The new master bathroom features wall sconces from Chown hardware and penny tiles in a patterned designed by Dyer herself.

The living room includes a Retro Burn fireplace and a coffee table Thomas made herself from boulders found on the property.

Working as designer, contractor, and builder, Samantha Mink took an unremarkable structure built in the 1950s and transformed it into a home for herself and her dog, Winston. “Because of its location on the street, I kept a kind of stern exterior where you can’t really see into the house,” she says. She treated the Douglas fir with a natural mineral wash and an exterior stain to give the wood dimension.

Sonja also planned the interior of the home—and she even designed some of the custom-made furniture pieces herself.

The existing beams were "one of the elements of the house that made it special," says Azin, who spent three days on a ladder staining them herself.

Bertolini made the leaning shelf herself. “I needed a little extra storage for towels, and knick knacks, and this shelf is the perfect functional yet stylish solution.”

The open kitchen and living room features a handcrafted walnut dining table designed by Marica, which sits beneath a brass chandelier she designed and built herself.

Though she transformed herself into an alluring lady, the demon Soorpanaka can't tempt Rama away from his wife Sita.

Mariah Hoffman stands in the doorway of the 156-square-foot home she designed and built for herself over a span of five years. "It was hard, it really was," says Mariah. "Every phase tested me."

The renovated home office includes DIY storage and a hand-painted, eight-color mural in the likeness of a 1600s etching that Goldman did herself—an endeavor that took over 100 hours.

The cool blue dining chairs are actually vintage school chairs sourced by Tribe herself. The rounded pendant light hanging over the dining table is by Muuto and the sculptural wall lighting is Le Corbusier's Nemo.

The master bedroom provides peaceful views of the Long Island Sound and includes a king bed, designed by Rottet herself, outfitted with Restoration Hardware linen and a funky skylight—which accommodates a tropical tree.

Shakespeare tackled the installation of the tiles and the shelves herself to further reduce construction costs. For the shelves, she purchased wood from Home Depot and mounted it on metal IKEA brackets, which she spray-painted black.

A Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance chair, Charlotte Perriand wall sconce, and Greta Grossman Grasshopper floor lamp round out a corner in the living room. Deau made the side table herself.

An artist by trade, and gardener by passion, Allison Paschke commissioned Providence-based architecture firm 3SIXØ to build a modest cottage that would allow her to reconnect with nature. She landscaped the home’s lush gardens herself.

Furnished with vintage Eames chairs, a second-hand sofa, and pendants and tables designed by Nathalie, the space is kept purposefully casual. She painstakingly mixed and tested the paint for the mustard-yellow walls herself—15 times—to match the hue of a Kvadrat textile.

A black electric guitar, a vintage rosewood desk, and a side chair by Charles and Ray Eames sit at the foot of the stairs just beneath a photo of designer Barbara Hill herself competing in the 1956 Miss America Pageant.

In the kid-friendly bunk room, Lewis went with Natalie Meyers Veneer Design daybeds, a light from Frances and Son, accessories from The Garage Collective (Lewis's own store), and stump side table she made herself.

Jules has been taking mornings a bit slower, allowing herself some extra sleep in her cozy West Elm bed and Parachute bedding. Above, handmade honeycomb shelves bring more of the outdoors in with some cascading plants.

Shalina Kell is a graphic designer and a maker—and now she can add "tiny home builder" to her resume. The single mom lives with her teenage daughter in a lovely, light-filled, 350-square-foot tiny home in Sacramento that she built and designed herself.

Behind Nina Tolstrup’s dining table/office desk is a sideboard she designed herself, which is littered with things she has both collected and made.

The bus has a seating area, kitchen, and bed propped over the “garage,” where the couple stores their gear. Mande did all the sewing herself, using foam from the old seats to make the built-in couches. “This is a space for slowing down, simplifying, and clearing the mind,” say the couple.

Silvia loves to sew and create in her spare time, which she does in her makeshift studio space, shown here with a desk from Ikea. Shown here is one of the cushions she made herself, which is done in the same fabric as the shower curtain in the bathroom.

Much of Zee's furniture is made by herself with Katie Gong including her coffee table, dining table, and large bench. The pendant lamps are by Sam Lee with a Saffron and Poe chair in the corner and Kudd Krig Home tapestry behind. The neon art on the wall is by Meryl Pataky, and the ceramic knots are by MQuan Studio.

In Austin, ceramicist Amanda Rivera helped design the renovation of her family's 1930s Spanish Mediterranean style home. Amanda crafted many of the interior elements herself, including the new ceramic backsplash tile in the kitchen.

Nine-year-old Herborg’s ensuite bathroom (previously pictured) matches her bedroom, which is painted almost entirely in Cooking Apple Green by Farrow & Ball. The color was selected by Thurmann-Moe to complement the floral wallpaper—Secret Garden by Cole & Son—which was chosen by Herborg herself. “She is so at one with her room, and it’s so obvious that she is in her own space,” says Thurmann-Moe.

The gut renovation was done largely by Briana herself (here with the couple’s son, Cooper).

Chloe did the majority of the work in the cabin herself.

Maegan Blau of Blue Copper Designs in the kitchen she designed for herself.

Tiffany taught herself to refinish the table, after scoring it online. The chairs are from Blu Dot and the chandelier is a Wayfair find.

Most of the furnishings, including the daybed, coffee table, and stools in the living area, were designed by Deborah and built by her handyman and carpenter, Luis Rey Mendoza. Secluded at the house for much of the pandemic, Deborah threw herself into creating items for the interior. “It was my art project,” she says.

The bedroom is home to a platform bed that Curtis built herself and has since moved from house to house.

Ruby Mae's Bedroom. Complete with a sighting of Miss Ruby herself!!!

The house looks into herself, or better yet, to her own architecture.

Mandy restored the front door herself and installed cement tiles from Arto Brick, a local company.