Midcentury Modern

"The overall vibe I’m going for, for the house is a bit of a hodge podge: an artist’s 1970s beachside pad mixed with pared-down Parisian glamour and of course lots of lighthearted elements..." says creative director and commercial photographer Lizzie Darden.

Thanks to great layout planning and smart storage ideas, this couple's small apartment feels much bigger. And there's an adorable terrace, too!

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."

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.

Meng and his husband, Andrew, gorgeously transformed this outdated two-bedroom co-op, which they say hadn't been updated for almost 60 years.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.

“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.

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.

This house was renovated twice since it was built in the 1960s, and when Doro and Jürgen moved in, the couple had a clear idea of how they wanted to change the house to suit their style.

Rebekah Love, a professional organizer and the owner of company, Organize For Love, shares this Staten Island home with husband, Olushola Bashorun, a fine arts photographer with AQut Photography, and their daughter, Loren.

Former graphic designer Siân currently works in the NHS as a Mental Health Practitioner, and says that making home personal is incredibly important for mental health and overall well being.

Megan and Alex bought this 1,800-square-foot, ranch-style house in Austin three years ago. Megan is just the right person to style a house from the 1970s because of her passions for retro styles, thrifting, and history, which she explores on the popular blog Mid-century Millennial.

Lauren and Dustin say this house, built in 1902, hadn't been updated since the '70s and '80s. The couple spent just over a year on interior renovations, modernizing the outdated space but preserving and honoring much of the historic home's charming architectural features.

Anna decorated her family's large rental house on a budget, thrifting almost everything but plants. One of the biggest splurges was actually an IKEA rug, which proves how affordably the whole house was furnished!

Rachel, who runs the popular retro-inspired home Instagram account @bungalow_fifty8, wasn't necessarily looking for a new house, but when she came across this two-bedroom 1950s-era bungalow with a big garden, she and her partner took on the project of turning it into a home.

Emily Brinkley is an illustrator/designer working for a small company that designs games, toys, books, greeting cards, stationery, and gift wrap. She describes her London flat as being a totally beige, blank canvas when she first moved in.

Maddie Kulig, owner of Philadelphia-based lingerie brand Madalynne Intimates, purchased this cute cottage less than a year ago in Galena, Maryland with her husband, Ryan Kulig.

Raquel Lily is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and online content creator, and she released her debut full-length album, "Fixations," in early March. She lives in this colorful, musical house in Atlanta.

Artist and art teacher Laina Weiss is the creative director of L’or de Seraphine, an artisanal candle brand, and calls home this cozy and colorful East Village apartment, sharing it with her cat, Abby.

Sekile Nzinga is the Chief Equity Officer for the State of Illinois and the founder of The Nzinga Collective, and rents this 1200-square-foot condo in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood.

Behavioral scientist and science communicator Vanessa Hill shares a look inside her stylish Brooklyn rental AND reveals why she keeps old technology in her bedroom, what kind of mattress she sleeps on (under $500 from Amazon), and other smart secrets to getting better sleep.

This "contemporary eclectic" apartment blends clean lines with lots of vintage and mid-century modern pieces.

Content creator and small studio renter, Imani Keal, is on a mission to get people with small spaces to paint them black.

Amanda and Dan moved from California to Pennsylvania in April 2020, eventually buying this farmhouse with lots of architectural character.

Jaclyn Isaac is the owner and principal designer at doni Douglas Design, and she took on remodeling this dated beach bungalow at the Jersey Shore, turning it into a mix of mid-century modern, vintage, and bungalow chic.

Thanks to collaborating and facetiming with her bestfriend everyday, Christine was able to DIY furniture, create an enviable bed loft/home office setup, give an ugly kitchen a renter-friendly facelift, and create a stunning home that feels much bigger and more expensive than it actually is.

Ph.D. candidate and creative entrepreneur Taylor Evans and her partner have incorporated color and pattern into their small rental apartment. "It feels playful, yet sophisticated, and I think it reflects our personalities," she writes.  

Navajo/Diné knitwear designer Jennifer Berg founded Native Knitter, and she designs and sells knitting patterns from her beautiful house in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which she shares with her husband, two kids, two dogs, and a tortoise.

Celia runs a YouTube channel and founded the decor shop Sticki Icki, and shares this 760-square-foot apartment with her partner, Sean, and their baby son, Cassius.

Colin Tury and Ellie Ingram have put A LOT of work into transforming this house into what you see today. “Every square inch of this house has been affected by us and we’re proud of it” he writes.

