When we design our homes, we unintentionally draw inspiration from the things we love to do. Our homes, therefore, are a reflection of our personalities, the places we’ve been to, and the dreams we have and have not accomplished. These spaces are the culmination of who we are and how we see ourselves. Designing our homes with our travel memories in mind brings us back to these places. It reminds us of the things we experienced and the things we want to experience more.
You can definitely infuse the character and flavor of the places you’ve been into your home. Who says you can only experience New York in New York or Paris in Paris? By bringing the elements of design to form a cohesive look for your home, you can surround yourself with things that remind you of Buenos Aires, Cancun, Vancouver, Osaka, and many more.
Listing Down Your Favorite Spots
What were your most memorable travels? Where do you like spending more time in? In the city or a tropical island? Have you ever been on a cruise? People who love the ocean and outdoors often travel in luxury cruises. They even made a comparison chart between two of the most popular and luxurious cruises—Silversea and Seabourn. You can take inspiration from their cabins if you have ever been to one of them. Silversea has beds with Italian Pratesi linens, while Seabourn uses Egyptian cotton.
Both cabins draw inspiration from the most luxurious hotels you can imagine. If you don’t look out the window to see the ocean, you won’t even remember you’re somewhere in the middle of the ocean. If you have the budget for it, you can incorporate big-named brands in your own room at home.
Taking Notes
Studies showed that 70% of travelers get inspiration from the hotel rooms they stayed in when designing their rooms at home. The rest like to remind themselves of the actual places they visited. They bring souvenirs, knickknacks, and artwork that will remind them of the time they spent there.
If you are planning to design your home based on the places you have visited, remember to bring a notebook and a pen (or your trusty devices) the next time you leave town. Do not forget to jot down notes when you see something that you want to incorporate into your home design. Sometimes, people tend to forget about slowing down when they are traveling. But you have to take all these slowly and try to remember them the next time you plan a home redesign.
Becoming Practical
The things you see abroad don’t always fit the culture and even the weather where you live. Marrakech looks like it bathes in golden hour all day, but you cannot achieve the same look for your Vancouver apartment. The grandiose of Paris might excite you, but won’t it look too bizarre in Texas? While you love the energy of New York, does it fit the sleepy little town of Langenthal?
You have to be realistic in choosing the home design that you want to surround yourself with. As much as it is a reflection of the places you have been to, you should also consider if it will feel the same. Even when designing your home based on your travel, the priority is for the design to feel authentic.
Avoiding Disjointed Design Elements
It is often a possibility that people mismatched the design elements of the places they visited. You do not have to draw inspiration from one place to incorporate travel into your home design. It is okay to surround yourself with memories of all your travels. The key is not to avoid confusion.
How can you do that? When sorting through the travel photos you want to display, set a color scheme. Choose the photos according to the theme—tropic, vintage, sepia, or black and white—you have in mind. When you look at the photos, they should remind you of how you feel when you were standing on those same spots.
Exploring
The best advice that people who want to travel and design their homes can get is to continue exploring the world. Once the pandemic is behind you, go to places you have never been to before. Take inspiration from the sun-drenched cities of Morocco or the tropical island of Bali. And when you go back home and decide to incorporate what you saw in your home, remember to focus on how these places made you feel and not just how pretty they looked in pictures.
Part of your love for renovating and redesigning your home is born from the inspiration you get through traveling. When you see new places, you want to remember them when you get home. That’s why homes inspired by the travels of the people who live there feel more authentic and unique. The design is not something they took from a magazine. It is personal to them.
