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| First row: Cork globe / Hand painted globe / Wooden globe Second row: Upcycled vintage plate / Embroidery loop / Enamel mug Third row: Reykjavik skyline print / Mickey Mouse Christmas decoration / Oui Madame print Fourth row: Pressed silver fern / Jamaica bamboo tray / Kakapo print |
Do you swear, every year, that THIS year will be the year that you have a calm December? I absolutely do and then always end up laughing at how positively stupid I must be, because the last 31 days of every.single.year are always mental. In 2015, I had jury service, quit my job and went to Berlin. In 2016, I was a bridesmaid at a wedding and randomly decided to go to South Africa. And 2017? 16 days before Christmas, I’m moving house.
Now, as stressful and tiring as it is, it’s also super exciting as I’m moving in with a rather dashing bearded fellow who I’m quite attached to these days. Of course, he loves to travel as much as I do, and it’s something that we want to reflect in the decor of our new home, so like all digital-savvy people stuck in the evil London rental loop, I’ve been making wish lists left-right-and centre.
The obvious link to travel and home decor is globes and maps, and I actually want a few kind of dotted around. I like the idea of making them personalised, like the handwritten one from Not on the High Street, or the cork one from the Uncommon Goods* Christmas gifts section where you can insert pins in everywhere you’ve been (or plan to go!).
In a more subtle vein, I love the idea of having paper airplane motifs across items. Lord knows I love kitsch kitchenware, so the plate and mug are both perfect, but it’s the embroidery loop that I love. We’re a bit limited by what we can hang on the walls, so this smaller sort of decoration that we can prop on shelves is a good solution.
Of course, there’s our own personal travel associations too. We already picked up the copper Mickey Mouse Christmas decoration at Disneyland, but I’m not just looking for souvenirs whilst I’m away (although tell that to my credit card bill from Japan!). Etsy is so good for prints and I’m in love with the brightly coloured typographic one that hints to our trip to Paris, and the skyline of Reykjavik where we’ve recently returned from.
Even more personal to us both is that both of us have roots in foreign countries, and it’s so important to me that we show how proud we are of where we’re from around our home. My dad’s side of the family are Jamaican and my boyfriend was born and bred in New Zealand, and there’s little bits and bobs that I’ve found that I adore, including a pressed silver fern and a print of a NZ native bird called a kakapo who keeps us endlessly amused on YouTube.
We can’t be on holiday all of the time, so whilst we’re at home, it’s these little personal touches that rekindle memories and get us planning our next trip!
*This post is sponsored by UncommonGoods.com but all words and opinions are my own