Five travel-inspired decorating ideas

“When I stay in someone’s home or a hotel, I always play a game in my head, thinking about what I would keep and what I would change if I lived there. For the things I’d keep, I work out how I can recreate the idea when I get home.”

-- Willeke Jongejan, Senior Global Colour Designer

“I find that you discover so much about a culture from the little things. Take food packaging – its design is different wherever you go. Every time I’m abroad I bring home a collection of labels, wrappers, printed leaflets – and use them for inspiration.”

-- Marieke van der Bruggen, Global Colour Designer

“One of my favourite hobbies abroad is to wander the streets of a city when the sun is going down and people start to turn their lights on indoors. I love to see how they live in the spaces they’ve decorated, and I always find an idea to take home.”

-- Heleen van Gent, Head of the Global Aesthetic Center

“Bars and restaurants are a great source of ideas for me. I take photos of everything from stools to ashtrays, glasses to mirrors. When I get home I try to find similar items online on sites like eBay and Etsy.”

--Marieke Wielinga, Global Colour Designer

“When I'm travelling, I like to collect fabric swatches. It could be a cushion, a scarf, a bit of upholstery – it doesn’t matter. Every destination has a different language of pattern and colour, and each will have an influence on my ideas at work and home.”

-- Louise Tod, Senior Global Colour Designer