How travel influences and inspires our design practice

Travel is the ultimate eye opener. It is emotional, evocative and thought provoking. In no other way do we engage all the senses like we do while travelling. The emotions we attach to new experiences allow us to return to our everyday and see our spaces with new inspiration, energy and ideas. As designers, our travel philosophy inspires our creativity and book of knowledge. We feel replenished by learning new customs, eating new foods and meeting new people. Experiencing architecture along with different ways of building and crafting things allows us to take from other places culturally and influence not only our home but our client’s homes as well.

*Grand Mosque courtyard with tile work grounded in neutral tones against a contrasted sky.*

Colour Outside the Lines
The tension of being in a new place, sometimes having to problem solve and sometimes not understanding a language, can help refine and sharpen our abilities in new ways. When we first arrive somewhere new, we walk. Walking helps us get the lay of the land and a sense of what we want to see more of. While walking, we notice things like street art, restaurant signage, curb appeal, local flavours, and other details that ignite our sense of sight. Colour, texture, and even messaging, helps to challenge our everyday notion of what design can be.

*An outdoor theatre in Jordan provides us with inspiration for our own Grove Theatre in Fenelon Falls!*

Art and Architecture
We use form and function a lot in our business. Things need to look good but they need to often serve a purpose and function for our lifestyle. Exploring architecture in old neighborhoods teaches about the traditional ways of building things and how the locals now use these same things. Finding museum archives means that the more we know about what we’re looking at, the more complete our experience will be. Sometimes it’s plain and simple, don’t try this at home but taking inspiration doesn’t mean it has to be built the exact same way!

Art and architecture on full display at the Treasury building at Petra in Jordan.

Ancient mosaics in Jordan provides an interesting view of historic colour and style.

Ancient tile design is always intriguing and offers new ways of thinking about mosaic design and using cultured stone.

Not What But Where
We don’t focus on what we stay in, but rather where. Taking in the local culture and vibe is about never being in our room. Getting out on the water, trails and meeting locals always ends up leading to what we see next. Making friends is the best tourist guide and being open to conversation about what you are seeing is most rewarding. Building and designing can be very much the same. Understanding lifestyle is fundamental in creating spaces that function for the types of activities and habits that are formed from living on lakes, close to woods and farmland. Being inspired in other countries can provide a new take on how homes and cottages can fit with the way we attach ourselves to the land. Seeing a sunset in a new place forms a special connection to that place and time.

Sunset over the Jordan Valley.

Infusing Inspiration
Local antique and artisanal markets give us a feel for local customs and products. This is most often where we find our souvenirs. Finding objects that can be used to accent home décor is one of the best ways to infuse your travel memories into your space. All too often we see collections that are hard to integrate because sometimes it becomes too interruptive for the new design flow. By selecting art and things like blankets, you can enhance and highlight a room making it a personal and unique space that feels like you.

*A Dubai market tests our fortitude for lighting samples!*

They wouldn’t let us take it home but we won’t forget Cartier at the Louvre!

A Little Bit City a Little Bit Country
We like to spend time in a city and then find where the city folk call their playground. This is a great way to experience both sides of a culture and its people. And while doing so, take the random streets, get lost…with a navigator of course! This always leads to the best discoveries and gives you a better flavour of where you are. Embracing both lifestyles is the creative benefit that we appreciate the most. Immersing ourselves means we discover new aesthetic forms, an altered design perspective, nuances and differences that challenge our design sensibilities at home.

Abrahamic Family House Abu Dhabi.

*The Dead Sea – You really do float!*
*Blue umbrellas dot beaches and provide inspiration against hues of taupe and beige.*

*A beach in Oman takes us out of the busy city hustle into quieter scenes for reflection and more views.*

Disrupting our everyday means our notion of design and creativity are challenged. It means enlightening our lives and ideas through new conversations, new sights and new cultures. This is the true intersection of travel and design. Both have an emotional connection for us and bringing that to our clients is important to stay current, relevant and interesting. Our clients are often well travelled, and being able to interpret and incorporate their travel sentiments and collections into a design, brings meaning to their project. Signing off to figure out what passport stamp we’re missing…

“We believe travel makes us do good work. Through our adventures our design work is honed, refined and challenged at the same time. Our creative minds are always restless, and may the world continue to positively feed our artistic development.”

— Chris Van Lierop