For a home office setup, a large area rug ... Repurpose built-ins. If your dining room has a built-in china cabinet, hutch, or other storage, tearing them out would be costly and probably unnecessary.

Michele Love wants to repurpose the 9-by-9-foot dining room in her Leesburg, Va., rental townhouse as a sitting area. She has a hutch and table and chairs in the space but plans to sell or donate ...