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"Art imitates life, the saying goes, but that was hardly the case with the front room of this Victorian-era row house. &amp;quot;Maya is a bohemian artist whose work is full of color and texture,&amp;quot; says Candice Olson. &amp;quot;But she put all of her energy into her paintings, which left little for her living space.&amp;quot; For the host of Divine Design with Candice Olson, here was a blank canvas waiting to be filled. Taking inspiration from the homeowner&amp;#039;s artful aesthetic, she and her team added a bold stenciled pattern to the walls; opulent, hand-sewn draperies; and a vibrant mix of furnishings that recalls the home&amp;#039;s 19th-century roots. Today, the reinvented front room reflects the true spirit of its owner. And thanks to some nifty hanging devices, it also provides a splendid setting in which to present her latest creations and conduct private showings.            Designer Candice Olson Artist and Homeowner Maya Maar and her Yorkshire terrier, Piteou, enjoy their new digs      TURNING A CORNER Olson worked her magic on the formerly empty window nook, adding a built-in banquette that follows the bump-out&amp;#039;s contour and leads into a button-tufted velvet ench. Paisley silk drapes frame the bay &amp;quot;like a sultan&amp;#039;s tent&amp;quot; while a pedestal table shrewdly completes the vignette. Explains Olson: &amp;quot;Now when people come see the paintings, there&amp;#039;s somewhere to sit down and cinch the deal.&amp;quot;     PACING THE PERIMETER Guests entering through the front door had been drawn away from the living room by a long, underappointed wall that extended to the back of the house. To keep the focus on the room, Candice broke up the wall using a hardwood chest with silver-leaf accents. Besides controlling flow, the chest provides storage for art supplies, and, during openings, its surface serves as a spot for hors d&amp;#039;oeuvres. Flanking sidechairs, meanwhile, offer a place to rest.   FRAMING THE FIREPLACE Olson dressed up the previously plain fireplace with a Venetian-style mirror and scrolled wrought-iron screen. The surrounding furnishings command their own attention, in particular, the whimsical round table with zigzag legs. Matching brown leather slipper chairs, opposite a golden chaise lounge, round out the seating area.   SCREENING THE STAIRWAY A 1980s remodel had introduced a sweeping spiral staircase into the living room. To camouflage the steps and give the space a more enclosed feel, Olson bounded it with a mirrored, three-panel screen. A 19th-century chaise lounge with velvet cushions and brass inlays ornamenting its rosewood frame picks up the golden hue of the wicker screen. BEHIND THE SCENES   1. The lifeless living room.  2. Olson and carpenter Paul Daly install the bench platform.  3. Olson studies patterns.    4. Sewing expert Edmond Joseph ties back a new drape.  5. The forlorn wall opposite the fireplace.  6. Olson hangs one of the homeowner&amp;#039;s framed paintings.  7. Electrician Chico Garcia wires a halogen fixture that will highlight wall art.    8. The staircase overwhelmed the rear corner, and the fireplace lacked impact.  9. Olson and Joseph make final fabric selects.  10. Garcia and Daly build the frame for the bench. DIVINE DETAILS       1. The mirrored screen features woven wicker panels and leather strapping held in place by brass rivets.   2. Paintings and prints hang by chains from cast-iron rods supported by wall-mounted brackets. The simple setup can display artwork weighing up to 20 pounds and makes swapping pieces in and out easy.         3. The bench&amp;#039;s plywood frame is concealed by a tasseled mohair skirt, a band of chenille trim, and hand-stitched metal medallions.    TRY THIS   Deeply colored walls create an instant backdrop for paintings. The real Olson touch, however, is the stenciled detail\u2014inspired by the drapery fabric\u2014which she achieved with help from painter Andrew Downward. Here&amp;#039;s how you can create a similar effect. \u2022 Trace the pattern from a swatch of fabric onto a sheet of tracing paper, then enlarge the design to the desired scale on a copy machine. \u2022 Retrace the enlarged pattern onto a sheet of acetate and cut it out with an X-ACTO knife to create the stencil. \u2022 Mount the stencil to the wall with painter&amp;#039;s tape, then brush over a mixture of one part copper acrylic paint and four parts glaze. Repeat. Retrace the enlarged pattern onto a sheet of acetate and cut it out with an X-ACTO knife to create the stencil.  The living room measures a mere 200 square feet, and awkward angles make it feel even tighter. By organizing the furniture around the room&amp;#039;s focal points, Olson turned the space into a functional exhibition hall. &amp;quot;People tend to break into clusters at art openings,&amp;quot; explains Olson. &amp;quot;This setup allows for that.&amp;quot;  \u2022 A chaise lounge and leather chairs are centered around the mirror-adorned fireplace. \u2022 Leather-upholstered sidechairs provide seating against the opposite wall. \u2022 A banquette and bench create a conversation area by the bay window and its adjacent wall. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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