Manhattan

This once-boring new build in East Harlem became a joyful, maximalist home for a family of four, all on a tight budget, too!

Wall murals, cozy banquettes, and vibrant color steal the show in this family's bold Chelsea rental apartment.

There’s not a TV in sight, a Murphy bed turns the living room into a guest room, there’s a skylight over the bathtub, and the kitchen is basically a bar.

A private outdoor patio is an almost a mythical luxury in New York City, but Kate Ruberti's 538-square-foot studio apartment is a gorgeous unicorn, inside and out!

11 people applied for this East Village apartment in one day and Alysse Mazakian still had three months left on her previous lease — but this small rental was so special it was worth the fight.

Interior designer Adnan Anwar had to do some rearranging to fit his Christmas tree in his small, maximalist NYC apartment, but it was worth it. His holiday home is personal, layered, and bold, and full of clever holiday decor ideas to steal.

The decor is a testament to the renter’s background.

Jeffrey Men is a toy designer and the creator of Fancy Teddy. “My apartment doubles as my home and East Coast studio, where I hand-sew each Fancy Teddy to fill with three different types of crystals for energy and calm.”

Jake and August’s landlord “wasn’t exactly open to renovations,” so the couple got creative with upgrading their rental by swapping outdated overhead light fixtures and “adding smart storage wherever we could.”

By combining dark furniture, natural wood, white textiles, and plaid accents, Yuan Tian created a balanced, minimal, and warm home. “The result is a studio where every inch is functional, and the contrasts in materials and colors define its distinctive style.”

After a long-term breakup, Emily Sermons rented this 130-year-old apartment near Central Park and designed it just for herself, filling it with velvet, vintage finds, and an utterly fantastic marble mantel.

Hee Yeon Hwang loves the colors lavender and green, art, trinkets, daisies, and her dog, Doo Yoo. And she’s managed to showcase all of these elements and more in her tiny rental on the Upper East Side.

Packed with art, vintage treasures, and personal touches, this 400-square-foot Manhattan apartment is an incredibly cozy, warm, and personal home for a creative couple and their cute dog.

“It was a true blank canvas!” begins Tess Roy (@tessandteddy_ on TikTok) of this brand-new 500-square-foot studio apartment she’s been renting for two months, paying $3,015 a month. “I’ve been living in NYC on and off for about eight years, and in June, I finally hit the jackpot — I got an apartment through the NYC housing lottery!

“When I first walked into this apartment, I felt like I was stepping into a version of myself I had only seen in my dreams,” Sofiyat says.

“I think social media is great, but I often see different iterations of the same home over and over on there (and lots of white and beige!), and I wanted my space to stand out,” writes Amanda Mactas.

It’s only 700 square feet, but this renovated NYC apartment feels much larger thanks to two key elements.

Breaker Novogratz's small Lower East Side rental apartment has no closets. Like, zero. So he had to use the space wisely.

Dan Trumble and his wife wanted a clean, cozy, art-filled oasis when they moved into this blank Upper East Side rental apartment. With a small budget, they had to get creative.

Color and art represent Carolina’s Puerto Rican and tropical side in her apartment, which is a classic prewar unit with arches, wood floors, crown molding, and ceiling beams.

Discover all the cozy gemstone colors and global bohemian style in this 550-square-foot Manhattan studio apartment.

“Creating a sense of balance was key,” explains renter Kelsey Matyas of this “soft but grounded, warm but not overly styled” Manhattan apartment.

Katy Ma is a user experience designer, so when it came to designing her home — this 400-square-foot apartment in the East Village she rented for three years — it was important for her to “create a home that is very functional” for how she wanted to live. “I’ve maximized storage solutions in closets, cabinets, and underneath my bed so that I can have everything I need but don’t have too much visual clutter,” Katy says.

With only 290 square feet and one closet, Elizabeth created functional storage out of thin air with $300 (and a few tears).

“We've transformed every inch of our 750-square-foot space as our family has grown from newlyweds to a family of five.”

When Bachelor Nation alum Katie Thurston and husband, comedian Jeff Arcuri, first moved in together, they decided to start with a blank slate and design their home together to match both of their personalities.

Justine added removable peel-and-stick tile backsplash, changed out handles and outlet covers, and installed new overhead light fixtures to transform this 600-square-foot rental.

“I’d also describe my home as mid-century-Parisian,” writes renter Anna. “I even have a bunch of decor that came straight from the set dec department of 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'!”

"Every corner of the apartment has something tucked under or inside it to reduce clutter and free up visual space," Sarah shares.

It's filled with so much beautiful art.

It’s repainted almost monthly.

The apartment needed a gut renovation.

Marisa is a floor sitter and prefers the ground over the couch. See the cozy small-space solution she came up with instead!

The renovation budget was $100,000.

There’s even a walk-in closet room in this 800-square-foot apartment.

“The living room walls, cloaked in black, evoke a sense of a speakeasy from another age — rich, intimate, as though time itself has slowed,” describes renter Javier Riostello.

This rental was sad when Jillian moved in. “It was dark, cold, many things were broken, the vibe was off … ” Jillian put a lot of TLC, love, and effort to turn this dingy rental into an oasis.

Alexa Priego is a full-time content creator and mom of three, and for the past 10 years has rented this 525-square-foot, one-bedroom NYC apartment.

Minetta Archer has been renting this 725-square-foot Harlem apartment for 15 years, adding tons of color, pattern, and glam to each room.

Once lacking warmth or personality, after 17 years this West Village apartment now has both — plus lots of color and pattern.

The renter even teaches yoga classes in the living room.

"It may seem a bit cluttered to some, but I love it!" exclaims Melanie, who shares this tiny studio with her cute cat. "Maximalism isn't for everyone, but I keep it clean!"

Salome Mergia's Upper West Side studio was furnished a lot from places like Housing Works, Salvation Army, Goodwill, and other vintage spots.

Apartment Therapy’s video producer Margaret and her husband, Alex, have made a dreamy, cozy home for their two young daughters in this small Washington Heights apartment.

Shaped like a “T” and with original picture molding lining the hallway, this NYC rental apartment has a “modern folk, moody modernism” vibe.

Sydney Fazende says it took a lot of trial and error with furniture arrangements (and custom pieces) to maximize her small SoHo apartment.

This native New Yorker has personalized her small rental apartment with renter-friendly DIYs and “98% secondhand finds.”

The biggest challenge has been navigating the different stages of a family living in a small space (and accommodating all the kid gear!).

Decorator Barbara Campbell isn’t a “white wall” person; instead she insists on being surrounded by “uplifting, welcoming color.”

There’s also an incredible 3D-printed coffee table, gorgeous wood moldings, and a neat art collection.

When Sofia Marcogliese and her boyfriend, Oleg, moved in together for the first time into this 950-square-foot rental apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, they weren’t expecting their existing furniture to go so well together. “But what really ties everything together is my mother’s oyster painting,” Sofia explains. “She’s a Montreal-based artist, and my sister, Laura-Michelle, curated and digitalized her work through her online gallery, Glasshouse.

Interior designer Mariellas Urrutia worked with organizer (and fellow small-space dweller) Rachael Harvey to pack stylish storage into every inch of this home.

Amanda Phillips pays $2389 a month for her 425-square-foot studio apartment in Manhattan’s Rose Hill.

There's a brilliant cat litter box solution in this small Upper West Side studio apartment too!

Honestly you'll forget you're even in New York City thanks to this apartment's chic floral pattern mixing.

It’s super small and has a bizarre layout and a tub in the middle of the space, but Austin’s filled it with color, patterns, storage solutions, DIYs, and unique decor.

And it's packed with chic but renter-friendly ideas to make any space look stylish.

This couple was able to fit a dining area, coffee bar, TV and gaming zone, conversation area, bar, office, and music space all in their home’s living room.

See inside Cosmopolitan’s Digital Creative Director’s incredibly cool, chic, and contemporary NYC loft.

Jake Poser is an interior designer and visual artist, and the apartment he shares with partner, August, is transitional, classic, inviting, elegant, and quirky.