Home Decor - Travel Wall

Last month, I mentioned I was redecorating my living room. We got a new sofa after not having one for at least six months--we sat in office chairs in our living room, because I could NOT find what I wanted. I wanted a lightish gray sofa, and something that could be easily cleaned. I searched for a while and nearly settled on outdoor furniture. Then we found two sectional pieces, in light gray leather, on SALE even, that worked really well for our space. SCORE!

But I digress. I don't really want to talk about my sofa today. I want to talk about what's on the wall above my sofa. I call it our Travel Wall. The Travel Wall includes items that we have picked up from our trips or represent a place we have been somehow.

I am enamored with traveling. I love each part of the process: deciding where to go, reading travel books, planning the trip, the butterflies in the weeks before we leave, experiencing new cultures, foods and languages, getting lost, meeting new people, returning home, going through mementos and pictures, and telling our stories, the good and ugly.  Since our 2008 honeymoon in St. Lucia, we have been fortunate enough to travel somewhere new every year.  We've been to London (and a few surrounding areas in England), Paris, all over Italy, Ireland and Scotland.  And we stayed stateside one year and went to Las Vegas, then to the Grand Canyon and a bit through Arizona.

So here is part of our new living space (and that's Kitty)! 

So, let me tell you a bit about what we have on the Travel Wall (because the best part is being able to share the stories)...

1. This is a print that we picked up in Northern Ireland at The Giant's Causeway.  Seriously, this was my favorite place to visit in Ireland.  It's a UNESCO World Heritage Sight and part of Northern Ireland's National Trust.  It is a piece of the coast that has naturally formed basalt stone columns that are beautiful. The place feels magical.

2. This is a print from this Etsy seller. It features a the streets of London as a map. I love getting up close and reading through it, remembering the places we visited.

3. Love this little cat.  It's an original watercolor that we purchased from a street artist in Siena, Italy.

4. This is a print from this Etsy shop. I have been lusting after Lucile's watercolors for some time now.  It's a map of Italy, on which Lucile has painted different regional Italian foods.  Needless to say, the food we had in Italy was ridiculously good.  And the wine....so much wine!

5. I love to have a map of the world in the house.  I love to use it for reference...and daydreaming...

6. This is a fun, stylized sheep on a tiny canvas that we picked up in Scotland at a handmade craft show!  I was so excited to find this little show--there were so many cute things.

7.  I used to have a larger world map, and these two pieces are sections cut from that map (the Caribbean and Europe.)

8. This used to be a reusable bag.  We went to the Grand Canyon in  2011 and have been using this bag ever since, until just recently when the handle started to tear.  So, I decided to cut out the panel and frame it!

We also picked up some fun coasters in Ireland, and I like to display one or two of my favorite photos from our trips.  Below you can see a photo of the gargoyle's view of Paris from Notre Dame Cathedral. 

Oh, and do you see the books on the table?  We may or may not be planning another trip....(EXCITED!)

How do you like to remember the places where you've been?