Eclectic Collector

Aviva Falk's Brooklyn apartment filled with one-of-a-kind finds thanks to a unique resource: Her mom owns an estate sale business!

Nicole Balin's home is a collection of art and collectables that she's found over her lifetime.

You bet former House Beautiful magazine editor Sophie Donelson's home is full of clever and affordable design ideas collected from her many years at the helm of top design publications.

Because sticking to just one style can make your home feel inauthentic.

Designer and paper artist Helen Ward shares this incredibly fun UK home with her family.

This shotgun house in the Irish Channel neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana is the home of painter Ansley Givhan.

Name: Katie Riddell, her husband Hamish, 9-year-old daughter Sophie, and Matilda their rescue dog. Location: South Eastern suburb of Melbourne, Australia Years lived in: 16 years Katie Riddell is a former lawyer-turned-interior decorator and lives in a three-bedroom, late 1960s renovated brick veneer home with her husband Hamish and daughter Sophie. Their home is filled with treasured items collected on travels, or created by their daughter or Katie.

Name: Eliza Age: 5 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Room size: 11 ft. x 12 ft. When we received Melissa Nobb’s Room Tour Submission we were quite impressed with her daughter Eliza’s vintage inspired room. Not only is it lovely and cozy with lots of pretty feminine touches, perfect for a little girl, but the shear volume of antiques and vintage items is certainly awe-inspiring.

Name: Baby R Location: Leiden, The Netherlands Room Size: About 11 square meters I’ve always been drawn to Dutch and Scandinavian-style spaces. There’s just something about the bright whites, vivid pops of color, and amazing vintage pieces mixed in with the modern decor. Baby R’s nursery is no exception. Fuchsia drapes, bold patterned wallpaper, fabulous frocks, and washi taped walls – this space has it all. How would you describe the look and feel of this room? Fun!

Name: Bridget Schwartz Location: Adams Point — Oakland, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: Rented 7 years Bridget describes her apartment as “luxe bohemian, fairytale discotheque, and hippie princess”—all labels that are hard to define. But after touring Bridget’s bright and eccentric Oakland apartment, the descriptions start to make sense. Her apartment has so many distinct styles, and she is perfectly fine with that.

Name: Erika Brulé Location: Jingletown — Oakland, California Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2 years When Erika saw photos of the Oakland loft she now calls home, she immediately signed the lease without even looking at the space in person. She knew it would provide her with all she needed: a spacious area where she could indulge in crafts and DIY projects, expansive walls where she could hang art she loves, and industrial elements like exposed pipes and brick.

Name: Timothy Sheehan Location: Treme-Lafitte — New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 2,300 square feet (second floor living space) Years lived in: Owned 6.5 years When Tim Sheehan first entered his home in 2010, a hand-scrawled sign that read “KEEP OUT” was taped to the front door. The house, used as a rectory for the church next door, had been abandoned since the congregation held its last service in August 2004, a year before Hurricane Katrina.

Name: Danielle and Justin McKim and Great Dane Charlotte Location: Charlotte, North Carolina Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Danielle and Justin have a home that could not be more full of their own individual style and personality. Collecting affordable pieces and turning them into magic was once a hobby of Danielle’s that soon became her career as a designer and local storefront owner here in Charlotte.

Carla is a shop owner, photography historian, writer and editor with a passion for art and her black roots.Her colorful Seventh Ward home is bursting with history.

"Politician in recovery" Arnie Arnesen inherited this 1890 Queen Anne Victorian house from her aunt.

Name: Natasha Harden Location: Bella Vista — Oakland, California Size: 725 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Natasha—a Virgo—credits her Zodiac sign for her heightened sense of detail. “I can spend hours thrifting, and trust me, I always find something cute,” she proudly says. “I usually just walk around in a thrift store and I let patterns and textures speak to me.

Name: Peter Venuto Location: The Plateau — Montreal, Quebec Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Peter Venuto’s apartment was originally an Airbnb rental — which Peter himself once rented — but after the landlord grew tired of that setup, Peter managed to work out a deal with him and rent it as a “normal” living space. Today, the apartment showcases bright pink colors, metallic walls, and lots and lots of synthesizers.

