Book Report: Travel Home

This month I pulled Travel Home - Design With A Global Spirit from my growing stack of unread home design books. This book came out in 2019 and was written by a mother daughter design duo that loves to travel and who rely on what they see and learn in their travels to influence their designs. Although the mother of the duo, Julie Goebel and the daughter, Caitlin Flemming travel the world together, they design independently. Julie, a retired teacher and now writer more often than a designer, and Caitlin with her own design firm.

In the book, the authors interview and feature the homes of a variety of extremely well traveled designers (fashion, interior, textiles, furniture) about how travel has influenced their careers and homes. After reading about each designer and seeing a glimpse of their homes, there are ten reflections on travel with each. To conclude each chapter the authors offer tips. The first chapter concludes with advice on collecting textiles; the second on sourcing and displaying artwork; the third creating a zen like home; the fourth about natural elements, the fifth on navigating flea markets; and finally how to fill a bookcase.

It almost feels unreal that the type of travel discussed in this book was so commonplace prior to 2020. Wanderlust sets in when reading this book for sure! Now is a great time to read it too as the world is opening back up and this book provides inspiration for traveling anywhere from your local flea market to the farthest corners of the world.

The common theme in this book is incorporating items that you love in your home and giving them "space to breath". The homes featured in this book are full of beautiful textiles, artwork, natural elements, and collected objects. Homes that hold this type of soul that evolves over time and years of travel often mix design styles and nonetheless as a whole stand harmonious and welcoming.

The following are a selection of images I took from the book that embody the theme. All original photos are by Peggy Wong. I will say that looking through this book enforces my belief that anything that has deep meaning and sentimentality to you can be beautiful in your home and should be! Make what you love a prominent part of the way you live at home, please.

This book is a great resource for helping to make your home a layered, curated reflection of you - traveling the globe or not. I know I will return to it many times and I think you would too!

Thank you for reading my Book Report. I hope a get a good grade lol :-). I will be back tomorrow with Vignettes of the Month. See you then.

Kerry