2023 Travel Destinations for Design Inspiration

Traveling truly does feed my soul and it is incredibly influential on my personal design aesthetic.

Travel-inspired design isn’t just about bringing home trinkets from your trips to put on a shelf. It’s about experiencing different cultures, environments and ways of life, and then incorporating those things that speak to you into your home and daily rituals.

While others are making New Year’s resolutions, I’m busy making my yearly travel schedule every January. As the snow piles up and the lake freezes over outside my windows, I like to sit down and think about new places I’m itching to explore and old favorites I’m ready to see again. From desert wellness getaways to European flea markets, here’s a little sneak peek into my travel plans so far for 2023.

2023 Travel Destinations for Design Inspiration

New Places

• Sedona, Arizona
  When you spend a lot of time in Minneapolis winters, a warm weather retreat is always welcome. Sedona is well known for its healing energy, great hiking, and chill vibe. Going there in January with close friends is a great way to reset and start the new year. I’m looking forward to soaking up the sun, the muted yet stunning desert palette and maybe even an energy vortex or two.
   

• Palm Springs, California
  Surprisingly, I’ve never made it to Palm Springs, which is known for its mid-century design vibes and one-of-a-kind hospitality experiences. This year I’ll be attending their post modernism week in February, and I’m excited to see what kind of design inspiration comes from it.
  

• Round Top, Texas
  Traveling across the globe or across the country to source timeless furnishings that have been well loved is always a treat. Getting to do that somewhere new for the first time adds even more excitement. Round Top, Texas is well known for its “Big Time Small” antique show. Smack dab between Austin and Houston, Round Top’s appeal has always been that it’s not a big city experience, but that its shows deliver as if it was.
  

• Milan, Italy
  Milan’s annual furniture fair, Salone Internazionale del Mobile, is one of the premier places to see home design products being unveiled for the first time. This showcase for creativity is a bucket list item for industry professionals with an annual attendance of over 370,000 people. Last year I attended Maison&Objet in Paris, and came home with loads of inspiration, so I can’t wait to see what comes out of this show. Additionally, being in Europe makes it easy to see a few old favorites . . .
  
  

It's Been a While

• Antwerp, Belgium

  Speaking of which, Antwerp is one of my favorite old world European cities and it’s been too long since I was last there. The city is known for incredible architectural style, fashion, home design, and all things hospitality including luxurious hotels and amazing food.  
  

• Copenhagen, Denmark

  If Antwerp is old world, then Copenhagen has a more modern sensibility, influenced in part by the Copenhagen School of Design and Technology. It is also a city highly focused on sustainability and has been influential in positively impacting the environmental awareness in the business of home and fashion.
  

• The American South - Road Trip
  Like many people, our family took multiple road trips during the height of pandemic when other forms of mass travel were out of the question. The upside to this was that these road trips opened my eyes to really amazing towns doing very cool things design-wise. Places like Fairhope, Alabama; Alys and Rosemary Beaches in Florida; Laurel, Mississippi and Waco, Texas. Driving through these places gave me the time to see first-hand the impact design was having on their communities to thrive economically. This year we plan on doing something similar but this time along the southeastern seaboard for a leisurely treasure hunt.

Old Favorites

• San Francisco, California
  When I think of premier design centers, San Francisco has one of the best globally. It is thriving, relevant, and accessible, making for a successful sourcing trip anytime. And being a fan of the blended work trip, it’s a great opportunity to sneak up to Napa for some “me” time!
  

• London and Paris
  Europe has fantastic trade shows, whether it’s Maison&Objet, Ambiente, Salone del Mobile, or London Design week, sometimes it feels like too many options. Since I can’t possibly see them all every year, I set a goal of seeing one to two shows. But no matter what you chose, you’re in the neighborhood of London and Paris and both are worth the time to stop and shop. If you absolutely had to choose between the two, I would suggest Paris. There you’ll find brands that are harder to find in the US, great art galleries at all price points, and of course Les Puces Paris Flea market for all things collected décor.

  Pro tip – set up a private guided shopping tour of the market to help with where to go, negotiations, and shipping/customs.