Name: Matt Casper and Ted Dorsey Location: Echo Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 2,132 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, owned Going to a dinner party at Matt and Ted’s is probably the grown-up equivalent of going to Disneyland. While their dining room alone makes the Haunted Mansion look like child’s play, every room in the house possesses its own unique design that feels both sophisticated and fun.

Name: Jen Nolan Location: Rittenhouse Square — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Size: Roughly 500 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting When Jen moved to Philadelphia from Washington, D.C., she didn’t have any connections in the real estate world. Like many young professionals, she turned to Craigslist. Thankfully, she stumbled across an ad for a beautiful studio apartment in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Name: Elizabeth and Rac Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant — Brooklyn, New York Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, owned Having lived in Brooklyn for over a decade, Elizabeth and Rac decided to buy a place of their own after getting married two and a half years ago. They purchased a home in the historic Bedford- Stuyvesant neighborhood and immediately set to renovating it to match their personalities. The couple spent eight months renovating their home before they moved in.

Name: Katherine McEachern, Ian Tse and Gracie (the dog) Location: Berkeley, California Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, renting “As an editor at Rue, I’m constantly looking at inspiring spaces and filing away ideas. For me, personal style is an ever-evolving challenge,” says Kat McEachern, the Lifestyle Editor for the stylish magazine.

Name: Deanna Leone, Jessie Mademann (and Thurston & Shermie the cats) Location: Fishtown, Philadelphia Size: Large Loft Studio (don’t know the square foot) Years Lived In: 2.5 years, renting Fishtown is one of Philadelphia’s many booming neighborhoods, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find a unique (and affordable!) home in the area. When you’re as creative as Jessie and Deanna, settling for a typical white-wall one-bedroom isn’t the ideal.

Name: Jenny Mountford, owner of Attic and Fable Location: Bridgetown, Western Australia Size: 1894 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, owned Jenny has always been drawn to color, the avant garde and items that have a history. To hold something in her hands that’s been held by many hands before her gives her such pleasure, allowing herself to wonder about the life both it, and its owner, may have led.

Name: Kerry Lockwood, her husband Justin, kids Alfie and Jersey, and Chester the dog. Location: Northumberland, UK Size: 2000 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting While some renters might shy away from making any dramatic changes to their home, interior stylist and lifestyle blogger Kerry Lockwood jumped right in. The rental home she shares with her family is in the center of town, walking distance from schools, shops, cafes and a local park.

Name: Martha, her husband Daniel and son Nicolas Location: Gracia – Barcelona, Spain Size: 754 square feet Years lived in: 11 years, renting Though Martha loves the Barcelona neighborhood she lives in — she describes it as a small town with artists living in it — it’s her apartment that she considers an extension of herself. It’s the place where she goes when she needs to relax. But Martha almost missed out on renting this apartment!

Name: Anouska Tamony and her partner Scott Location: East Dulwich — London, UK Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned Anouska shares a stunning London flat with her partner Scott. A light-filled home set in a turn-of-the-century terraced house (built in 1898), there are two bedrooms, a wonderfully wallpapered bathroom, a sitting room and a spare bedroom used as a study and guest room.

Name: Lisa Zigarmi and Paul Del Vecchio, and French Bulldogs Luna and Boom Location: Hollywood District — Portland, Oregon Size: 3,290 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Lisa and Paul met and fell in love in New York City, and when they made the decision to relocate to Portland three years ago, their biggest challenge was starting from scratch. The couple brought hardly more than their bed and a sofa from their previous home to their new Portland digs.

Name: Christopher Gyzemyter Location: Brisbane, Australia Size: 1345 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned Christopher — a talented interior designer — was destined to have a beautiful home, whatever space he ended up in. But what’s so lovely about this place is that it’s a reflection of his style, and also a reaction to the bones of the home he bought five years ago.

Name: Rachel and Ryan Location: Oak Hill — Nashville, Tennessee Size: 3,500 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned Umbrellas hang from the ceiling and there’s an entire wall of speakers in the front sitting room. The moment you enter Rachel and Ryan’s house, you’re swept up into their colorful and eclectic world.

Name: Patricia Lopez Location: San Isidro — Buenos Aires, Argentina Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 13 years, owned When Patricia got divorced she did it her way: She left him the house and went looking for a new place where she could unleash her extravagant taste and decorate free from compromises. You see, Patricia’s personality has always been strong. Born into a family of artists, she tried rebelling against her parents by attending college to become an attorney.

