, own When Devin first saw this apartment, it reminded her of The Great Gatsby. Full of charming Art Deco architectural details, this isn’t the dark and dramatic kind of Art Deco style you might be imagining, though. Big windows and Devin’s mastery of a soft, neutral color palette make the small space seem bigger than it is.

Name: Julie Horowitz Location: East Village — New York, NY Size: 190 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting As Julie admits in her video tour, 190 square feet isn’t a ton of space for someone to live in. But she’s made tiny living look easy in her East Village rental, particularly when you learn she also uses her small rental to flex her creative baking muscles, as well!

Small isn't an excuse; it's an opportunity.

Name: Kalyn and Todd Chandler Location: Tribeca — New York, NY Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, owned When Kalyn moved into her now-husband Todd’s apartment, the two were practicing lawyers. Kalyn was unhappy with her busy career, so Todd encouraged her to pursue her passion for design. With that extra push, Kalyn’s brand Effie’s Paper—a fun and feminine stationery and gift company — was born.

Name: Danielle, Michael, Enzo, and Ziggy Gutelli Location: Plymouth — Michigan Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Danielle and Michael were both born and raised in the Midwest (Metro Detroit and St. Louis, respectively) and met in Chicago, where they resided together for 10 years. After their first born, Enzo, came into the world, they decided to make the move to Michigan to be closer to family.

Name: Marci and Carlos Cordero, with children Penelope and Mitchell Location: Vicenza, Italy Size: 2,150 square feet Years lived in: 5 months, renting Marci and Carlos have only lived in their Italian apartment for five months, but you’d never know it from looking around. There are photos and art hung (even with the stubborn concrete walls!) and every piece of furniture seems to fit into place and have a home.