How Travel Impacts Your Design Choices

How Travel Impacts Your Design Choices

Traveling is an amazing experience for so many reasons—you’re exploring new places, learning about cultures, and hopefully enjoying a bit of a holiday. While you are traveling, you’re exposed to new ideas and new sources of inspiration. I truly believe that every time you travel, you learn something new about the world and yourself. And when it comes to design, your personal style grows and expands with each new place you experience. You’re not alone if you’ve deboarded a plane and thought, “how can I bring the beauty of my trip back home with me?” It’s normal to want to recreate the spaces we loved in our daily lives. Thankfully, you can take that inspiration and use it to inform how you design and decorate your space. So let’s break down the 5 ways you can use your travels to make the most of your home.

Layer in Souvenirs

You may have heard me mention layers in the past because I truly believe they are so important to every room in your house. To put it simply, every room in your home needs to have layers— think textiles, pillows, furniture, art and even vignettes. When you’re traveling, look for local artists and artisans who create one of kind pieces that remind you of the place you’re visiting. Layering in local finds from your favorite destinations is a great way to bring your travels home with you and while also creating an effortlessly chic room. If you’re worried about having pieces that don’t go well together, work within a color palette or color family. But go – ahead and bring home something you love if it makes you happy, you’ll find a way to make it work in decorating.

Focus on Architecture

Whether it’s the skyscrapers of New York City or the canal row houses of Amsterdam, architecture can speak volumes about a destination and it’s a great jumping-off point when you are looking for home design inspiration. Don’t think you need to start installing faux columns in your home after your latest visit to Rome (in fact, please don’t). It’s more simple that. Using materials like stone, textures, and even forms in your home that mirror the architecture of your favorite travel destinations can bring you back to your vacation - in your mind, at least!

Consider Layout

While you are traveling, make note of how the spaces that really speak to you are decorated and laid out. Take notes and pictures of your favorite restaurants, hotels, parks, and even stores - you can imbue your home with the essence of a place just by focusing on how they arrange their layout. Every place has a unique feng shui that you can emulate in your home.

Don’t Shy Away from Color

Whether it’s the vibrant jewel tones of a Marrakech market or the subdued hues of coastal France, color speaks volumes about a place. And tapping into color is a great way to embody a loved-vacation place in your home. You don’t have to buy a colored sofa or paint a wall to embrace color - although if you want to, go for it! It can be as simple as using smaller accessories to bring your favorite destination place into your home. Consider sculptures, vases, art, or even a few throw pillows.

Bring Your Memories

Nowadays, everyone with an iPhone can take a stunning picture while traveling. Why not dig into your archives and see what gems you find. Use the photos in your camera roll as new photography for your walls - it’s one of my favorite ways to bring vacation moments home.

Take a Trip to Your Living Room

… or your kitchen, or your dining room, or your bedroom! That’s the joy of decorating using elements of your favorite travel destinations - you get to revisit those places that you love daily. You can walk into your kitchen and be in your favorite LA restaurant. You can go to bed every night in that boutique hotel you loved in Stockholm.

Whatever the place and whatever the memory, you can recreate those spaces that bring your happiness in your home. So even when you aren’t able to travel, you can still experience the freedom and fun of exploring the world.