Name: Melinda McSpadden Location: Garden District — New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 11 months; the apartment is one of the perks of being a live-in innkeeper The setting for Melinda McSpadden’s life is dripping with Southern charm — lush greenery and a canopy of century-old oaks surround a Queen Anne-style mansion built in 1890 in the heart of New Orleans’ picturesque Garden District.

Name: Kristin Peters and Corey McLaughlin, cats Gracie and Zoey Location: Redwood Heights — Oakland, California Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 13 years, owned When Kristin and Corey first looked at their Oakland home when it was on the market, they walked away from it. Kristin fell in love with the living room views, but Corey couldn’t get past the ugly facade and outdated design.

Name: Aurora Lady and Ben Pringle Location: Pasadena, California Size: 830 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, rented “Our home is our everything — it’s our retreat, our workplace, and our safety net,” Aurora Lady says of the Pasadena apartment she shares with her partner Ben. It’s a place where Aurora can create, where Ben can work on his music, and where the couple can just chill out. But to Aurora and Ben, it’s more than just an apartment.

Name: Caitlyn Cartlidge Location: Frederick, Maryland Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned This house was a dump when I bought it. Stained wall-to-wall carpet and garish high-gloss paint, zero appliances in the kitchen, missing most of its doorknobs, and with a barely usable bathroom whose walls matched the color of the anti-freeze in the pipes pretty well.

Name: Alex Crabtree and her husband Adrian Location: London Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 1 1/2 years A print in the bathroom declares: “Your home should tell the story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love.” And this exuberant, eclectic London apartment, lavishly filled with collections and curios, beautifully tells the story of property, kitchen and interiors public relations expert Alex Crabtree.

Name: Irmak Karayal and Spencer Ramsey Location: East Harlem — New York, New York Size: 550 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, renting “Everyone who steps into our apartment says something along the lines of, ‘This is the perfect little apartment for you guys!’ We hear the words ‘perfect little’ all the time,” says Irmak — one half of the couple that lives in this East Harlem apartment. This description couldn’t be more true.

Name: Jeanie Engelbach and pup Tater Tot Location: East Village — New York, NY Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 24 years, renting “I’ve been collecting since I was five years old,” admits Jeanie Engelbach, “and coupled with a design aesthetic based on my nine-year-old self — candy, comics and cartoons — the apartment feels like a tightly curated mini pop culture museum.

Name: Wendy Goodman Location: Greenwich Village — New York, New York Years lived in: 1997-present Wendy Goodman’s New York apartment feels particularly storied, and not just because it’s full of books. A born and raised New Yorker, she’s called this Greenwich Village apartment home for 20 years, and it shows — her place has that layered, easy feel that homes that have been lived in, and loved, for many years begin to take on.

Name: Ellen and Jace Krause Location: SE Portland, Oregon Size: 2,600 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, owned Ellen and Jace’s sweeping mid-century ranch home in Southeast Portland is vintage in the most authentic way it can be—it’s filled with actual hand-me-down pieces that have been saved from a bunch of different family members!

Name: Siria Alvarez and Emmanuel Perez Location: West Harlem — New York, NY Years lived in: 3 years, renting Siria and Emmanuel were lucky to score a Harlem apartment with great bones: High ceilings makes the space feel spacious, a heavy but glorious fireplace is a bold focal point, and a dark-wood hallway is a striking statement. But it’s how Siria and Emmanuel have furnished the space that makes it so inspiring.

Name: John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon of Madcap Cottage Location: High Point, North Carolina Size: 5,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned If there are any two people most qualified to write the bible on print and pattern mixing, it’s John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon, the dynamic designers behind North Carolina- and New York-based interior design firm Madcap Cottage.

Name: Stella Rose Saint Clair and cats Inch, Filbert, and Beeboo Location: Bushwick — Brooklyn, New York Size: One bedroom Years lived in: 2 years, rented Pink covers nearly all the walls of this Brooklyn rental, the home and fashion studio of designer, stylist, model, and cat-mom Stella Rose Saint Clair (yes, that’s her real name).

Name: Carlos J. De Jesus and Andrew W. Fallon Location: East Lakeview — Chicago, Illinois Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting How do two people with slightly different style backgrounds and interests come together and design a home for themselves that explodes with attitude and fun? That was the challenge that Carlos De Jesus and Andrew Fallon faced when moving to this East Lakeview, Chicago, apartment a couple years ago.

Name: Matthew Mirarchi and JoJo the pup Location: West Seattle — Seattle, Washington Size: 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, renting “Gay Gardens is my plant-filled genie bottle,” confesses Matthew. “Tucked away along an arterial road snaking through West Seattle’s hillside, it’s one of those rental gems that only comes along once in a blue moon.

Name: Malik and Abbie Naber Location: Cardiff by the Sea, California Size: 1,800 square feet Rent or Own: Own When Abbie Naber and her husband Malik moved into their home just two short years ago, it was a forgotten stucco’d-over mid-century ranch home in need of some love.

Name: Shannon Buckley; husband, Nick Huertas; and 3 cats Location: Andersonville — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, rented Looking at their apartment, it’s hard to believe Shannon and Nick only moved to Chicago one year ago. Leaving Boston, the East Coast, and a number of dark, dreary apartments behind, they were determined to find a home with outdoor space and lots of natural light.

Name: Michelle Morrison and her brother Michael Morrison, and two greyhound dogs, Fern and Pintxo Location: Oakland, California Size: 1,330 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Design plays a central role in Michelle Morrison‘s life and career. Currently a Design Producer at Dropbox, she’s also worked for companies like Facebook, Square, IDEO, and more.

Name: Karine Matte, Louis, Danick and Pablo, the Golden Doodle Location: Vieux-Longueil, Québec Size: 2,200 square feet Years lived in: 9 years, owned Karine is an interior stylist and founder of Matte & Glossy. She is also a color junkie, a decor consultant, a blogger, and an avid traveler. She lives with her husband Danick and their son Louis in this charming 1954 bungalow in Old Longueuil. Their home is her creative playground.

Name: Arielle Assouline-Lichten Location: Greenpoint — Brooklyn, NY Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Architect and designer Arielle Assouline-Lichten has a badass, burgeoning design career. After studying at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, she founded the multidisciplinary design firm Slash Projects in 2013, which specializes in both physical and digital spaces.

Name: Sophie Demenge and Michael Ryan Location: Park Slope — Brooklyn, New York Size: 3,240 square feet Years lived in: 8 years, owned Sophie lives in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn with her husband Michael, two kids Mae and Marius, and three cats. The neighborhood is best known for rows of brownstone homes, one of the nation’s first food co-ops, and access to Prospect Park (what I like to call the Central Park of Brooklyn).

Name: Ainsley Gardner, Brandon Stewart, and Betty Cat Location: Chelsea — New York City Size: 737 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, renting “One of the challenges of living in a newer rental is trying to bring character to the space without making permanent changes,” explained Ainsley Gardner, who’s been sharing this rental apartment in Chelsea with her partner Brandon and their cat, Betty.

Name: Mary and Tom Eirich Location: Watertown, Massachusetts Size: 1,100 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned We had previously lived in Belmont, Massachusetts, for 30 years and had decided, as empty nesters, to move to the north shore, not far from the ocean. After a few years of being further from our children (and, eventually, grandchildren) and also missing the conveniences and cultural benefits of being close to the city, we decided to look at real estate closer to Boston.

Name: Carly Koppen and husband James Koppen Location: Columbus Park — Kansas City, Missouri Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, renting Carly signed the lease for her Kansas City house, sight-unseen, almost five years ago. But after seeing the photos of the pink tiled bathroom and the home’s charming details—like the rounded archways—she knew she couldn’t pass up this gem.

Name: Emily Berger-Crawford, husband Chris Crawford, daughter Edie, dog Lilly and cats Chester + Charlie Location: East English Village — Detroit, Michigan Size: 1,650 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned Our house is well loved and full of character, a perfect home base for our family to relax and enjoy watching our 4-month-old daughter grow up. Although it’s a constant project (and sometimes headache), we feel like we lucked out in finding it with so many details in tact.

Name: Naimah and kitties Location: West End — Alameda, California Size: 370 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, rented Having spent the past few years at college in the South, Naimah didn’t expect the Bay Area’s competitive rental market when searching for the tiny Alameda studio apartment she now calls home. “The rental market in the Bay is wild, so this building was actually the first and only one that I saw,” she says.

