• A giant wicker basket with a piece of glass on top provides hidden storage underneath and works as an end or coffee table.
  • Old flea-market suitcases stacked atop one another combine form and function into one eye-pleasing element.
  • Pair an oversized outdoor terra-cotta pot with a round glass top and you've got ample table space for at least three club chairs.
  • Four stacks of old but sturdy books can act as legs, supporting a piece of glass, and voilà -- a low coffee table.
  • Find a flea-market bench and place it in front of the sofa, stacking piles of art books underneath and a pair of candlesticks on top. A bench also works well at the end of a guest bed to hold a gift basket or suitcase.
Text and images excerpted from the book Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Design