Traveling changes lives and opens people to new ideas, perspectives, and opinions. I believe it is something that everyone needs to do to understand the world around them. In 2017, I did just that and traveled the world for a full year, living in a different country each month.

The journey changed me. It made me appreciate what I was born into (a upper middle class home in New York), and inspired me to help others in achieving the same realization and education. The reality is that traveling is not just fun it is truly an education. It is a better teacher than any classroom. When I returned back to New York, after having so many incredible experiences (read about the best, worst, and more here), I knew I needed to give myself time to reflect.

What better way to reflect on the life-changing journey than by creating my own travel inspired haven about it in my house? It was then that I began thinking up ways to turn my office space, into an oasis for me to reflect on past journeys, and get inspired for future ones.

I started with the color scheme. Since Cyprus was my favorite country, I choose a pallet that reminded me of it. I selected a variety of different blue tones to reflect the Mediterranean Sea, and golden sandy shades to embody the coastal rock. Another great idea is to turn some of your travel photos into an oil painting. You can do that with Maven Art.

For furniture, I purchased a lovely white sideboard from Homegoods with carved designs that reminded me of my second favorite destination, Bali. Though the carvings were from India (a place a hope to visit someday), they had similar influences to the Indonesian designs (which are the same religion as India). The circular patterns complimented both the rug from Overstock.com and the Mantra Globe Lantern from Zola.com.

For a lounging chair, I choose a plush deep blue loveseat with golden pillows. This worked well with the Mediterranean color scheme, and also served as a great read nook. For a side table, I got an airy white cottage table from Zola.com and put freshly picked pink peonies from the garden on it.

Before beginning my design journey, I knew that I would have to use some of the incredible photos I captured during the trip. To display my images on the large wall above the chair I got the iron world map from Hoagard and placed images strategically around it, starting with my home base, NYC. I absolutely love how this came out!

Next up, I designed two photo frames. The first showcase the parts of Cyprus that inspired the color design. I selected three photos, a main which gives a broad overview of the Cypriot coast, and two complimentary shots showing the aqua blue water, and golden sand.

The second frame was a dear memory of Luis and mine. It was the first month of our travels and we took a sunrise horseback ride up a mountain with a Gaucho. That experience will stay with us forever, and I wanted to make sure I memorialized that! To see that experience, watch the video here (and subscribe!)

To pull together the final touches of the room, I selected accessories that complimented the travel vibe. I placed a MOVA globe on the side table next to my desk. It is truly unique because it peacefully spins slowly as I dream about new travels! The science behind this is fascinating. This external layer remains stationary while an internal one spins using advanced magnets for torque and solar cells to power the movement.

I also added a Leclair 18’ vase from Zola next to the TV. The inspiration behind this was to highlight the incredible ceramic designs that were done by craftsmen in the Mediterranean thousands of years ago. Plus, the colors of the vase worked with the Cypriot color scheme, and sandy vibes.

Lastly, I created a scrapbook with Luis of our favorite memories, and two artistic photo albums from Artifact Uprising, which showcase every country in our year long trip. The professional quality of the photo albums gives a high-end vibe and makes my photography stand out.

Having a travel inspired room makes me happy to come in my office everyday and dream up new ways to make our world a better place. It is truly a haven in my house that I go to relax and reflect.  

Thank you Zola, Hoagard, MOVA globes, and Artifact Uprising for providing me with the materials to make this peaceful global escape for me. If you’re interested in shopping on Zola, use my link here to sign up and you will receive $50 of credit.