Finding Your Design Style: Be Inspired By Your Travels

Austin took me somewhere I've always wanted to go for my 27th birthday last year. New Orleans. I already knew I'd love it because I'm fascinated by history, architecture & of course a good meal... everything that New Orleans is! What I didn't expect was to feel so inspired from a design standpoint. The feeling I got when looking around the inside of our AirBnb & every single restaurant we ate at brought me a sense comfort & that's how home should feel! That makes this method of finding your design style one of my favorites.

If you haven't ventured far out of your zip code, no worries, que the bucket list of places you plan to visit someday. You have them on your list for a reason! When it comes to decorating for the seasons & holidays I find myself wanting to incorporate things in subtly & not necessarily decorating so literally. I just don't have much by way of heart decor for Valentines day or bats for Halloween. The same rings true for pulling inspiration from travels. If you love Florida, it may not mean you want to decorate your home with seashells or maybe it does but what is it about Florida that you truly love? Glance back at travel photos & see if you can catch onto a recurring theme of where it is you love to snap a good family photo.

Not long after our trip to NOLA I was scouring the internet for a mural wallpaper. Many of the places in NOLA are adorned with bold patterned wallpaper & I knew I could make it work somewhere in our little home. Pretty quickly, I settled on a mural for our dining room. Something earthy & simple with trees (which also happen to resemble a mix of trees found in the Louisiana bayou) - Not going for Shrek vibes here but the green paint color we ended up going with for the bottom half of the wall actually even reminds us a little bit of the swamp! The biggest takeaway from how inspired I was by this particular trip was just how much I like things that are rich in history or at least appear that way.

(Brown Vase) (Rug) (Ballet Flats)

Another one of my favorite places in the states is Sedona, AZ. If you've never been.. do yourself a favor. Nothing beats the bold color palette of the red rocks in the southwest. While a "southwest" isn't my design style, there is still plenty for me to be inspired by. Since the color of the red rocks is what I love the most about Sedona, a rust colored vase or pink/red rug is a perfect nod. Sedona is also home to many potters & artists so something as simple as a clay pot pays homage to the history & lifestyle of the area.

Our most recent trip to the Amalfi Coast may or may not have me wanting a stone backsplash in our kitchen. Oops.

Happy traveling & happy decorating! Thanks for being here.

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