I recently enjoyed a very pleasurable meal at a beautifully decorated French-Vietnamese restaurant. Maybe it was the aroma of citrus and shrimp... Perhaps it was the whisper of the banana trees...

As I lingered over the romance of late-evening dining, my design mind schemed about how I could recreate this feeling at home...

At the end of the night, I sized up my own style and tried to visualize how I could bring the upscale airiness of Le Colonial into my home. The eatery relies on lush potted plants, rattan seating, and tin-plated ceilings to invoke the feeling of an affluent 1920s Southeast Asia.

I could easily do it. I could fill my home with palms, neutralize my wall color, paint my white trim black, and snap up outdoor furniture discounts at Pier 1 Imports. Walking around my apartment, however, I realized I shouldn't.

I like my own eclectic, multi-cultural style. My collection of colored glass recalls Argentina's vivid La Boca barrio and my four-poster bed conjures up memories of a cabin in the woods. If I designed so tightly around one theme, as restaurants tend to do, it simply wouldn't be me.

So I'll go ahead and hunt down a good set of chopsticks to help me remember this night. For, when I'm at home, I want to be reminded of where I've been but I need to feel like I'm nowhere else.

Photos: Le Colonial