Travelling creates an atmosphere of possibility and growth. But when you’re home, back to nine to five, the air of adventure subsides pretty quickly in the sandbox of daily routine.
If you can’t afford to travel all year long, you might want to consider bringing a foreign flair into your house. There are many small ideas that can lead to a major change of atmosphere on the way from your fridge to your couch.
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Maps
There is a certain charm to looking at maps. Being able to grasp distances between places, seeing where a country is located and suddenly realizing that the state of Alaska is almost half the size of the U.S itself. It all makes the world seem a little less daunting, more tangible and yet also full of opportunities for future adventures.
Image by Malloreigh via Flickr
Throughout the last years, maps have conquered walls, pillows, wallets and pencil cases. They are a timeless piece of décor that even when designed with a modern slant – still always manage to maintain a sense of nostalgia.
Image by Elizabeth Briel via Flickr
But there is more to a maps than just oceans, country outlines and capitals. “Map” is actually is a general term for many types of infographics. There are the traditional types showing countries and cities, but there are also creative options showing the world according to its illumination or, on a much smaller scale, the subway system of Tokyo for example.
There are a myriad of possibilities for decorating your home with maps:
- Get crafty. You can decorate pillows with maps, and even stitch travel routes on them. Not all maps have to be store-bought (or even accurate) to make a great visual impact.
- Add maps to your furniture. This coffee table was plain before. Gluing a map to the top completely changes its style and appearance.
- Scratch where you’ve been. Large maps with pins stuck on the places you have visited are pretty common. However, a relatively new trend is a little more interactive.
Travel Photography
Another great way to bring the world into your living room is photography. If you have an eye for the right framing and lighting, you can even use your own photos. Fancy equipment is not really essential nowadays. Most new smartphones capture images at a quality that’s fit for almost all poster sizes.
Image via decorallure
If you want to go a little more professional and artsy, there are great opportunities too. Lumas offers refined art photography – including many travel motifs – for reasonable prices. Yet in limited, certified editions so that you can be sure that your rival neighbor will not have the same picture hanging above their couch.
Suitcases and Shipping Crates
Whether you use it for storing magazines or go hands-on and build suitcase shelves yourself – a vintage travel trunk will add tons of character and interest to your space. You can usually find them in flea markets or antique shops.
Shipping crates have little to do with vacation, however they still spread an air of faraway places and lingering opportunities. Also, they are ideal side tables with extra room for storage and can be used and upcycled in many different ways.