You've been around the world on assorted vacations, seen the states and all that they have to offer and you'd like your home to reflect these things without feeling like a safari. Here' are a few ways to incorporate your travels without going overboard:
1. Bedding: Bedding can be bright and bold without any fear of needing to tie it to the rest of your home. Go Moroccan, American Southwest, or even Scandinavian to reflect your favorite getaways.
2. Textures: Love palm trees or the tall lengths of bamboo you snapped pictures of on your last trip? Try adding them into your home as picture frames, mirror surrounds, or small accent pieces. It's a great way to add a little flair without adding large amounts of color that can detract from the rest of your look.
3. Throw Pillows: These are often the fall back for adding style and this is no different. Pillows can be as crazy as you want, just layer them in with more subtle pieces that match the rest of your decor a little more and tie the colors together. A bit of flare in a tame space, perfect!
4. Outdoors: Your outdoor space is a great place to make feel a little different than the rest of your home. Large potted plants, bold colors, prints, designs, and likewise rustic beachy furniture are a great way to bring back memories. Besides, who doesn't want an excuse for an awesome hammock?
5. Put It In Glass: Frames, apothecary jars, bell jars, cake stands, terrariums, you name it, everything looks better in glass. You can contain your entire vacation in one small space without it spilling into the rest of your home. Try photos, branches, simple pieces of ribbon or fabric, even sand or sea glass that remind you of your last trip with the family.
How do you incorporate your vacation into your home? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Comments (17)
The glass idea is a good one. I collected some seashells from the shore on a recent trip to Long Island Sound and have been looking for an appropriate way to display them - I think a jar on the windowsill will work splendidly. :)
Table cloths! I buy "real" table cloths as well as textiles that work as table cloths. They are relatively cheap, don't take up too much space, and are easy to swap out when I need a change of scenery.
I have decided to start collecting napkins when I travel. I am tired of my plain white IKEA cloth napkins and thought it would be fun to have a wide eclectic collection to enjoy at dinner!
lol at using an urban outfitters quilt to illustrate this post
yeah, campari -- I found that really odd/amusing as well
Similar to #5, I saw an idea somewhere of using mason jars to collect a few definitive items from each trip, labeling each jar and then displaying them on a bookcase. So for example, for a beach trip you might have some sand, bits of beach glass, and shells in the jar. For a trip to Paris, it might be a snapshot, some metro tickets, a matchbook from a favorite restaurant, and some leftover coins. I have always meant to do this, since I've got boxes full of that kind of stuff from every trip.
I have a shelf in the "travel corner" of my house--according to feng shui--where I place beloved objects acquired on travels (but they don't stay there forever). I also place guidebooks or symbols of places I would like to go in the future. Works for me!
I second the textiles idea. I buy kitchen towels or guest hand towels for the bathroom sometimes. Another thing I have been collecting are items for my dinner table that are all blue and white but in different patterns. I have teapots from one country, serving dishes from another, a set of espresso cups from another, candlesticks from another, and so on. When the items are not in use, they are on display in a cabinet. I also have a reading nook that has a collection of photos or small art work on the walls.
Great post, AT. Can you write one now with tricks/tips for bringing home (or shipping?) fabulous art and mementos from abroad? Not just fabric, which is easy to fold and pack. Thanks.
My husband and I have developed quite the rock collection from our trips. For example, we have rocks from the summit of Mt. Vesuvius and stones from the shores of France and Greece. Each one is unique. We have them displayed in a decorative dish that my MIL actually got us from Argentina. The problem is, they are all lumped together, so we no longer have any idea which ones are from where! I also like to enlarge and frame some of our best vacation photos.
I have dozens of postcards (from friends), photos, and other paper souvenirs attached to cork hanging above my sofa.
I get "Christmas" ornaments...basically anything small and hangable that I can put on my tree will do, as long as its pretty.
you see so many slick photos in some home design mags, and NOTHING in the whole house is personal! It's designer but it doesn't look like humans live there. Homes should reflect life!
@a.hidden.bird - I do the same thing. We collect one ornament on every trip, so each year our tree will be an eclectic and growing collection of memories instead of store-bought boredom. (AND our tiny space doesn't get cluttered up with key chains, magnets, snow globes and other kitchy items)
I stole the idea from my parents, who have done the same since before I was born.
I love beaches and I have some very small bottles with sand from the places I have been ;) Still have to find a tacker to make those old fashioned labels ;)
We enlarge and frame our travel photos, and collect small art objects (e.g., a ceramic bowl from S. Korea, cone-shaped wide brim hats from china, and a hand carved sandstone elephant from Angkor Wat). I've also purchased fabrics, specifically silks from Vietnam that we've hung on our walls with batik hangers from Malaysia. I agree with loolabelle about making the decor personal. Our strategy to keep all these collected items from looking like clutter, is to keep the paint colors neutral, choose furniture with clean lines and solid colors. We have a white couch, mostly mahogany colored woods, and white/beige on the walls. As boring as that sounds, it works with those brightly colored silks, lots of plants, and all of our photos. We keep many of our little objects in a large Expedit shelf from Ikea.
I like having all my interesting finds on display. It's not quite cluttered, but definitely busy and interesting. Anytime someone new comes over, I notice they spend 5 or 10 minutes walking around looking at things and asking about them. I like feeling like I live in a museum of my own life.