Q: My new apartment's kitchen has a breakfast bar which really isn't a breakfast bar, since it has no space to put legs underneath and is too tall for standard stools. Since I can't use it for extra seating or eating space, what CAN I use it for? It's too much space to simply go to waste... any novel ideas?

Q: I bought these two chairs from The Door Store several years ago. The bonded leather has cracked along the seams. I'd love to repair or recover them. It appears that the leather is glued to the foam padding of the seat and then attached to the underside of the chair with velcro. More

Q: I own a one bedroom loft with very high ceilings (25-30 feet). There is a staircase going up two of my walls, with wonderful, large windows providing a lot of light. One of my interior walls, however, is a giant white wall with nothing on it (except for my TV and a couple of decorative glass panels only going 5-6 feet up). What can I do with this wall to make it less spartan? Most of the decor and design of the condo is very contemporary.

Q: I'd like to replace our industrial style coffee table (steel corners and edges are too dangerous with little kids and I feel the color is too dark for our space). I am considering replacing with a large gray round tufted ottoman I found for a great price (47"W x 47"D x 15.75"H) or two smaller light blue cubes from CB2 (18.25"sq.x14"H). What do you think? Any advice on style, color, size? Also - would you add any curtains or window treatments to the space?

Q: I'm struggling to figure out how to set up seating in this living room configuration. I'm ripping out the carpets and putting in hardwoods, recessed lighting, molding and paint. But I can't figure out the seating with this fireplace and sliding door. I want my flat screen in this room as well, but I don't want the TV to be the focal point. 

Q: I've been using Brita filters and pitchers for a while, but my dog recently was diagnosed with a liver condition and the vet recommended that I find an alternative that yields a more purified water. Brita pitchers are super convenient and great, but they don't remove a lot of the impurities (like fluoride).

Q: I have a sliding glass door on a second floor which leads to nowhere. If you opened it and stepped out, you would fall 15 feet to the ground. When friends come over with little ones, I'd like to be able to keep the sliding door open (it has a screen) to let in some fresh air: More

Q: I'm tackling an ambitious furniture-making project (ambitious because I have never made furniture, and only have a power drill and a basic tool set). It is a bookshelf with a drop-leaf table which will function as a craft table. The really tricky part is that I want the table to be able to support my sewing machine, which weighs 25 lbs.

Q: I found this fantastic mid-century modern nightstand that looks like it came straight out of the Jetsons' skyrise, but it's made of wood! I've read lots of strong opinions about refinishing or painting over mid-century pieces, so I wanted to get some feedback. One idea I had was to sand off the finish and paint it with a colorful herringbone design, a la Ciburbanity's "Everything But the Kitchen Sink" dresser. Thoughts?

Q: One of the previous owners added (ugly!) stone veneer on the facade of my 102-year-old house. Removing the stone is probably not an option - it's very expensive, will likely damage the soft brick, and will require changes to the porch roof and window trim. I am considering painting over the stone and replacing dormer siding to match. Yea or nay? Has anyone done this and can share pictures? I am concerned it will look messy because of the stone texture, but don't know what else to do: