home decor Archives - Marge Swearin

Creating a Gallery Wall

Hi Friends! Our home is full of odd nooks and crannies, and this one seemed like the perfect spot to feature some sentimental photos and decor. So here are my tips on creating a gallery wall! From a completely unqualified interior designer, other than I gather enjoyment from it! This is a fun way to display important photos / keepsakes and be sort of an “intro” to your life & story for your guests!

I found these narrow photo shelves and knew these would be perfect to fill the space. If you have an awkward narrow wall like mine, I thought it might be really cool to hang 4 of these vertically!, “stacked”, in a sense. (I, however, have two mischevious dogs who would knock everything off the shelves).

I chose black and white frames and metallic patterned frames that match my decor in the rest of my living room, and chose to hang an oversized clock on the wall above this. I added a small sequined candle holder to break up the space and add a different shape.

I choose to vary the shapes and heights of my frames and items on the shelves to keep the look interesting. I even have several items overlapped to create more depth to this narrow shelf. Many of the items were previous DIY projects, but I linked up some similar items below. One of my oldest friends hand stitched the needlework for me – I know it’s tough to read but it says “be nice or leave” – PERFECT description of my attitude. Ha! I found some similar ones available for purchase on Etsy.

My style is contemporary but comfortable, maybe even verging on farmhouse. Be sure to check out my southwestern room for a little taste. If your home has more of a contemporary style, it would be a cool look to intentionally replicate the same frame on all your shelves in either black or white

I’d love to see how creating a gallery wall worked out for you! Challenge: Post a photo on social media and tag me to share!

Southwest Home Accents

So in our new place we have this really odd room… It’s got a nook- for who knows what? A fireplace that sits immediately next to a wall, and limited space for furniture due to the need to keep walkways clear. Oh, and these walkways are between the primary guest bathroom, the laundry room, a sliding door to the backyard, the stairs to the basement and the kitchen. The moral of the story is it’s a weird room! The answer: Southwest Home Accents.

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It took a while for me to figure out how we wanted to utilize this room, but we’re now fondly referencing it as “the party pit”! This is primarily because we made a makeshift bar area out of the questionable “nook”.

A friend of ours had this great cow hide accent rug in her very modern home, and I immediately knew I wanted to decorate a room similarly. Honestly, I’d secretly been coveting a cow skin rug for quite some time… Mine is authentic – purchased at the local rodeo! (Is this normal? – I was really pumped to find one there at a decent price… In case you’re not anywhere near a rodeo, I linked up a couple cute ones below.)

I linked up all my decor and/or similar products here, or by clicking the photos in the image below.

I had so much fun putting this room together! I think maybe it was because it’s so different than all the other rooms in my house? After all, most of my room is decorated in blues and grays. What do you think?? Do you have any ideas of other items I should include in the southwest inspired decor?