This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Quetaines, travel memories? Not if they are carefully selected and treated with originality. Exit, the bowl of shellfish at the edge of the bathtub! The key to a successful layout, both modern and personal: we keep only the elements that arouse an emotion, then we integrate them harmoniously into our decor. “It’s much more than a trinket we bought at the airport! exclaims decorating expert Vanessa Sicotte. In these uncertain times when the possibilities of travel remain rather rare, bringing out objects unearthed abroad offers a form of comfort.
Yes to utility items
“When I’m looking for a travel souvenir, I like to choose useful objects rather than simply decorative ones,” says Vanessa Sicotte, author and creator of the Damask & Dentelle site. She gives the example of a large blue and white salad bowl brought back from Morocco. “Yes, it’s decorative and goes well with the decor, but we also use it. It doesn’t just take up space on the kitchen table! And every time I use it, I have a smile on my face thinking about this trip. In the same way, we can think, among other things, of reusing textiles to cover cushions or create a personalized duvet cover, suggests interior designer Jessica Locas.
Unity is strength
For maximum effect, you can choose to group together several small objects, says Vanessa Sicotte. “There is something playful and utterly charming about a collection,” she continues. Thus, we can present a set of candlesticks or vases from different sources on a side table. Or in the library, to break the rhythm and add diversity through the books. “When we mix different styles, we should still make sure to have a reminder – of color for example – so that it remains harmonious”, nevertheless specifies Jessica Locas.
For or against the photo gallery?
Some say the era of the frame gallery is over. Truly ? “Historically, the fashion for gallery walls dates back to the time of the great Parisian art fairs, towards the end of the 19th century.and century, says Vanessa Sicotte, emphasizing that this type of arrangement will therefore not disappear anytime soon. We’re not going to get our executives because magazines say it’s out of fashion! So that the travel photo gallery does not clash with the decor, we select shots whose colors and brightness blend well. “To give an impression of unity, we can simply print all our photos in black and white or even crop them to create more artistic and original images than the traditional landscape or monument photo that we see everywhere”, adds Jessica Locas. Some other ideas to jazz up the concept: hang our photos on a jute rope using mini-clothespins or glue several mosaic Polaroid-type prints to the wall to make a kind of temporary wallpaper. “When you’re tanned, it’s very easy to remove them,” says Vanessa Sicotte. We could do the same with postcards, continues the expert.
do it yourself
Vanessa Sicotte is a master in the art of transforming decorative objects – she did not host the defunct show Save the furniture for nothing. His travel memories are no exception either. “If we have, for example, a candle holder that clashes with our decor, but that we want to keep for sentimental reasons, I see no problem in repainting it, whether it is with spray paint or paint. in chalk. She also offers to make pretty souvenir boxes in which to store everything that evokes our trip (plane tickets, receipts and other small objects). To do this, sums up this passionate about DIY projects, we just have to decorate pretty wooden boxes “that you can find in all craft supply stores”. Something to combine the useful with the pleasant! Finally, if you are the type to accumulate dried flowers, pebbles and shells, you can also reproduce a still life in a 3D frame, commonly called ” shadow box “. This is the perfect activity to keep the kids busy during the upcoming spring break.
Precious olfactory memories
Our memory is filled with smells — that of Grandma’s apple pie, but also that of the salty air we breathe by the sea or that of a lavender field visited in Provence. “For me, Istanbul smells of spices, Paris, croissants, illustrates Vanessa Sicotte. It’s not something that we necessarily bring back, but we can try to recreate our olfactory memory. ” How? ‘Or’ What ? Thanks to a candle or an ambient perfume that evokes this place that still makes us dream. “We can even make our own candles and place the famous seashells that we collect every summer at the beach rather than letting them gather dust in the bathroom. »