Does Travelling Inspire You to Decorate Your Home?

Published February 19, 2018 at 11:32 pm

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Interior design is the most important factor when choosing where to stay on holiday, a new poll finds, from apartment rentals to tree houses and igloos .

Four in 10 travellers (39 per cent) said aesthetics or the interior design of their holiday accommodation tops the list when choosing where to stay, according to a booking.com poll.

More than half (56 per cent) are so enthused by their holiday accommodation they say they’re inspired to decorate their own home when they return — 67 per cent among millennials.

Other factors which influence travellers’ plans to redecorate include the sights and sounds – such as colours and textiles – of their holiday (36 per cent) and being immersed in a new culture (32 per cent).

When choosing somewhere to stay, 70 per cent of travellers say that a key motivation is that the design is different to their own home.

Roughly 57 per cent say they enjoy being in a completely different setting since it helps them to get the most from their holiday.

Holiday rental homes offer more unique or unusual interior design than other types of holiday accommodation, and 34 per cent of travellers select rental homes for their inspirational decor, compared to just 25 per cent who select hotels on this same basis.

Roughly one-third (32 per cent) of travellers say they want to update their home because they like interior design that reminds them of happy times spent on holiday, and one in five (21 per cent) like to recreate their holiday experiences when back at home.

In addition to the interior of their holiday accommodation, taking wider inspiration from local design ranked highly (44 per cent) in influencing home redecoration; Helsinki (Finland); Copenhagen (Denmark); Eindhoven (Netherlands); Graz (Austria); and Milan (Italy) are the top five destinations endorsed for design globally by Booking.com travellers.

Other top sources that influence travellers’ plans to redecorate post-holiday include visiting museums, galleries or other places of interest (20 per cent).

Here are some design tips via Booking.com:

Turn the pieces you fell in love with and brought home from your holiday into statement design features in your house. For example, why not turn a basket into a unique lighting pendant over the dining table, or hang a rug behind the headboard of your bed? It’ll add an unexpected addition of colour, pattern and texture to the room.

If you loved the colours you saw when you were travelling but don’t know where to start in bringing them into your home, don’t fear. Look through all of the pictures and purchases you made (postcards, clothes, accessories) and see what the colour pattern is. It’s likely, you will have been drawn to one or two hues over others – those are the colours to pick up at the paint store.

Shop smart. You’ll fit a lot more local design pieces into your luggage if you leave behind the pieces you can buy back home. So if you find a set of throw pillows you love, take the covers and leave the inserts behind. For example, a neutral couch ‘redressed’ with a series of colourfully patterned kilim pillows from a Moroccan bazaar will immediately give a warm and exotic bohemian feel to your living room.

Scent can be powerful in transporting us back to a holiday. Did you love the feeling and smell of the fireside glow in your Scandinavian apartment? Buy a smoky-wood scented candle and light it on your next snow day to instantly feel like you are back by that cosy fireplace.

Colour is an emotive element of design and it’s perfect for recreating a holiday moment or favourite view back at home. Plus, if you love the colours that are around you, you’re likely to want to spend more time in the space – and, importantly, feel happier while you do. Why not DIY an ombre blue wall behind the bed or in your entryway to remind you of that Mediterranean trip of a lifetime? There are countless painting tutorials online that can guide you through creating a design statement such as this with paint.

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