Pam Hartz Miller, in her family room, runs a part-time business redesigning clients' rooms by finding new uses and contexts for items they already have. She furnishes her own home by giving new life to old items. Photos from the Hartford Courant. : Furniture forte: new designs from old

Pam Hartz Miller created an island in her kitchen using an antique seed case that came from her father's hardware store in upstate New York. : Furniture forte: new designs from old

Mrs Hartz Miller's husband, Jim, created a bench for their family room from her childhood spool bed. They got the idea from a picture in a magazine. : Furniture forte: new designs from old