Creative Living 

Americans are incredibly nosey. That's why reality TV shows looking into the lives of celebrities and average Joes are so popular — we like to be all up in people's business.

One popular show that aired not too long ago was MTV Cribs, where a camera crew was invited into a celebrity's home as he or she showed off all the cool things we wish we could afford. Well, in that respect, Creative Loafing is offering you the opportunity to peer into some of your neighbors' homes, as we present a tour of eclectically decorated living spaces in Charlotte.

While Cribs focused on actors, musicians and athletes who owned their own spots -- complete, I'm sure, with a mortgage payment to match the luxurious cars in the driveway -- every single person featured in this story rents his or her place from a rental company or private landlord. And as you gaze at the pictures (and watch the full, Cribs-style video tours available online here), we hope you'll be dissuaded from the idea that you have to own your own place to really make it yours. From the people we've interviewed, it's clear that it really doesn't take much cash to make your home a cool place to live.

Kymm McLean

• Ashley Goodwin

• Kymm McLean in front of her latest art project

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• Ashley Goodwin

• Christmas ornaments hang from the ceiling of McLean's 'Reading Room.'

Meet Kymm McLean ... if you're fast enough. This woman works seven days a week, doing everything from wardrobe styling, hair styling and makeup for models to makeup lessons and makeovers for girls' birthday parties. After spending all day dabbling in color, she returns to her 1,800-square-foot rental home on Briar Creek Road to be surrounded by even more color.

"I am so into your environment," McLean says. "As soon as you wake up, the first thing you see is your home environment. It's kind of hard to be bummed out in this house; it's really colorful and fun. I go to people's houses all the time -- that's a part of my job -- and I would just be depressed if I woke up to nothing. I lost two homes to floods, and when I was younger, I was actually homeless for a while, so for me, the home environment is so important."

In every room of McLean's pad, something colorful pops out at you. Colorful rugs in the living room are accented by collectible vases, picture frames, lampshades and more, in addition to a display of old cameras she's collected over the years. The "bar room" features bright red stools and a black table with a red miniature telephone booth on top. And you'll find vintage toys from the good ol' days showcased on a bureau. Stickers adorn the "yoga room," and Christmas ornaments hang down from the ceiling in the sunroom, also known as her reading room.

McLean says there are two reasons why she decided to rent instead of buy: "I don't think it's worth the financial risk to take a debt of a minimum of $150,000 based on the fact that you've got a job and you're working week to week; that job is always up for loss. The other thing is, I don't want to live with a $150,000 loan. Because truth be told, some people look at renting as wasting money -- I look at it as freedom. What if two years from now I want to move to New York? I'm free to pack up and leave anytime I want."

Where do you live?

In a house near Plaza Midwood and NoDa, which is where my studio is.

What is the inspiration behind the way you've done your place?

It's definitely a reflection of myself. I think you'd consider the décor pop art, because it's bright colors, everything is comical, cartoony, overdone, whimsical. The basic theme is, all the furniture is black, the walls are gray, the trim is white and everything else is color. I've seen designs where people do all colors, which is kind of overwhelming, and the whole black-and-white thing, which is kind of stale, so I mixed it in together.

What are some of your favorite decorative pieces?

I just made these 3D, multimedia collages, which I love. I was thinking that everything hanging on the walls is just flat, and I thought, what if you could represent and express all the stuff you're into but do it with actual objects. And it was not that hard. These collages represent the biggest influences of my life: music, photography and beauty.

What kind of budget does it take to do one's house the way you've done it?

Everything in here was found on Craigslist, at yard sales, IKEA or handmade. I call it "design on a dime." I'll know I've made it in life when I buy a piece of furniture that I don't have to put together.

Dan Mauney

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• Ashley Goodwin

• Dan Mauney proudly poses in his living room.

If you love shoes or you love going out, chances are, you know Dan Mauney. Better known as "Dan the Shoe Man," he's co-owner of Step By Sloan, a popular shoe boutique in Dilworth. When he's not adorning women with beautiful footwear, Mauney is entertaining. A couple of times a month, he helps organize Takeover Friday, a mobile party in which members of the LGBT community (and others) descend upon various venues throughout town -- like Therapy, Tutto Mondo, and most recently, Aria Tuscan Grille. But he has also created a space in which entertaining is feasible at home.

For the past few months, Mauney has lived in The Catalyst, a 27-story contemporary condominium in Uptown.

"One of the things that sold me on this place is the open floor plan," he says. "I like my friends to be around me and so we can see each other, so we've got this whole open entertainment area that merges into the lounge area."

