In Shardé Marchewski’s Victorian-era, Boston-area home, the dining room is a must see attraction. “It is a statement,” she tells Home & Texture. “I’m all about hosting big dinners, so I wanted the dining room to be a space people really want to linger in. We added wallpaper to the ceiling for a bit of unexpected drama and made the room a real conversation starter.…” In working with designer Beth Diana Smith to bring her vision for the space to life, Shardé incorporated a number of conversation starters as a way to encourage people to “keep finding things to talk about.”

Long before Marchewski became Wayfair’s Global Head of Purpose and Inclusion, she saw decor as an opportunity to fill a home with a “constant celebration of self and heritage.” Once she and her husband purchased what she jokingly refers to as her “big girl house,” she was able to tap into her experience in the supplier diversity space and the work of creators she had discovered along the way to create the right aesthetic for her home and her family.

She describes that aesthetic as “Eclectic maximalism mixed with a nature-y vibe,” explaining, “My home is a bunch of different styles with cooler neutrals mixed with bold and eclectic colors and designs.”

Because when you move into a home that is nearly one hundred and fifty years old, the house itself has a personality and an energy that you almost have no choice but to match. But between the home’s grandeur and her own love of color and daring prints, Marchewski knew that she’d have to balance the space out in order for it to feel like home. “I know at times being bold can be overwhelming,” she says, “so I try to balance it with plants and cooler feelings, along with a lot of soft, comfortable textures.”

Now, if you don’t deal with suppliers from across the globe for a living– or you’re still trying to define your home decor style– all of this may sound a little daunting. But Shardé Marchewski offers that you can make it a little less scary by starting with a single piece, big or small.

If you already own or happen to be in the market for a piece of statement furniture like an antique bed, or a colorful sofa, she suggests building a room around it with accent pieces and accessories. And you don’t have to wait until you’re in your “grown up” apartment or home. With brands like Mitchell Black, one of the collections included in Wayfair’s spotlight on Black Makers, you can find bold, eclectic and culturally relevant peel-and-stick wall patterns that come right off the wall when you’re ready to move… or just move on.

Another way to build the look and feel of your home, Marchewski says, is with art. “I think art can anchor and tell the story of your entire room,” she explains. “And I think that you can really shape a space and create the vibe you’re going for.” As previously described, that’s exactly what she’s done in her dining room. But she’s done it elsewhere in the home as well.

As you’ll see when you check out Wayfair’s collection of wall art, the concept is quite broad and can include anything from photos of celebrities to posters with inspirational messages like, “Young, Gifted and Black,” which makes it that much easier for consumers to decorate their walls with imagery that represents them. For the Marchewski family, it was finding wall decor that captured both Shardé’s African American heritage and her husband’s German background.

“People can sometimes overthink what needs to go in their home,” she says. “If you get that gut feeling and stumble on something that really speaks to you, go with it.” That artwork could end up being a thrifted original, or a moderately-priced piece by a local artist found at your hometown art fair. It could be something as creative as a poster from the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, which featured both German-written copy and showcased a Black artist.

If you’re looking for inspiration or hesitating about exactly where to begin your art journey, Wayfair’s latest partnership with Good Black Art is a great place to start. Not only is it a great place to find a range of pieces as you begin your journey as an art collector, it is a great platform for Black artists, who still face challenges with visibility in the art world. And best of all, you can start with prints, which will give you an opportunity to really discover what you love.

“Oftentimes, people don’t consider themselves an art collector until they buy a $1500 original piece, and I don’t necessarily think that’s true,” Shardé Marchewski says. “I believe anyone can be an art collector by finding pieces that truly reflect who they are and starting from there. Find your style, set your budget, and just dive in! Once you start adding a few pieces, your collection—and your passion for it—will naturally grow.”