Most holiday-goers know that bittersweet feeling that arrives when a fantastic holiday comes to an end. The moment you step back through your front door, the calm of that Spanish coastline or the buzz of that inner-city hotel in Tokyo can feel a world away. But, what if you could fill your home with that holiday feeling permanently? 

Transforming your living space with travel inspired decor and design is one of the best ways to keep your adventures alive. Whether you want to recreate your favourite minimalist Scandinavian escape or that luxury Mediterranean spa-like bathroom, you don’t need to bring in a professional or boast a big budget. With a few unique design choices, you can turn your home into the ultimate staycation sanctuary.

The benefits of travel inspired decor

Designing a home around your favourite global destinations goes beyond standard aesthetics. Surrounding yourself with travel related decor and location-specific design has a genuine impact on your daily well-being. 

Choosing a travel inspired theme allows you to:

  • Relive positive memories: Visual reminders of your favourite trips can lower stress and boost your mood. 
  • Express your personality: Moving away from generic showroom designs gives your home a unique feel that better reflects your character.
  • Feel more relaxed, more of the time: Holiday destinations are designed for relaxation, making them the perfect blueprint for bedrooms, bathrooms and living spaces. 

Our top tips to making your home feel like your favourite holiday destination

If you’re ready to bring your travel experiences into your interior design, the key is execution. The aim is to make your home feel curated and stylish while allowing it to boast the premium feel of a boutique holiday destination. Here are our top tips for successfully incorporating travel inspired wall decor and interior styling: 

1. Take inspiration from your favourite holiday destination

The key to creating the right staycation home for you is to let your preferred experiences and destinations guide your design choices. If you’re a frequent flyer through OR Tambo International and favour a Southern African flavour to your decor, be sure to let the vibrant colours and earthy textures inspire your home decor. Opting for our Marino Wood Effect wall panels and pairing them with bright, African inspired souvenirs will help your home feel more sub-Saharan. 

If you prefer visiting the Nordic countries, look at incorporating clean lines and muted tones. A great way to replicate the minimalist, natural feel often found in Nordic spaces is using Natural Oak Slat wall panels. These are a quick and cost-effective way to bring in both the clean lines and natural tones favoured in Nordic design.

A living room, decorated in warm-toned colours, sculptured artwork and recessed arched shelving. A large grey couch in front of the shelving, with a coffee table and armchair off to the side.

2. Tastefully incorporate your favourite travel souvenirs

It can be tempting to display every single item you collect on your travels, but this can quickly make a room feel chaotic. There are two things to focus on when incorporating travel souvenirs into your home: collecting them like an art curator and only displaying standout pieces that reflect your personal style. 

When it comes to collecting souvenirs, try incorporating a bit of the famous KonMari method, this is all about imagining the lifestyle you want to create from the space, and only keeping items that “spark joy”. 

By being mindful about your souvenirs, you’ll be able to easily weave them into your home. While you’re weaving, group your pieces together by category, so they look intentional, rather than accidental. 

3. Use gallery walls to highlight your favourite travel moments

Instead of letting your favourite holiday shots gather mental dust in your camera roll, bring them out of the archives and onto your walls. A curated gallery wall featuring your own travel photography is an excellent form of travel inspired wall decor. To keep it as cohesive as possible, opt for matching frames and a neutral backdrop. Our Matt White PVC wall panels are a great neutral backdrop that will make your travel photography pop. For guidance on how to hang frames on wall panels, read our guide. 

New kitchen in modern luxury home

4. Lean in to minimalist design

The reason luxury holiday accommodation feels so peaceful is the lack of clutter. When implementing travel themed room ideas, less is more. Focus on minimalism by investing in smart storage solutions and clean, sophisticated design. Clean walls, open spaces and minimal furnishings will immediately give any room an upscale, airy holiday vibe.

5. Keep track of timezones you hold close to your heart

A classic yet stylish way to embrace your love for travel, and specific destinations in particular, is by displaying multiple clocks showing different timezones. Purchase a few clocks that will blend well with your overall aesthetic and set them to the local times of places that hold special meaning to you. This way, you’ll always know what time it is in the city you got married, your favourite far-flung town and where family members live. 

A cost-effective way to get a hotel-inspired look at home

When we think of high-end holiday destinations, we often picture premium materials like solid wood, concrete or rare marble. For most UK homeowners and renovators, the cost and maintenance of these materials can be a barrier. Fortunately for you, there is a highly durable, budget-friendly solution that means you can get the same look for a fraction of the cost. 

Our extensive range of wall panels offers a cost-effective way to get the ideal boutique holiday look in any room of your home. DBS Bathroom panels come in a versatile range of designs, finishes and colours, which allows you to create the perfect travel-inspired design for you, whether you are going for a coastal Mediterranean look or a chic city-inspired escape. 

Easy to clean and requiring nothing more than a quick wipe down with warm soapy water, you don’t have to worry about high maintenance ruining your holiday aesthetic. Explore our wall panels today to create your perfect travel-inspired home!  

FAQs

How do you style travel-inspired decor so it looks modern and not cluttered?

To keep travel inspired decor looking sleek and modern, avoid displaying too many small trinkets at once. Focus on a minimalist approach by selecting one or two large statement pieces as focal points. Group your travel related decor by colour palette or region to create a cohesive narrative. 

Utilising high-quality wall coverings, such as stone or wood effect panels, provides a clean and structured backdrop that makes your travel items look like curated art pieces in a luxury boutique hotel.

Can I use wood slat panelling in a bathroom to get a hotel-style look?

Yes, you can use wood slat wall panels to achieve a beautiful, Scandinavian or boutique hotel aesthetic in your bathroom. While our acoustic wood slat panels are water-resistant, they are not 100% waterproof, meaning they should not be placed in direct contact with continuous running water, like inside a shower enclosure. However, they are completely safe to use in the dry areas of your bathroom or kitchen. Using a darker walnut or charcoal finish is a fantastic way to instantly create a bold, high-end hotel vibe.

What is the most cost-effective way to get a luxury marble hotel bathroom look at home?

The most affordable way to achieve a luxury hotel look is by opting for high-quality marble wall panels instead of real stone or ceramic tiles. Real marble is incredibly expensive to buy, heavy to transport and requires specialist installation. Traditional tiling also requires ongoing grout maintenance. 

Our marble effect PVC panels start from an affordable price point, look identical to the real thing and require no grout. They simply slot together using a tongue and groove system, giving you a premium, seamless finish for a fraction of the cost.

What are the best travel-inspired decor ideas for a Mediterranean-style wet room?

To recreate a bright, sun-soaked Mediterranean wet room, focus on light-reflective surfaces, earthy textures and waterproof materials. Since wet rooms are exposed to constant streaming water, you need a 100% waterproof solution. 

Our shower wall panels are ideal for creating a seamless, grout-free finish that mimics luxury coastal resorts. Opt for finishes like white marble, rustic stone or light concrete to capture the relaxed, stone-built architecture of the Mediterranean coast while keeping your space entirely hygienic and water-tight.