Wanderlust Transforms Design
Travel inspires so many interior design ideas! If you’re looking for a change in your home... look to your travel memories - that tablecloth from Italy, a rock sculpture from Chile or a dress from Belize. You can use this simple memento to transform!
One of my favorite inspirations is Istanbul. The city immediately enchants. Every moment offers something special… the calls to prayer, the tulip & hellebore lined streets, natural dyed, hand-tufted carpets and the silhouettes of the mosque’s minarets against the purple-magenta sunsets.
Walking the brick-paved streets outside of the Hagia Sofia, the evening of my first visit, I remember the shimmering reflections of some beautifully polished tiles on a stone wall of a mosque. The brilliant, clear colors called to me. I had just seen my first Iznik pottery.
The patterns combining traditional Ottoman arabesque motifs with clean minimal Chinese elements were so fresh, foreign and exciting to me. Although famous and used throughout Turkey from the 16th century, Iznik products are only crafted in one city, where a special clay is sourced. It’s the mix of ground quartz, silica, & lead with the white clay that give the glaze it’s brilliance.
The next day we wandered into the Topkapi Palace, hoping to get a glimpse of the opulent life of Ottoman Sultans. Imagine my delight as I walked through the Palace to see interior and exterior surfaces covered with Iznik tiles. Look at how happy I am in this picture inside the Queen Mother’s lounge room. You can’t help but admire the colors, reflections and patterns! A designer’s muse. The haram was the secluded quarters for the Sultans family, including his wives, children and concubines. Nothing but the most lavish would do.
We all deserve the best.
After leaving the Palace I was on a mission. I must own an authentic Iznik piece. We headed out of the city to the Museum Foundation that trains artisans in the Iznik craftsmanship’s carried forward from the 16th century. This is where I bought my first Iznik platter (see photo).
Upon arriving home, I patiently waited for the mail. Like a kid on Christmas, I tore open the package, ecstatic to reveal its contents. It was in a decadent velvet case, with a silk ribbon. Opening the case, teal silk poured out, revealing the watery blue platter.
I refer back to this platter for inspiration all the time. The design is overall perfection with its hand drawn irregularities, shimmer of color that appear liquid but are dry, and the color story; modulations of nature’s blue hues contained in outlines making botanical shapes. This platter moves around my house and dinner parties, continually finding a new location to surprise and delight. Then there are the moments it comes to my office and is the inspiration for a color story – like the one pictured above. I offer this to you for inspiration. Think refreshing blues; on fabrics and paint. Combine these with warm hues of red and brown, for wood and painted accents.
What’s your Next Inspiration?
Maybe it’s a small vignette within your space? See the picture of the platter’s current location. The bath wall paint is a match to the tulips and I was lucky enough to find a shower curtain at Target that compliments it perfectly.
The motivation to refresh an interior can come from anything you love. Need Inspiration? Let me help you start to create fresh spaces that may evolve from one of your favorite memories. Please reach out to Robert@ CipolloneCreative.com or follow @CipolloneCreative for more ideas.