Name: Alice Kendall Location: Wonderland Tattoo, SE Portland, Oregon Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 5 months, renting Alice Kendall is one of the most sought-after tattoo artists in Portland. She opened her shop Wonderland in 2013, and quickly established her ranking as a top artist in one of the nation’s most inked cities.

Name: Kira Cole and two cats Location: Gold Coast — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,080 square feet Years Lived In: 8 months, owned My home was built in 1892, originally as a single family. In 1978, it was renovated into condo units. I actually grew up in the unit below, so I was very familiar with the building and neighbors when purchasing! When I first got my hands on it, it had not been renovated (not even paint touch-ups) since the 1978 renovation, so it was in serious need of love.

The Apartment Botanist, Alessia Resta, shares a peek into her small home filled with hip decor and TONS of plants.

Name: Gabrielle Silverlight, Brian Hamilton, and Miss Mabel the kitty Location: Kensington — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Size: Around 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting and own After years of renting a home and separate workspace, ceramicist Gabrielle Silverlight and her guitar pedal designer husband Brian Hamilton of smallsound/bigsound decided to buy a house.

Name: Jacqueline Sarah, my fiancé Joshua Zeolla, and our 5-year-old son. Location: Currently in Greenville, South Carolina Size: 200 square feet Years Lived In: 8 months, owned There’s so much to love about our tiny home. What I personally love the most is that the space truly uniquely represents my family and I. There’s a master bedroom that feels like our own little oasis, and a bunk/bunk room we created for our son so he too could feel like he had a space of his own.

Poet and artist H. Melt's home is filled with colorful art, captivating books, and a few flamingo-themed home decor items.

Name: September Scott Location: Austin, Texas Size: 740 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, renting Designer September Scott is all about the hunt—for treasures, one-of-a-kind finds and absolutely any found object she can reinvigorate. “Almost all the pieces in my space are reclaimed from an estate sale, flea market, Goodwill or on the side of the road. My passion is bringing new life into found objects,” she writes.

Two photographers call this 27-foot long, 1972 Airstream Overlander home...and they did every project themselves.

Name: James Franco and Mark Goldrick Location: Newport, Rhode Island Size: 1200 square feet (includes an outdoor deck) Years lived in: 8 years; rented When James and Mark first laid eyes on their third floor apartment, they saw past the hideous wall mural in the stairwell, dingy cabinets and linoleum in the kitchen, holes in the walls, and ratty stained carpeting. The dumpy place that scared every other potential renter away filled them with a sense of excitement and possibility.

Name: Morgan Parker and dog Shirley Location: Los Angeles, California Size: 1000 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting Award-winning poet Morgan Parker is the honest and powerful voice behind “There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé,” “Other People’s Comfort Keeps Me Up At Night,” and her most recent poetry collection “Magical Negro” (out February 5th).

Name: Brooke Mullins and family Location: Port Hope — Ontario, Canada Size: +3,000 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned With so many posts and headlines about minimizing and paring homes down piece by piece, it’s refreshing to see a home like Brooke’s. As a self-proclaimed “caretaker of dead people’s things,” Brooke’s home has no shortage of stuff. But it’s hard to come across a single item that doesn’t have a story behind it.

Name: Rachel Waters Location: Sunnyside — Queens, New York Size: 850 square feet, one bedroom Years Lived In: 1 year, renting Rachel has lived in NYC for seven years, previously in Kensington, Brooklyn.

Name: Laura Serventi, husband Filippo Del Vita, and their 5-year-old son Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant — Brooklyn, New York Size: 900 square feet Years Lived In: 10 years, renting Artist and photographer Laura Serventi grew up in Argentina, spent some time studying photography in Italy, and in 2007 moved to New York, where she’s been since.

Name: Tamasyn Gambell Location: Bow; London, United Kingdom Size: 2 bedrooms, 1 bath Years lived in: 3 years; owned Who else lives here: Tamasyn’s boyfriend Jamie and their baby Stepping into the home of Tamasyn Gambell, the first thing you notice are the patterns and collections, but go deeper into the home and you will see that her use of pattern and color is united by nature themes which lend a tranquil feel to the home.

Name: Hank Scollard and his two cats Location: Inman Square — Cambridge, Massachusetts Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 16 years; Rented When Hank Scollard was a child growing up in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, his mom would take him to open houses. The family wasn’t looking to move, but Hank’s mom loved to glimpse how others lived in and decorated their homes.