Create an Arts-and-Crafts Multi-Dimensional Living Room

By Candice Olson

Jennifer and Linda are professional moms who are busy with careers and kids — not to mention a large dog, a new puppy, a hamster and a reptile named "Einstein." They all recently moved into their dream home, a beautiful 1920s arts-and-crafts fixer-upper.

Handywoman Jennifer worked her magic on most of the place, but was stumped about what to do with the living room.

The space, which was extremely rough around the edges, was used by the whole family for all manner of living. So it was clear from the get-go that this one room had to be all things to all people (and animals). It had to function as a living room for entertaining, a family room for casual gatherings and a library for reading and relaxing. It also had to serve as an exhibition space for one gigantic whalebone! You see, Jennifer is a biologist with an impressive bone collection, but she had never had a proper display area for her most-prized specimen.

My biggest challenge here was to make the room multifunctional, but keep it true to its arts-and-crafts origins by sticking to long and linear elements, traditional wood finishes and nature-inspired colors and fabrics.