When decorating, Mauney and his friends divided his apartment into three zones: a bright entry with a yellow accent wall; the kitchen/entertainment area, complete with a bar; and a lounge area, which can seat up to 12 people. In his living room you'll find a large painting of a ladies shoe -- his homage to Step.

Many of his pieces were found at The Furniture Connector (2905 Griffith St., www.thefurnitureconnector.com), including the ottomans in the living room that can also be used as a coffee table.

"I am more about living in the middle of everything right now than owning a house," he says. "I love the vibe of Uptown. Leasing is fashionable again. Plus, I am getting so much at The Catalyst."

Where do you live?

On the 13th floor of The Catalyst in Uptown Charlotte. I'm not superstitious at all.

How big is your condo?

My place is 753 square feet -- the perfect size for my wiener and me.

What inspired the décor of your place?

I like a little bit of flamboyant, a little bit of masculine. I don't like to waste things. Everything is useful; the ottomans are removable so that way you can entertain and they can be pieces of furniture or barstools for people. I love it pretty, but I want it useful.

What's your favorite thing about where you live?

My favorite thing is the view. The view changes from the morning to lunch to dinner. It changes all day long. Everything becomes alive.

How does your condo reflect your life?

It's fun, it's festive; it's mobile and functional.

Danielle Taylor

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• Ashley Goodwin

• Danielle Taylor sits in her 'dressing room' in a chair she found on a curb and revamped.

Danielle Taylor is originally from New York, and that's why living in Tryon House Apartments suits her just fine. An account manager who only had one week to find a place when she moved to Charlotte a year and a half ago, Taylor discovered Tryon House to be "city living at its essence."

"These kinds of apartments are not for someone who's not into being creative," she says. "You have to be creative to live here, figuring out how to plan things into spaces."

Despite the small amount of space, and the lack of central air conditioning, Taylor and her boyfriend Justin McKim have literally made -- think "DIY" -- the place home. The foyer contains an old table she found in a dumpster, brought home and refinished. The living room reveals a nice mix of new (with a TV stand from IKEA found in the "As Is" section) and old, (as the stand doesn't quite fit against the wall because of an old-timey radiator that's in the way). A second bedroom functions as a dressing room or walk-in closet for Taylor. In it you'll find chairs she found on the side of the road, painted and revamped with new fabric, as well as a table that is actually a door she bought for $1 at Habitat For Humanity.

She and her boyfriend decided to rent because they're not ready to buy, and their location right now is really ideal. "It's a great location for the concerts, football games, basketball games. We can walk, so no DUIs," she says. "I couldn't afford to buy anything right here; there's no way. [Tryon House] being in front of a bus stop does bother me though; although the bums are nice, they are bums. But it's Uptown, and it's very inexpensive Uptown living."

Where do you live?

In Tryon House, Uptown.

Why did you decide to live here?

As soon as I walked in, I was like, "this is my kind of apartment." I'm not really a brand-new-carpet kind of person. And this was right in the middle of the city and has so much character -- and I can walk to work.

What have you done to enhance the space?

The great thing about this place is that we have really tall ceilings, so a lot of our stuff goes up. Up on cabinets, up on top of my closet. And just buying things that are double duty -- like the piece from IKEA holds all of our DVDs and plus our TV and other things.

What inspired the décor of your apartment?

I really lean toward eclectic, funky things. I really like traditional pieces, like with Queen Anne legs, with a more updated look. I'm definitely not into the modern look. I like big, fluffy, comfortable things -- our huge, oversized couch is one of my favorite pieces, which I got off Craigslist.

What are some of your other favorite pieces?

I really like my mirrors. I think it's my favorite kind of art and there's one in every room. The mirrors make the place look bigger. I think the apartment was made for me because both doors have mirrors on them. I don't even hang them where I can see myself -- I see them as pieces of art.

Scooter Arnold

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• Ashley Goodwin

• Arnold's retro living room, flavored with 1950s kitsch

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• Ashley Goodwin

• Scooter Arnold surrounded by Marilyn Monroe memorabilia

Good things come in small packages, and Scooter Arnold, a makeup artist for Mac Cosmetics, subscribes to that credo. He lives in a 750-square-foot mother-in-law suite adjacent to a friend's home near Plaza Midwood -- and is completely content.

"I want to be buried here. I just don't want to move," he says. "I mean, it might be six miles from Uptown; I'm maybe 15 minutes from work. I have a grocery store in the backyard. You've got every place you could think of to eat up Eastway and Central. We're a few miles from Plaza Midwood. I guess it's going on four years that I've lived here in this place. It's just enough space for me. So I'm happy."

