1. Paint.

2-5. Create a seating area with club chairs, a small table and an ottoman.

6-7. Along the largest wall, put a desk armoire that will keep unwanted hands off the computer.

8-10. A bookcase and hutch with doors, plus a storage ottoman, will organize items and hide clutter.

11-12. Use simple art to enforce the tone of a quiet library.

13-15. Accessorize the room with a custom window treatment and bright pillows.

16-17. Lighting with clean lines adheres to the mission style.

Tell us about your design challenge: Find out how

The Sirois family of four lives in a 1920s foursquare house they're slowly decorating entirely in the mission style. They've transformed a dining room into a family library, but it's more of a "walk-through" between the adjoining kitchen and family room instead of a comfortable space they sit down in and use, Sheila Sirois says. The 11-by-9-foot room has doorways in on three of its four walls, which makes it hard to arrange furniture. Plus, they need more storage space for books and toys, including an area for a computer that can be hidden from their two young children. Everything currently in the library can be removed, Sheila Sirois says, except the wood floors.

Vertical storage space, such as a hutch, desk armoire and taller bookcase, won't block doorways. These tall furnishings, plus curtains and art hung high, will draw the eye up so the room appears larger. Pick furnishings proportional to the room and in warm wood tones to keep with the mission style. Make the moldings stand out by painting both the ceiling and walls a warm, neutral color.