San Antonio Express-News
August 26, 2006
Travels Bring The World To Your Living Room
By Jessica Belasco
Jennifer O'Neil's San Francisco Bay-area house is filled with as many colorful objects as stamps in her passport. And just like those stamps, the ornaments and curios are records of the places she has traveled.
A set of matryoshka dolls and handpainted lacquer boxes, all bought in Russia, are displayed with photographs from her trip there. Painted tiles from around the world frame a doorway. Ethnic masks adorn another wall.
"It's like a scrapbook," says O'Neil, who along with her sister Kitty is the author of "Decorating With Funky Shui: How to Lighten Up, Loosen Up, and Have Fun Decorating Your Home" (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $14.95).
Displaying souvenirs adds spice and originality to a room. A unique item from London's Portobello Road market or a Manhattan street fair provides more individual flair than mass-produced art from a chain store.
And, of course, they bring back happy memories of travels.
"People's homes are a reflection of who they are, and who they are is encompassed by their experiences," says San Antonio interior designer Debbie Baxter. "You want to bring home and surround yourself with life experiences that have meaning to you."
Displaying souvenirs can also be an inexpensive way to decorate a space.
"It's good for a budget, because you're going to buy something on your travels, so buy something you need for your home anyway, like a tablecloth in Ireland," says O'Neil.
The ideal souvenirs — artifacts, pillows, textiles and small pieces of folk art — are decorative items that are easy to pack. Other good (cheap) options are postcards that can be framed, pinecones or shells to display in a bowl and bottles of wine or liquor to use as vases and candleholders. Baxter frames and hangs antique maps of places she has visited.
A little research before the trip can help guide the hunt for souvenirs. Look for handicrafts specific to the region. Moroccan bazaars offer beautiful textiles and woodcrafts, while Taxco, Mexico, is the place to buy silver. Lancaster, Pa., is known for its wooden Pennsylvania Dutch furniture made by Amish artisans.
Pretrip research also makes for smarter buys. Before shopping for Turkish rugs in Istanbul, for example, it's helpful to know how to determine if the rug is handmade. It's also important to know how much to expect to pay for authentic local crafts.
If it all seems a bit overwhelming, consider starting a collection of decorative items that are easy to find.
"Having collections is a great way to do it," Kitty O'Neil says. "If you travel regularly, you can focus your souvenir buying on that."
She collects sterling souvenir spoons from different cities, while her sister displays snow globes she bought on a cross-country trip. Christmas tree ornaments are another inexpensive, easy-to-pack item to collect.
One of the most challenging items to acquire when traveling is fine art. It can be difficult for amateur collectors to navigate auction houses, according to antiques dealer Belinda Nixon, who regularly travels to Switzerland and other European countries to buy furniture and lighting accessories.
If your heart is set on bringing back paintings or sculptures, do some research beforehand to find reputable galleries. Places such as Le Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, an expansive market in Paris, are good for the novice buyer, because there are a variety of dealers accustomed to selling to foreign travelers.
Another fun route is shopping at fairs.
"September is always a good month for fairs in Europe," Nixon says. "With the Internet, you can almost plan a trip around fairs."
In the end, shopping while traveling should be like traveling itself: a chance to have fun, explore and broaden your horizons. Maybe you wouldn't normally buy an Asian-inspired curio, but that shouldn't prevent you from bringing home a handicraft from Hong Kong.
"One of the wonders of traveling is opening your eyes to the beauty of new things," Baxter says.