When he says "just enough space," he really means it. Arnold's tiny home is made up of a living area that's perfect for entertaining five or six friends; an almost nonexistent kitchen nook ("All the cooking I would ever do is in the microwave."); and one bedroom with a bathroom. The living room is decorated with vintage regalia: Andy Warhol print pillows, a black leather couch and a 1950s stereo cabinet that was left by the previous owner. A lava lamp sits upon a small antique dining table with chairs in the kitchenette. The bedroom is painted "par-four green," with black and white curtains from Urban Outfitters -- that remind him of grandma's kitchen -- toning down the bright walls.

Throughout the house, you'll find Marilyn Monroe memorabilia: various sizes of prints, both black and white and colored; books; old magazines; DVDs; miniature music boxes; and even more in storage. "There's a part of me that likes to keep it a little bit more clean and uncluttered and classy as opposed to salt and pepper shakers. I like the stuff that's really, really vintage."

Arnold says he chooses to rent because of the financial convenience. "I've had friends who are like, 'Oh, you need to buy your own place,' but really, with the economy the way it is right now, it's been a lot better for me to rent because I don't have any unexpected expenses."

Where do you live?

A mother-in-law suite in Medford Acres -- it's almost like a suburb of Plaza Midwood because it's not far from it.

Describe the décor of your place.

It's very eclectic. I would say it definitely has a 1950s flavor. I was a kid that grew up in the '80s, and everybody that grew up in the '80s remembers that the '80s were kind of like the 1950s remade. I hate to say a little Leave it to Beaver, but that's kind of what it is. The coffee table's definitely like vintage '50s. I know the stereo cabinet were absolutely '50s and was actually left here by a previous owner. The café counter that the microwave is on is definitely '50s décor. And the paneling has a '50s-study kind of feel to it.

Tell me about your Marilyn Monroe collection.

I bought my first poster when I was 16. There's a huge comfort level that I feel, having her around me. When you look at a picture of her its almost like you're looking at a picture of home. There's almost like a reflection.

How does your home reflect you?

When people walk in here, I think that they see me -- through the color, the furniture. I think what they see here is not something they would see in their parents' house. I think having Marilyn up everywhere is definitely like an earmark of me. A mixture of style, you know, the fact that you've got Andy Warhol print pillows on the black sofa. I think when they look at this, they think, "This is definitely where Scooter would live."

Lore Emelio

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• Ashley Goodwin

• The living room doubles as the showroom in Lore Emelio's home.

From the outside, this small house on McDonald Avenue looks like any other cozy home in Dilworth. But inside you'll find the start-up business and living quarters of Lore Emelio, a local fashion designer who believes Charlotte has the capacity to become the fashion capital of the South. Emelio attended the design school at Parsons and has worked for Ralph Lauren before moving to Charlotte three-and-a-half years ago. Since here, she has designed, developed and marketed her own line of hats, headbands, ties and bowties, and has recently launched her E-Boutique on her website, allowing clients to buy online.

For Emelio, space is key in her home (known to her friends as the Land of Lore), and every room and space has its own purpose. "When you're working from home, you've got to find useful ways to work with what you've got," she says. The living room has been transformed into her showroom, where she has product readily available for shipping out to clients. In the dining/kitchen area, what she refers to as her conference and work space, you'll find storage bins, corkboards filled with drawings and a computer station for website maintenance and shipping out orders. The master bedroom is the main sewing studio, and another bedroom is the hat studio.

Emelio says the reason why she chose to rent instead of buy is because she invested money into her business. "I knew having this space works for me and Moxey [her dog], and I knew it would work for work, but to have a family or something like that, we'd move. I only meant to rent for three months. Three years later, I don't own a home, which bugs the crap out of me, but my grandmother said, 'You can always buy a house.' Another thing my grandmother and I talked about is if I bought this house, I'd immediately do the yard, I'd immediately redo the house, and it would divide my attention from my business. It's a start-up and I'm doing it with zero budget, so it takes as much as I've got."

Where do you live?

A small house between Dilworth and South End, but it's technically Dilworth.

What would you say is the theme of your home?

I think what I was most inspired by when I found this house were the storage shelves, because they're metal and they're industrial and exposed. They are what they are; they're functional and sturdy. It's a perfect example of how aesthetic and use create a contemporary experience.

Since you work out of your home, is there any space that is exclusively yours?

The executive bathroom [laughs]. This is my private space; no one ever uses this bathroom. I have my closet and my toothbrush; what more do I need? That whole feng shui thing is prevalent in here though. You can tell the status of my life from the chair and the bathtub. If the bathtub is full of materials and the chair has samples piled up on it, you know I have a lot going on.

How would you say your home reflects your life?

It's eclectic. When you get into some of the random little details here, it's eclectic. And it's desperate to be organized [laughs]. And there's a whole lot going on.