holiday romances
It’s never been easier to source items you’ve fallen for overseas, reports Mary Gold
GONE are the days when you’d go on holiday, pay for extra luggage and come back with something that you’re unlikely to find in Britain. That’s because it’s never been easier to recreate the look back home.
Indeed, we may be leaving Europe, but we’re growing more international when it comes to choosing our home decor.
‘The global trend is massive because it’s so easy to fly all over the world — easyJet even flies to Marrakesh now,’ says Susie Gibson, interiors expert at Next.
Spring collections are awash with elephant lamps, zebra figurines, llama prints and Japanese bed linen. Simple Moroccan lanterns in restrained, punched-metal onion shapes are fashionable, as are shaggy rugs inspired by Berber designs.
So far, so fabulously tasteful. But what if you like elements of all these looks? Is it OK to mix them up?
‘Well, yes, you can,’ says Gibson. ‘But you probably don’t want your whole house as a global experience, so use photos from magazines to create the look.’
Kane Pirie, founder of bespoke travel company Vivid, which offers holidays based around architecture and interiors, has found that many of his clients ‘tune in’ to the countries they visit so much that they want elements of those places in their homes.
He says: ‘There was a time when we went to Majorca and came back with a stuffed toy donkey wearing a sombrero. We’ve definitely come a long way since then. Certain countries have their own colour palettes — Far Eastern styles are black, white and red — and travellers pick up on what they like best.’
Pirie is a big admirer of Chinese sliding partitions to section off rooms and has used them in his homes in Chichester and Lancashire.
Japanese style is hugely popular and is set to get much bigger following the Rugby World Cup, which is being held there this autumn, and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Who would have thought that sport could influence interiors?
For its Global Collection, Next’s designers used Japanese paintbrushes to give it an authentic look.
SAFARI style is also big news, with searches on the Wayfair website up by 150 per cent in the past year. The company has a Midnight Safari collection with rattan furniture against a dark green palette, fruit-shaped lamps and wild animal figurines.
Wild animal lamps seem to be everywhere. Wilko does an affordable Savannah elephant version for £27.30, while Dunelm has a lamp featuring three dancing elephants for £45.
Dunelm also has a giraffe lamp for £55, as part of its global-inspired Cinnabar collection, while designer Abigail Ahern does an orange gorilla lamp for Debenhams for £76 (above). The Saletti monkey lamp for £100 from Private Floor is particularly fun.
Destination decor is not new to Habitat. It has been sourcing furniture and accessories from Thailand and Vietnam since the early Sixties and its rattan bed frames have been big sellers for decades.
Its Nadia rattan bed frame (£440) is lightweight and comes apart easily, so perfect if you are renting your house.
Adam Crudgington, of Habitat, believes overseas travel makes people think about the place they’re coming home to.
‘They often take a new look at where they live, compared with where they’ve been, and rattan and bamboo always give that holiday vibe.’
Abigail Ahern says: ‘What I see when I’m travelling filters into my designs. I think people like pieces in their home that bring a touch of culture and evoke that holiday happy place.
‘It might be an etched vase reminiscent of ethnic, hand- carved finishes, an embroidered wild animal themed cushion, or an oversized throw with huge pompoms — these kinds of items have an impact in a room and they spark lovely memories.’