Globally-inspired Design

Whether you just returned from your dream vacation or it is a fond memory of years past, we all like to re-live the days and weeks spent at our favorite destination. Undoubtedly, we have all brought home a special memento that might be sitting in a hall closet or packed away in the garage. Or we fell in love with the architecture of Europe or the vibrant color palate of Latin America.

Notable interior designer, Tineke Triggs, wants to provide home owners with her tips on tastefully incorporating favorite travel memories into a home’s interior design.

Tips from Tineke Triggs

1. Make a special piece from your trip the focal point of the room.

If you have an entry way or can make room on a book shelf, these pieces are great memories and can be great focal points to any room. They also can spark great conversation amongst your guests.

2. Tile patterns.

Tile comes in a variety of sizes, colors and patterns. Tiles from Morocco and Mexico are very popular and can transform a bathroom into a getaway.

3. Have an impact piece whose design is specific to your favorite part of the world.

It is easy to have a painting or art from your favorite travel place. “If you can’t afford to buy a new piece of art, have one of your travel photos blown up to 24 x 36 and frame it,” suggests Triggs. “I had a client do that with pictures of the Indian sea and they look beautiful and professional.”

4. Intricate lighting fixtures and wall sconces.

There are some great internationally-inspired lighting options out there. The right lighting can add charm and character to any room.

5. Pillows are an inexpensive way to add a regional flavor to a room.

There are hundreds of great, colorful fabrics out there from Africa, Latin America, Asia, India and more. Just buying a yard or two and making them into pillows for a bed or sofa can change the room.

6. Color your world!

Choose paint colors that match the palette of your favorite destination to help set the tone of the room. Accent a wall with a vibrant, saffron red for India or a royal blue for Paris.

One final piece of advice

“Try not to overdo it. Simplicity speaks volumes,” adds Triggs. “Just choose a couple of key ideas in order to create a space where you can re-live your favorite global getaway!”

Tineke Triggs has had her design projects grace the covers of national publications, and she has been the featured interior design expert in magazines and newspapers across the U.S. During her eighteen years as a top-producing rep, she began to apply her organizational and management skills to remodeling projects, where she also discovered her creative talent and eye for design. After designing and managing the remodels of over twenty homes in the course of eight years, she founded Artistic Designs for Living in 2002 to provide full-service interior design, space planning and project management for kitchens, baths and living spaces.

More information can be found at: www.artisticdesignsforliving.com

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Allison Neves has more than fifteen years of public relations experience, providing strategic and tactical PR services for a wide range of clients, from actors and musicians to non-profit organizations and high-tech companies. She currently works as the Communications Director for the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, which works to prevent avoidable blindness in the U.S. and abroad through public service and education. With parents from San Salvador and Hong Kong, Allison has made a personal commitment to reconnect with her roots by traveling extensively throughout Latin America and Asia. When she’s not trying to save the world one press releases at a time, Allison travels, practices Pilates, scuba dives, and hangs out with best friend and husband, Travis. A past recipient of the Bulldog Reporter’s Award of Excellence for Media Relations and Publicity, Allison has spent the last seven years volunteering as the PR Director for Little Kids Rock, a national non-profit music education program. She currently resides in the historic Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco.