I was made to be an interior designer—it is absolutely how my brain works, it thrills my heart to get to be creative and solve problems, and I love that before-and-after tactile progress feeling! As a creative, there’s always a pressure, and desire, to produce new and interesting designs for each project. I want your home to look as unique and special as you deserve it to be! Traveling is an easy way for me to get interior design inspiration for just that purpose. Whether I’m at the Versailles Palace in France, or at Biltmore Estates in Asheville, NC, I’m looking for design inspiration to bring back with me! Keep reading to understand how travel fills my creative well, and to get ideas on how to incorporate travel inspiration into your life.

Interior Design Creativity

In case you can’t tell, one of my core values as a designer is creativity; even if the client is asking for “what everyone else wants,” I want to do it in a fresh way that I can be proud of. Because of that desire, I put a lot of pressure on myself to churn out ideas and churn out ideas and churn out ideas…you get the idea. Have you ever felt like that?

I follow Christoph Niemann, a professional artist, whose mantra is, “if you wait for inspiration to strike, you’re not a professional.” He says the work has a deadline—so, meet the deadline. I’ve used that concept to oppress myself before (haha!). And, while I think there is part of that idea that is healthy, there should be balance between pushing for an idea, and refilling your deep idea well in advance so that you don’t have to push so hard! I’ve learned that, for myself, if I can keep my idea well from becoming a dry and barren wasteland, I will be much happier with the designs I’m producing and, more importantly, my daily quality of life.

The same is likely true in your life and work. If you’re struggling to come up with new, creative solutions, maybe you need to get out of your routine and get inspired! Once you return, you’ll feel renewed in your spirit as well as full of new ideas.

Travel-Inspired Design

I use travel to refill my well: groundbreaking, I know. Anything different from my daily routine sparks rest, creative thoughts, new concepts, etc. Even just a day trip up to Muenster to get sausage, or out west for a dance, will help me switch from my habitual, task-focused checklist mind into my creative brain. I know I’m back in a good, creative place when I’m sitting on the flight doodling ideas for a font (like I care about fonts or even know what to do with one?!), or hiking Glacier National Park and planning fabric prints in my mind based on the water ripple patterns and stones on the hiking path. Haha!

So, what are some of the interior design lessons I’ve learned from my travels? I’m so glad you asked! After visiting Versailles, I was so encouraged by the wear-and-tear of the luxury materials. I know that sounds crazy to say! It really affirmed that we are supposed to LIVE in our homes—not save them for a future day. So, yes, the marble has been stained and the hardwood floors have worn down (for over 700 years!), but that doesn’t make the spaces any less beautiful.

After visiting Kenya, I came home and applied what I learned there—luxury comes from thoughtfulness. A thoughtfully designed space could mean it was designed to accommodate your family’s specific needs, or it beautifully highlights some of your favorite artifacts! It doesn’t necessarily mean we used the most expensive materials. It means we found quality, durable, and beautiful pieces that you’re going to love for a long time!

I don’t have an, “I went to Notre Dame and came home and put flying buttresses in my home” story for you, but that wouldn’t be the most practical execution of travel-inspired design anyway! It’s more about figuring out what caused the FEELING of the place, and making space for creating that feeling in your own home. A tea time in London was transformative? Set aside a cold Diet Coke every day at 4:30! It doesn’t have to be crazy to still be transformative!

To Be Continued

I’ll be writing more about this topic, and giving you specifics of the where, the when, the creativity that followed (!!) in the future. But, honestly, I needed to write this part for myself first. A not-so-gentle reminder to stop and unplug FOR MY GOOD.

Over the last year, I’ve felt that life is accelerating at a pace I’m not sure I can keep up with, and writing this down helped me see why. If I’m totally focused on accomplishing design task after design task, instead of ever sparking my design joy, then I’ll slowly wear down, lose hope, and get stuck in a loop of accomplishment. That’s not the life I’m trying to create for myself!

Have you found any design inspiration from your travels? Next time you reach out for an initial consultation, let me know! I’d love to talk about how we can incorporate that feeling into your spaces.