I’ve stopped scrolling Pinterest for home inspiration – I find the best ideas on holiday instead

Content creator Lucy Kalice is one of Ideal Home's Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on cleaning, home decor and making the most of small spaces. See the rest of her articles here.

Hello from Canada! The land of maple syrup, bears and ice hockey. And the place I have the pleasure of writing this weeks article from. It’s actually the place I wrote my first ever Ideal Home article over a year ago (whose been a reader since day 1?).

Now I love holidays as much as the next person. I’d go as far as saying that going on holiday and staying in lovely places is my favourite hobby...annoyingly not the cheapest of hobbies but alas it it’s a hobby nonetheless!

There’s the obvious things to look forward to on holiday - trying new delicious food, exploring amazing different cultures, sunbathing whilst getting lost in a book (I’m a real sun-lover and bookworm). Oh and how could I forget, not having to do any washing up or laundry!

But another thing that I really look forward to is the interiors. I love looking at all the furniture in hotels, noticing the different textures and patterns used which create the mood. I notice all the scents used in hotel rooms, what candles they’ve got which add to the ambience and how it makes the place feel. I love using all the different tableware in restaurants (especially the wine glasses) and I even love browsing in homeware shops.

I get so much inspiration from these spaces because it’s not what I’m used to seeing. On a day to day basis we wake up in our own home with our own home comforts. But when you’re away you’re thrust into an entirely different world. So I’m always looking to see if there’s anything I can bring back home with me or a design feature that would work in my house. And it’s just so different from just scrolling past something on Instagram or Pinterest, you actually get to touch it, feel it and use it.

The best part about getting this inspiration whilst your on holiday is that the touches that you do take back home with you, will also remind you of the holidays or places you’ve visited! I mean why wouldn’t you want a home curated from all your favourite places?!

So I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite finds and how I’d love to one day incorporate them into my home.

Bahamas

My husband and I went on our honeymoon to the Bahamas in May and I quickly fell in love with the place, especially the Caribbean interiors.

This is the restaurant in Coral Sands hotel. The attention to detail was second to none - from the painted ceilings, to the checkered tile flooring. There were shells everywhere and pink everywhere…my absolute dream!

It was the kind of interior that scratched an itch in my brain and I simply fell in love. Now I want to incorporate as many shells in my own home so that it’ll remind me of this special island.

I love love LOVED these shell bar stools. The pink interiors were so fun and it’s taught me to not be afraid of colour. I’ve been so inspired that we are actually planning to redecorate our downstairs toilet and the theme is pink and shells!

Paris

If you’ve been to Paris you will have absolutely seen the bistro chairs they have there. They are everywhere and they are iconic. I think they have so much character and look so chic.

In the future I’d love to have a patio table surrounded by these chairs in orange. How fun would that be! And it’ll always remind me of my trips to Paris.

Naples

The hotel that we stayed in when we visited Naples had this huge mirror attached to the inside of the window frame. In my home we don’t have space in our bathroom for a mirror on the wall, so instead we have one of those tiny freestanding mirrors on the windowsill.

After a few days of using the hotel mirror I knew it would work perfectly in our bathroom. Not only that but it looks gorgeous too, so we plan to install one in our bathroom.

So I urge you, next time your on holiday, a staycation or a night away, if you like something take a picture! If it’s a vase, a chest of drawers or a bathroom tile, it’s the perfect time to get inspiration for your own home. And slowly but surely you’ll create a home that’s filled with such special memories and is completely personal to you!