The house had been flipped and drained of all character and personality so Christie added color, vintage touches, and high quality mid-century furniture intermixed with joy and whimsy to bring it back to life.

Roxy Michaud brought in textures like wicker, dark wood, bamboo and greenery to her Brooklyn home, as well as used the color black to make the space feel more warm and cozy.

Peter Quinn and Caitlin Dawson bought this house in Mount Washington three years ago, and recently finished a remodel that modernized the small home, while retaining a lot of the original history and charm

Every room in this old Philadelphia house got an affordable upgrade, and the result is a bright, cheery home absolutely PACKED with home makeover inspiration!

With only 600 square feet, Celeste and Lucas had to get creative to fit as many functions into their small home as possible, employing an interesting furniture arrangement to do so.

Maya Goldfine breathed life into her rental home by embracing a mixture of textures, color, and styles, which was primarily inspired by a trip to Mexico City.

This art teacher and museum educator draws inspiration from "estate sales in untouched time capsule houses, old magazines, and period movie and TV show sets" for decorating her own 1970s Philadelphia house.

Sharon Lomas and her husband share this four-bedroom Victorian detached rectory located in a national park surrounded by natural settings. Their home's decor takes tons of inspiration from nature.

Architect Jill Porter says her Brooklyn apartment had zero original details when she bought it 16 years ago. But after a makeover it now has color, pattern, and most of all joy and charm!

Erin Kerr's style can best be described as: "Like if a Danish Grandpa and Primary School Teacher Grandma had a grandkid who loved Memphis Milano."

The most challenging thing about this home was making it functional with so little space, but this couple was able to fit two desks, a ton of shelving, and smart under-bed storage.

Inspired by the beauty of tropical nature and the vibrancy of Mexican culture.

Outdoor seating, a firepit, raised veggie gardens, and a cute converted garden shed turned guest room/movie room make this small Seattle house's backyard dreamy and inspiring.

Paul — better known as @plantmepaul on Instagram — shares this small rental apartment with a roommate, beautiful brick walls, natural light, and tons of plants!

Rachele's living room doesn't get a lot of natural light, but she embraced the darkness and chose a dark blue to make it even cozier.

Sheta Chatterjee, who works in user experience design at a tech company, shares this 823-square-foot condo in San Francisco with her cute pup, Stanley.

Even though this Denver studio apartment is small, it feels like it has distinct rooms like a bedroom, dining, office, and living thanks to a good layout and the use of open and closed storage.

Despite having a tiny budget, Jerica has been able to transform her house into a unique, colorful, patterned, vibrant home thanks to tackling many of the projects herself, like a very cute dining banquette area.

After a breakup, Kat purchased this 1963 mobile home that needed a lot of TLC, remodeling it to add her own personality while keeping some charming original details like cute built-ins.

Slick furniture, cool art, wild wall paint colors, a long hand-painted mural, three dogs, and a whole lot of reptiles... this mid-century house is packed with 1970s vibes.

Stuck with beige walls she isn't allowed to paint, Amara has injected color into her rental home without damaging the walls using creative and clever renter-friendly decor hacks in nearly every room. The result is a sanctuary of saturated hues!

When Andy Grant first moved in to this house, every single surface in the home needed repainting... and she's been renovating it and adding her own personality through tons of DIY projects since.

Podcast Host Becca Freeman needed to find a creative display and storage solution for her books, and a gorgeous custom bookcase from Soil and Oak was just the right fit.

Trinity Shi of Cube House Jungle lives in a bright modern LA home that's full of bold bursts of colors on a crisp white background, surrounded with lots and lots of leafy green plant life.

Hattie Kolp has transformed her childhood home — this stunning prewar brownstone apartment she's lived in since she was 10 years old — by revealing gorgeous original architectural details, like several pocket doors that were covered by sheetrock and shelving.

Since the pandemic began, photographer Margaret Wright has been able to: Build a fluted dowel coffee table; paint fireplace tiles; build a DIY ping-pong table; color block the hallway; install the hallway light fixture; build and upholster a guest room headboard; and remove the screens and paint the old wood windows.

Actress Bitsie Tulloch had to start from scratch when it came to furnishing the new house she bought with her husband, actor David Giuntoli.

Designer and children's book author September Scott describes her style as playful. "I’ve always loved incorporating old pieces with new and find that doing this adds much more personality and character to a space."

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

Bobbi, the creator behind earring brand Bobbi Made This, makes work that spreads joy "one ear at a time." And the colorful and fun home she shares with her family spreads joy one room, paint color, and art piece at a time!