Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Personal space
Where I live: Stone Mountain in Fayetteville
Occupation: My husband, John, and I own MB Property Management LLC, doing business as McGowan Built.
My favorite space is: Definitely my house, but specifically my dining room.
Why? Our dining room serves as the entryway into our home, and tells so much of our story from the first glance. From the pictures of our grandparents when they were young, captioned with their wedding dates and surrounded by pictures of our wedding and our two sweet girls, to our dining room table made by my husband when we were first married, everything in that room has a special meaning.
Our first formal gathering was the McGowan Thanksgiving during our first year of marriage. With all the hustle and bustle that owning your own business and having two small children entails, my dining room serves as a constant reminder of where we came from and how much we’ve accomplished.
If I could make one change to improve this space, I would create more of an entry as guests walk in to the right of the door, with a bench and more pictures. I would paint the back wall that holds the pictures of my family and even add some plush curtains. As a lover of shiplap, I might even consider adding some to the ceiling to set that room apart even more.
— Laurie Marshall