The Latest: Feb 21, 2013

Samna flew out to New York from her home in Seattle to help her sister set up her studio apartment. With only five days and $500, here’s how she transformed the rental into a chic hangout.From Samna: Here’s what I had to work with: My sister’s apartment in a post-war building, 248 square feet of bedroom/living area and kitchen, $500 budget and five days to get it all done. This project is for all of the people who claim “I don’t have time.

Laura spent seven years using this room, with its high ceilings and statement fireplace, as a family room. But considering its pass-through and access to the kitchen, she found a new purpose for the space that felt more natural. The process of transforming a living space into a dining space may not have been without challenges, but the results are stunning!

When Cheltz’s husband, Woo, found this discarded industrial spool, he imagined a new dining room table… for free. Check out how the transformation went: From Cheltz: My husband found this giant wooden spool for free and wanted to make a dining table out of it. I was more than willing to have him try. The spool is 65″ in diameter, which is huge, but it was also over 40″ high (which is way too high for a dining table).