Designing with Souvenirs
Bring Your Summer Vacation Home With a Chic Addition to Your Interior
Coming home from vacation is just the worst, isn't it? You have to get back into the swing of your daily routine while dreaming of the last week of bliss. We all bring home some kind of souvenir from a great vacation to remember the time we had there. But, when you get your keepsake home it oftentimes gets tossed in a box, filed away in a photo album, or just thrown away.
If you get creative, you can find ways to incorporate your treasures into the design of your space in a chic way. Not only will it be a beautiful reminder of your fabulous vacation, but having a project to throw yourself into will help cushion the blow of post-vacation blues.
If you get creative, you can find ways to incorporate your treasures into the design of your space in a chic way. Not only will it be a beautiful reminder of your fabulous vacation, but having a project to throw yourself into will help cushion the blow of post-vacation blues.
The designer of this residence created an entire backlit architectural feature to highlight a 20-year collection of miniature liquor bottles that these homeowners have collected. This is a creative way to highlight a long-running collection of souvenirs and a great way to toast to your travels.
by Kerrie L. Kelly
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Revisiting the streets you traveled and the cross streets you stayed on can be a fantastic reminder of a favorite place you visited. I love the way this blueprint-like map was turned into art.
You can also collect maps over time of the places you visit over the years and create an art wall. This gallery style display gives this home a well-traveled feel allowing the homeowners to reminisce about all their vacations past.
Perhaps the most collected summer souvenir is the shell. I like to collect my shells in a bowl for display, similar to the living room here. It's a great way to casually display your pieces and have the flexibility to add to it with each vacation.
Another great way to display your shells is to use them more as sculptural art. The casual living room here displays shells in a bookshelf that is back painted in a contrasting color, allowing the shells to pop. This can be done using any souvenir. African masks, plates, ancient currency pieces, and many other collectible sculptural pieces would look great in a setting like this and helps set the tone for the space.
An artful display in a shadowbox is a beautiful way to display souvenirs. You can add to this over time with a note or placard stating when and where you collected your souvenir. These shells look gorgeous, but you can also use this method to display airplane tickets, subway cards, chopsticks, or any other trinket collected from your vacation.
I love the way these bottle caps were framed in these shadowboxes. It's a great way to preserve memories on a smaller scale. You can create an ongoing collection from your vacations over the years using bottle caps, ticket stubs, or any other type of collected trinket. The beauty of shadowboxes is that you can customize them and artfully display just about anything that will fit inside.
Apothecary Jars - $15.00 »
Apothecary jars are a great way to contain odds and ends from vacation. You can store shells, tickets from Broadway shows, or even sand from your favorite beach. It's a perfect way to control the chaos of some of your favorite trinkets.
This children's room shows a great example of a collection of baubles stored in a clear jar. Not only does it keep your trinkets organized, but it also complements the room nicely.
by The Locker
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If you still have odds and ends that just don't look great displayed in the open, some vintage suitcases can lend a warm, traveled feel and do double duty providing some extra storage. Stacking them also allows for them to function as a side table.
Of course, the most memorable mementos from vacations are photographs. This seating area displays photographs taken of children from across the world. Create a collection of photos taken over the years or switch them out with photos after every family trip. The key to an artful display is to keep the photos in a uniform size using uniform frames for a clean look.
Summer vacation is where some of your best memories are created. It's important to be able to keep those memories alive so display these memories in a creative way to best preserve some favorite travel spots.
More Summer Inspiration:
5 Easy Ways to Summer-ize Your Home
Great Designs for Summer Lounging
10 Summer Essentials
Summer vacation is where some of your best memories are created. It's important to be able to keep those memories alive so display these memories in a creative way to best preserve some favorite travel spots.
More Summer Inspiration:
5 Easy Ways to Summer-ize Your Home
Great Designs for Summer Lounging
10 Summer Essentials
Comments
Jan Yatsko My travel souvenirs are the ones I create myself. I sketch and paint with my Derwent Inktense water pencils in my travel art journal. When I return home, I make photocopies to share with friends and family and frame the ones I like. Looking at them takes me back to the spot with all the smells, sounds, etc. during that time spent in quiet art meditation. Taking a quick photo and moving on just doesn't allow time for all the senses to kick in.
22 months ago · Like
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InterDesign Studio Vintage souvernoir architectural pieces add a whimsical feel to this otherwise formal mantle. 
22 months ago · Like
