Vacation Decor Inspiration
Do you have a Mickey Mouse shower curtain with matching towels and a matching toothbrush holder? Maybe a set of lighthouse salt and pepper shakers? Or do your pillows show the longitude and latitude of Nantucket? In most homes, you can find items that were dragged back from a vacation. But why?
Vacations are epic to the person(s) planning them. They are saved for and micro-planned for months, with an almost daily countdown by parents and children alike. Our lives of discipline, demands, and stressors are somehow softened as we become hyper-focused on those few days circled on the calendar. “Only two more weeks.” Only three more days!” When it’s finally time, we lose our minds. Discipline is gone. Budgets are forgotten, and somehow ketch novelties are a must-have.
I’m going to speculate that most readers have been to Disney World. But if you have not, let me fill you in. In every possible location within their massive prosperities, there is merchandise for sale. In the parks, at their hotels, and at their restaurants, you will find every conceivable interpretation of theme and character. And after a full day at the parks, be sure to check out Downtown Disney, where you will discover the expanse of all things Disney, which is available in every conceivable housewares item!
So there you are, in the happiest place in the world after a complete indoctrination to the Disney brand, and all of a sudden, you have to have Disney décor in your home! And of course, this isn’t real money… IT’ S VACATION MONEY!
Time to redirect. What if I told you that your own home could give you the pleasure of vacation year-round. There is a reason we vacation in the locations we choose. They speak to us. And when we find our someplace special, we want to return again and again. My place is Maine, and I have just returned.
A home can take on the elements that drew you to that vacation location. If you are drawn to the beach, trust me when I say that you will not find your desired home design with a lifeguard stand-shaped napkin holder. If you want to feel what you feel when you are vacationing, then pay attention to the colors and emotional vibe of where you are at. Take photos—close-ups like the beach between your feet. Now, look at the colors and textures. If you look at the sand and stones, the water and sky, and now apply that palette to your home, you will begin to feel the same emotions of that special place.
Look closely. Look at the tones. Create your Mood Board of decorating choices utilizing these photos. Is your special place bright and airy, or is it moody and dark? Lighting and window treatments will alter a home's emotional message. Materials that are heavy or light do that as well. A photo of your favorite view from your tent flap, filled with deep greens and tree bark, and the broken light from the tree canopy is an amazing place to start recreating your emotional response to your own home décor.
The Maine coast is my happy place. (Maybe it’s the inner “Coastal Grandmother” in me… but that’s for my next blog.) But loving Maine does not mean I want lobster pillows on my couch. Why? Because in order to feel an emotional response to your home's “Vacation Inspiration” design, you don’t want to be literal. You want to be sub-liminal. You are conveying a feeling.
So let’s break down a photo inspiration captured while hiking in one of my favorite locations. Notice the almost copper-like tones. Notice the wood and the collage of colors and textures form the forest floor.
Let’s see that again, this time the beach.
As you can see, our “Mood Board” reflects the textures and quality found in our special spaces. And Miss Mustard Seed’s® Milk Paint completes the picture with an incredibly diverse palette of colors.
One more point I should make. Picking up momentos from your vacation should be a must. Choose items that will give you that eclectic, well-traveled vibe. Reminisce as you use that piece of Venician glass from Venice or the tumblers from wine country. But most importantly, enjoy your Sunday mornings with your Mickey Mouse Waffle Maker!
