A few days ago a Freshome reader named Kendra Redman contacted me, to write a guest post for this blog, and here is her article. I must admit that her advice is very practical, because I went this year in Greece and after I’ve read this article I’ve found some mistakes that I’ve made.

We have all made the same mistake, c’mon admit it. While on that recent relaxing holiday you bought something you thought would capture that holiday feeling when you returned home to your regular routine. It might have been in a bustling local market, maybe it was something you saw created in front of you by a local craftsperson or an item spotted in a tiny shop presided over by an old stooped woman who smiled charmingly at you.

You were excited about your treasure and made sure it was wrapped and bundled securely for the trip back. Once home you unwrapped the gem eagerly with your mind racing as to where it would look best in your house. In the bright light of day you flinched when you saw your precious vacation souvenir in its new surroundings. Suddenly the colors of your prize, that seemed so bright and cheerful in its native land, only look garish to you now. The details on the pottery you found so charming and quaint clash with your post modern furniture. The tribal mask that seemed primitive ironic while trekking scare your children when they walk by it. What on earth possessed you to buy these things?

The desire to bring back an object to represent your vacation bliss is a natural one that everyone falls prey to on some vacation in their life. So how do you do vacation decorating right? Follow these few simple rules and you will won’t have another vacation decorating disaster.

Textiles – textiles are a great way to bring a splash of your adventures into the home in a subtle way. The textile can be hung, framed, made into a pillow, used to upholster a furniture piece or used as a table runner. A glimpse will still remind you of the village woman who wove the beautiful fabric but not be as jarring as hanging a Swiss cuckoo clock on your minimalist walls.
Photos – Travel photos are wonderful souvenirs. Don’t put them in a variety of mismatching frames or your walls and surfaces will look like one big photo album.Choose an odd number of the best ones and frame in the same simple frames, preferably black with a large mat, and wall mount giving an art gallery effect. To blend with any interior, have the photos developed in black and white.

Bowls – Bowls are functional, attractive and easy to find in any part of the world. You can buy a bamboo lacquered one in Vietnam, a pewter bowl in Norway, a pottery one from Portugal or a rustic wooden bowl from Africa. Lined up on a display shelf they will complement each other as well as telling the story of your journeys.

Artwork – Unless you are an investor, choosing art is always a personal thing. That watercolor from France would be a great addition to your guest bathroom.Or the large brightly colored painting can add the spice to your neutral interior.
So the next time you find yourself standing in front of that four foot fertility statue in some faraway place telling yourself it could go in that empty corner in the living room – just walk away.

Private cloud looks like a giant rocking chair, or to be more exact like a rocking bed. Private cloud is not a normal bed, is something that wants to revolutionize every bedroom. The bed requires a little more space than a “normal” bed but I’m pretty sure that this bed can offer new experiences to any couple. The bed will sway when someone will touch it, but therefore this section bed has also provided two back plates, that can maintain the a certain angle of tilt, like in the last picture.

In these days with modern technology all over the place to have a fireplace in your home is much more easier. For example Real Fireplace Illuminational Heater is a great replacement for an old fireplace. It may look like a cross between an LCD display and a space heater, but the display part of the gadget actually shows a “real” fireplace. The Real Fireplace gives you the look and aesthetic of a fireplace situated on a flatscreen display while the rest of the unit blasts toasty heat in your direction. The good thing about this “fireplace” is that you can move it all over the house, and you don’t have to take care of him like a real fireplace. Price : 25,800 yen ($242) – Via – Dvice & Gizmodo

It seems that everybody is buying a plasma TV or an LCD TV, and the furniture companies saw this trend, and started to develop furniture that will make the new TV look better. Interni entertainment spaces are very practical, innovating, useful and elegant in purpose. Interni provides a large range of television unit stands. In this post you can see three beautiful television unit stands, so let’s begin ..

The Moorish oak boiserie is able to accommodate hanging furnishing, bookshops, television and many other pieces. Available in different finishing, it could be easy combined with other elements of the program, creating big geometric compositions even in the center of a room, which divide and articulate new residential spaces. All Interni concepts are costume and designed to your needs, that measure and fit any environment.

Stark white & pistachio bright lacquer. The furniture, conceived as an object, has developed as a “system” in the course of time. The careful consideration of lifestyle evolution has the given origin to much more complete conception of the furniture. The scope of interni is there for to design, realize and propose a product that associates functionality and creativity, basic concepts in the design. All concepts are costume and designed to your needs, that measure and fit any environment.

Danyteak, stark white bright lacquer. The furniture, conceived as an object, has developed as a “system” in the course of time. The careful consideration of lifestyle evolution has the given origin to much more complete conception of the furniture. The scope of interni is there for to design, realize and propose a product that associates functionality and creativity, basic concepts in the design. All concepts are costume and designed to your needs, that measure and fit any environment.

Walk in closets are a practical and luxurious solution to cramped closets and the frustration they bring. Anyone who has to fight through piles of shoes and a packed railing of clothes can appreciate how nice it is to have a closet at your disposal in which you can stand back, take inventory of your wardrobe, and choose your clothes for the day without spraining an ankle or getting swallowed up by a horde of shirts, pants, skirts and blouses. I’ve personally didn’t had a chance to see a walk in closet for real, only in pictures and on MTV Cribs, but today I’ve found one the looks really nice. The walk-in closets program Dedalo of IMA are modular to suit all situations. The integration of wardrobe with lockers, furniture library and writing desks allow to design entirely bedrooms making the most of existing spaces.