Chic Home Decor From Around the World
The Dream
For many of us it’s a lifelong dream … hop on a plane and see all the wonders of the world, big and small, from London to Timbuktu. Among these would-be explorers there are a certain number who fantasize about the magical day they can achieve their dreams, but know it may be a very long time until they can make it happen. If you aren’t yet able to go see the world, bring the world to you!
Home decorating is an art, and in this modern era very few rooms are actually created without some sort of theme involved. There are country themes, seaside themes, food themes, Victorian themes. Every room is unique. So, for the aspiring traveler, what better way to indulge your passion than to create a world travel room? It’s easy to do, and whenever you long to “see the world,” it can be your own special oasis.
Getting Started
Spare rooms are an empty canvas waiting to be splashed with the decor of your choice. If you have a spare room or want to redo an existing one, there are some great ideas on how to make it into a travel room that will have family and friends talking. Walls are the first things to be taken care of; there are many ideas here. From Southwestern stucco to huge wallpaper murals that look as if you’re peering into another country, wall treatments for travel rooms abound. If you’re interested in a particular country, find out what the colors of your country’s flag are, and go crazy! If it’s Canada, for instance, with a red and white flag, paint the walls red and the trim white, or vice versa. If you’re artsy you can paint a maple leap in the middle of the wall for a creative approach, or have maple leaf memorabilia strewn around.
Once the walls are painted, covered with stucco, or decorated, it’s time for furniture! It’s fun to pick out different pieces of furniture in the styles of different lands. Sure, a whole set (table, sofa, chairs, end tables) in a French provincial design are nice-looking, but what about a Chinese end table, an African stool, an English colonial sofa and a French chair? This adds diversity, creativity, and many different eye-pleasing shapes and styles to your room. Choose a few major pieces of furniture, and then add end tables and small accent pieces.
When walls are finished and furniture is placed, that’s when the fun truly begins! There is no limit to decorating. From wall hangings (try Italian tapestries, African masks or posters/prints of famous places) to collectibles (Russian nesting dolls, German beer steins, or Norwegian trolls) this will be the truly fun part of your travel room. In my own travel room I have various bookcases, the same size but different wood tones, to showcase my multi-country collections. You could try this, using bookcases or tables in a myriad of sizes to showcase anything you collect from a distant land.
A Different Approach
If you want to mix a bit of history with your travel room and make it a “history of the world” room such as I have done, there are many great choices for collectibles and decorative pieces:
– – A Greek or Roman bust. These look very classy and bring a sense of romance
– – Urns or vases. Greeks used huge decorated urns and clay pots, covered with many different designs and colors. A reproduction would look great strategically placed in a corner
– – Historical art prints. From battles to historical personalities, there are millions of choices for historical art. A framed print of a major battle in history is sure to give your travel room an artistic flair, or perhaps a portrait of someone in history you may admire
Even if you decide not to include history decor, there are plenty of ideas for a travel room:
– – Pillows. Tapestry pillows featuring Rome or Paris can be found in online places that sell unique gifts, and they look great lying on an otherwise ordinary chair or sofa. Afghans with famous places are another choice, if you know how to hunt in the right place
– – Maps. A huge map wall mural (or a real map, if it can be rid of its fold marks) is a great choice for wall decoration. Old World maps, especially, lend a classy air and are a striking reminder of your fascination with the world around you
– – A globe. As I have found, a globe – not necessarily what would be called “fancy,” but just a regular rotating globe – adds a wonderful effect to a travel room and can in some places be the main focal point. Any true “explorer” should finish his or her travel room with a globe!
– -Rugs. Tapestry rugs thrown around a room create a cozy atmosphere and can be decorations in themselves, like art for your floors! Try finding a rug with a Paris street scene, Indian elephants, or any other historical, cultural or tropical theme. For a cheap alternative, look in a chain department store for bathroom rugs – sometimes bath set rugs come in themes such as exotic India or tropical palm tree and look just the same on your floor as an expensive tapestry rug.
The Desired Effect
The most basic thing to remember is, don’t just emulate other ethnic decorating styles; be unique! If you see someone’s room with a certain decorative piece and you wish to incorporate that into your own room, that’s fine, but the design should be uniquely yours. After all, you want to leave your own signature. One way to do this would be to include pieces from countries that mean something to you personally. Find out where your ancestors came from. Create a room that reflects these countries, and it will be even closer to your heart. If you have many different ancestral countries, have one wall for one culture, another wall for another culture, and so on. There are no right or wrong decorating choices; it’s all up to you.
