The client had one request for her Alameda Craftsman cottage front door: an octopus. Three designs were presented; she chose the boldest without hesitation.

The composition is figurative Art Nouveau — the octopus rendered in sea-green glass, floating among sea grasses against a richly swirling amber, brown, and green background in Lambert's mouth-blown glass. Each sheet of Lambert's is unique in its color character; the client came to the supplier to help choose the glass, and of everything in stock, only one and a half sheets had exactly what the design required.

One tentacle escapes the composition and wraps around the Art Nouveau border. The octopus eye is positioned directly at the door lock. It guards the house.