For those of us who love to travel, the hardest part is often coming home. After immersing ourselves in different cultures, experiencing different food and ways of living, our homes can often appear a little dull in comparison. However, styling our homes with the travel memoirs we collect or from the inspiration found from foreign interiors, we are able to reminisce all year round.
Read on for inspiration on how to emulate some of these travel aesthetics.
Countries and their interior design traits
Fitted furniture specialists Hammonds, looked at interior designs from popular tourist destinations, focusing on how living rooms would look if we came across them in these countries; providing inspiration we can emulate in our own homes.
Bahamas
When you think of the Bahamas your mind is taken to a tropical island with white sandy beaches, warm sun and palm trees swaying in the breeze, this vision isn’t wrong but one you can’t replicate in the UK. The weather for one, isn’t often ‘warm sun’. However, there is nothing stopping you from brightening up your interior with touches of neutral and blue tones, complimented with ratan furniture. The key is to keep the interior looking fresh and bright, with nods to coastal themes. Bring a touch of tropical inside through large leafy plants.
India
Famous for its celebrations and known worldwide for its food. Adding touches of Indian culture to your interior can be done through textiles and furniture. Warm tones: yellows, reds and oranges can be brought in through bright cushions and throws with intricate patterns. Contrast the warm colour palate with darker furniture. Floor cushions, rugs and house plants are also a good way to incorporate Indian culture into your home. Oh and of course, a kitchen full of spices.
Japan
If you are looking to create a minimal interior, Japan is a great source of inspiration. Perhaps you visited Japan and fell in love with the simple design aesthetics, or you have read about minimal living and are looking for a little inspiration. Neutral tones and soft lighting paired with minimal furniture will help you replicate the calming Japanese interior. Clutter is a no go and if you wish to add house plants, keep them to a minimum too.
Displaying your travel souvenirs
Once you have inspiration for your travel interior, you may struggle with ways of displaying souvenirs. A top tip when collecting souvenirs is try and make sure they are in keeping with your own style. Souvenirs that are completely different to your usual taste will look out of place in your home and can run the risk of looking gimmicky.
If you have travel souvenirs of the same nature, group them together on shelving or a side table. If you have items which are the same but from different countries, such as crockery or bottles, create pigeonhole display shelving to uniform them, making the items into a statement piece.
We all take photographs when on holiday, printing them out and displaying them as a gallery wall is a great way to remember the trip and a good talking point for guests too.
How will you design your travel interior?