Bring a bit of your holiday to your living room

Going away on vacation is a wonderful experience. If you suffer from a severe case of the travel-bug then chances are good that your home is brimming with souvenirs, shells, art pieces, paintings, photos and even ticket stubs that you’ve collected on your numerous trips.

These knick-knacks are probably just randomly placed inside your house or safely stored away in shoeboxes or folders, gathering dust and serving no purpose. This definitely shouldn’t be the case. These keepsakes represent priceless memories of the fun and good times you had on your holidays and should be treated with the honor they deserve.

Instead of hiding them away, why not incorporate them into your home? Find creative ways of displaying your treasures, while adding depth, personality and dimension to your living area. Incorporating them into your home also offers a perfect way to share the richness and beauty of your travels with your family.

There are two main ways through which you can creatively display your precious mementos in your home. 

Both are discussed below:

• Making your treasures the focal point of your living room.

There are several ways to make your travel souvenirs the focal point of your room. You can opt to prominently display various small pieces such as shells or small sculptures atop a side cabinet or cupboard. Alternatively, you can create bespoke fitted box units or shelves to fit some of your treasures.

Another great way to exhibit them is by creating an accent wall. Select a wall without doors or windows, then hang up any paintings, framed photos, postcards or keepsakes you have. Items such as ticket stubs, pebbles, beads and other tiny odds and ends can be put in mason jars and displayed on low shelves that are artistically placed along this wall.

For a more creative look, try using decorative window shutters as room dividers to set apart this corner of the room. Taller items such as large sculptures, baskets or storage chests can be placed along the wall to serve the same purpose.

• Creating a themed living room.

If you’ve picked up lots of relics from a particular country or region, you can consider creating a themed living room to display them. This would require giving the whole room a makeover, borrowing inspiration from your travels. For instance, if you fell in love with Africa on your travels, create a safari-themed room, if you love the Mediterranean culture, think about running with a Tuscan theme.

You need to consider the color palette to use as well as the best furniture to complement your theme. Tastefully and strategically place your treasures in the room to draw the eye. To add interesting contrast, try to vary the texture of objects in the room. You can choose smooth fabrics for the seats and cushions and woven rugs for the floors.

To successfully pull off a themed-room look, try not to overdo things. Practice restraint and keep things simple to avoid creating a cluttered room. Other than that, give your creative side free rein and bring your living room to life.