Make your home a personal escape to the far and away

When I’m not traveling, you can often find me at home. Which is the reason why my apartment has to be perfect. A house is not a home until you turn it into your own place with your own style where you feel comfortable. Design it the way you want it, not how someone else wants it. It’s your own personal space where you can be yourself. Don’t copy others or recreate that room from the catalogue. You’ll get sick of it right away because it’s not who you are, not your own creation.

So if you want to make your place a home. Start thinking of the things you like, what you live for and try to integrate those things in your interior to give it a personal look. Start with a big piece or idea and build around it. You won’t be disappointed.

I just moved into my own apartment and I love to think about the interior design, the colors and the decorations. I really want my place to be my own temple, my personal escape, where I can recall memories of the past by pictures or souvenirs from my previous travels, where I can relax, where I can be creative and create plans for the future. It has to be a warm cozy place where I love to return to ànd it has to reflect my love for traveling.

Of course creating a home is a work in progress. Don’t expect it to be ready in a day, a week, a month or maybe a year. I just keep adding new items, until I’m satisfied.

First I sold my old IKEA stuff. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with IKEA. They have rather decent stuff, but I think it’s quite expensive for the quality you get and I don’t like people to come into my house saying “oh, that’s from IKEA, I have the same”. Knowing to have the same living room like thousands of others is not my idea of a personal style. And yes, you can make it your own by adding a personal touch, but still, everyone will recognize it and maybe even have it as well. For my rental apartment in the city, IKEA was handy because it was easy. The boxes fitted through the small window I had. But after 5 years I already felt sorry for spending that much money on this IKEA sofa, that wasn’t of good quality at all. (This is just my opinion, don’t hate me for it)

I knew I wanted to create a warm home, but I also wanted white walls, because it would look good in contrast with the furniture I dreamed of. White is a very cold color, but in combination with a darker wood and a contrast wall in a warm color it can look totally different. I chose to add warm colored furniture like a brown suede looking sofa and a massive oak sideboard, TV cabinet and coffee table. Even my bed is made of steamed oak. The darker colored wood gives my apartment a more tropical look, which was the plan all along. I want to create a space that breathes my love for traveling and will become my refuge. So when the sun shines into my living room, I can feel as if I’m somewhere abroad.

To add more personality to the rooms I add pictures and I plan to print giant posters of my best travel shots to hang on the walls. But as I said, it’s a work in progress. I have so many pictures that are worth hanging on the wall, but it’s hard to choose. They need to fit in the room, match the style. It’s also very expensive to print such large images so I have to save money for it first.

I also like to create a nice cozy vibe by using candlelight. I already bought so many candle holders. All inspired by foreign countries. For instance; I love the curls and colors of oriental lamps and I adore mosaics, so I can’t wait to shop at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul! (I still dream of a trip to Marrakesh. Anyone who wants to take me?) I also want to keep everything as natural as possible. Fake fur pillows and blankets in different kinds of beige and brown do the trick during Winter and I also love my cow skin magazine holder. For Summer I add more colored cushions with embroidery for a more oriental look. To add some life and more tropics I bought a nice golden cane palm and some flowers. This brings instant happiness to the place!

 

These are just a few things that I already used to decorate the place and it already looks very different and it makes it a little easier for me to be at home (I prefer traveling).

Currently I’m still looking for sidetables, a bookcase, a rug, … but it’s not easy, because I have certain styles in my head and I won’t buy something until I’m sure it’s exactly what I want (and it needs to be affordable). If I find them I’ll let you know!

Do you love to decorate your home with travel souvenirs  as well? Which are your favorite items in your interior? Don’t hesitate to share it in the comments down below!