Q: How do you know the value of  the natural fiber rug you are considering? With wool rugs, you look at the source of the wool and the knots per square inch. But I have seen sisal, jute, and seagrass rugs from national chains like Crate and Barrel and also from high end rugs stores at design centers that look almost identical, but the price point is very different.

Q: My tastes have evolved from cool, industrial, clean-lined modern to a warmer, more wood-based modern. I can't afford to switch out all my furniture (bright whites and glass and silver-metal - oh my!) but I'd like to start by bringing in more wood pieces to give my apartment some warmth.

Q: Hello, I downloaded this image from awhile ago and now i'm having trouble finding the web page again. I was wondering if you could tell me where I might find the source for this countertop?

Q: We live in Canada in a house built in the 1930's with a mutual/shared driveway running to a garage structure in our backyard. We own the right side of the garage. We would like to have some privacy from our neighbors and enclosure of our backyard space. We do not wish to put up a fixed fence, as it could legally be challenged as limiting access to the garage, although modern cars would not fit between the houses. As a result, we need something that could be moved if needed (with some notice). 

Q: I know a lot of people who live in (tiny) apartments and have cats. I'm wondering about what the ideal kitty litter would be for these types of living situations. There's a new product that's a litter pad that adheres to the bottom of the box. I'm wondering if it would be a viable alternative. Would love to hear everyone's suggestions.

Q: We have staircase which looks sooo dull, I want to renovate it. Please tell me what can I do for it? I like colors and stripes. What color scheme should I apply? I am attaching some photographs to help give you an idea. I need your help! Thanks..

Q: My husband and I are in the process of buying a house. The house we are interested in is in a perfect location — near a great park, close to restaurants and public transportation, and in a good school district. The house is a great size for us and has almost all of the things on our wish list. Everything was going well, until we found out that the siding on the house is cement-asbestos.

Q: My home does not have storage areas for things such as my folding tall stepladder, full size ironing board, and broom, except for a storage space that you have to go outdoors to access. I don't want to replace those things with smaller items, and I would prefer not to hang them on the wall in full view. What can I do?

Q: I have had this ice cream maker sitting on the attic steps for a couple of years. Too big to sell online. No room to display it. But I love the graphics on the outer part. And now that I took it apart, the inside is sweet, too! I am wondering if any of you crafty geniuses out there would know a good way to seal this for outside use to keep the graphics crisp. Would acrylic spray do the job? Deck sealer? I looked around online and didn't find much advice and nothing I really trusted.

Q: Hello, We are planning to move into a new rental apartment, and I like pretty much everything about it but the bathroom. It is clean and new, but the brick-and-greenish color palette is really a pain to my eyes. It doesn't look either warm, or fresh, or friendly, and makes the small place look even smaller. There is not much we can radically change about it (changing the tiles is not an option in a rental), but is there anything we could do to smoothen the contrast or visually make the best out of it? Thanks so much in advance for your help!