Or Nomad – Bringing Your Travels Home is the title of Sibella Court’s latest book. It’s a photographic collection of travel shots and styled spaces. She has globetrotted and treasure-hunted to Japan, Italy, India, Syria and Mexico. Each place make a flavour with colour palettes and misc. stories. Room settings are inspired by ideas, photos and mementos, showing that any decorative background can be restyled with travel touches.

I realized I haven’t written a review about Sibella Court’s book Etcetera, but in comparison, Nomad is (imho) much more interesting. While Etcetera represents what I regard as typical Sibella Court-style – the glass jars, treasures from the bottom of the ocean, and ethnic-eclectic on smokey white vintage backdrops – Nomad takes a global step forward and delivers insprition from all over the world, still Sibella Court-ish and very likeable. My personal favourite among the exotic interior travels in the book is, at least after a first glance, Mexico!

Decorating a home is – like many other things in life -  a journey. But one needs not go travelling all around the globe in order to embrace the globetrotter approach to interior style. No tickets needed, just open this book and indulge! Or any other book, or movie or people’s home or nature or whatever inspires you. It is actually, in Sibella Court’s words, a matter of seeing things in a new way. And bringing it home. Sibella’s decor philosophy is about adding and subtracting, rearranging and recycling, transforming and rethinking a space to reflect your personality, lifestyle and adventures. The ideas can be as simple as painting a wall or creating a new ‘art wall’ or layering different textiles on your bed or hanging a new piece of fabric over your window. What the book Nomad wants to do, and does, is help open your eyes and fuel your imagination. After all, decor is all about stories and things reflecting you and your life. After reading Nomad, I feel the need for a touch of Mexico in my home.

And I’ve updated my top 5 of places I’d like to travel to:

1. New Orleans, Nashville & Memphis (by a big American car, listening to Townes Van Zandt and June Carter)
2. Clearwater Beach, Florida (for a loooong sunny vacation)
3. Paris (been there once, 20 years ago; must go back and stroll along the bridges nighttime)
4. Sri Lanka (the land of my brother-in-law)
5. Buenos Aires (to exercise the Argentine tango)

Where would you love to travel? And would you bring it home? :)

I’ve totally lost myself in all amazing wallpapers around right now. So just this only one more before I can go on with my life. Books in decor has been emphasized a lot lately, and we’ve seen book-wallpapers before (like the Tracey Kendall/Anthropologie version) but never ever have I seen a book/library wallpaper as nice as Andrew Martin’s:

Imagine your favourite furniture & things in a room like this! Or imagine this in a Scandinavian white style place.. Not only will it look like an very impressive collection of vintage books, this wallpaper will transform the room into an interesting library-ish space full of impact. Though I think I would go with only a slice or a few. As you can see below this one is a illustrative depiction of books, rather than a photographic reproduction. Again I can’t stop thinking how cool it’ll look in a bathroom…

Let’s stay a while on the wallpaper trail. How about these amazing new wallpapers from Dutch Pip Studio? Available now in The Netherlands, and worldwide by Jan 2012. They are like updated interpretations of Grannys old wallpapers. Almost resembling the interiors of a doll house, I think these are both cool and utterly pretty.

If not for a social area or bedroom, I find them particularly suitable for (often all too..) boring areas, like a hallway. Or a laundry room. A guest room, or not least, a bathroom!  Or a home office (depending if it feels right for the work undertaken, of course).

Immediate wow-factor, just like that. Best idea however, it to put together a few of these lovlies and mix them. A lenght of this, a length of that, and the rest is paint. Beautiful.

This lumberjack log wallpaper by Andrew Martin looks simply amazing.

 | It’s part of The Engineer Collection and is available at trendey-favourite Rockett St George |

Anyone who tells me decorating a room is difficult and they (think they) can’t create an interesting & harmonious whole I say: choose a wallpaper. It does the job, wonderfully. Especially in bedrooms, I think!

| via hotel stelor |

| via fine little day |

| via fantastic frank |

The retro trend shows no signs of cooling off – quite the opposite! In 2011, we love things retro, calling on 50s and 70s mainly it seems, but all decades from 70s and further back are having a groovy revival. One single retro detail (like a vintage radio, retro phone, etc), some pices of retro furniture or full mid century nostalgia – all variations are present. I love this space, from the home of Hilda Grahnat. It’s interesting, laidback and pretty – and smashingly trendy.

I even spy a rag rug! And I love the license plates. I actually have a really nice German temporary license plate saved from when I went to Germany in 2006 and bought myself a car. It has been hanging in my father’s garage since but some time ago I brought it home and it’s now standing on a kitchen shelf! (And actually, my father revealed Henen had taken the other one!! Had no idea, cool we were both hunting number plates. And Henen, of course you can have my other plate, good there are always two)) Also, I really like this wallpaper below from Sanderson‘s 50s collection. It reminds me of the beloved Granny-style wallpapers I used to hunt (without result, may I add. Though I still dream of finding an old house with original wallpapers intact). Anyhow, a nice composition this one.

Lastly, a fresh retro-ish space via Style by Emily Henderson. Rarely have whiskey looked this neat! A great and so harmonious display on the sweet retro cabinet. And the tree/greenery – I love it that houseplants and flowers are visiting interior scenes again. Not a decade too late!

Friday it’s Midsummer’s Eve! I will go the midnight-sunny North and I will collect seven different wild flowers and put under my pillow to sleep on. Always have. (and never remembered what I dreamt!) See you when I see you.