Photo by Amy Shamblen
Exploring extraordinary travel destinations can be a tremendous source of inspiration. There’s no experience quite like walking down a new street in a foreign city. Suddenly, a beautiful piece of architecture appears, and you feel a jolt of connection to its beauty and our shared human history.
In recent years, we’ve lost many of our best travel habits. We still daydream about special moments in faraway places. But we don’t follow through: asking for recommendations, finding hotels, booking flights. So we spoke to CWI president and design expert Rachel Kapner and compiled a list of a dozen destinations where you can go to seek inspiration. And next time you feel the itch to travel, you’ll have plenty of competition for top of the list.
Casa Batiló photo by Theodor Vasile
See Spain for the Architecture
At the top of Kapner’s inspirational travel destination list are a pair of Spanish cities: Madrid and Barcelona. She says they have “all the artistic and architectural things that are definitely inspiring to design.” In fact, Barcelona is one of the world’s great architectural destinations. It’s famously the home of a variety of special buildings by Antoni Gaudi, such as the beautiful Casa Batlló (pictured), the undulating La Pedrera, and the awesome Sagrada Familia. Meanwhile, Madrid’s big squares are lined with buildings that date back to the eighteenth century. Among its landmarks is the Golden Triangle of Art. Its three world-famous museums (the Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza) contain enough inspiration to last several lifetimes. And while you’re taking in Spain’s spectacles, you might as well plan a stop in Granada. It’s home to the famous Alhambra Palace—an elaborate Moorish fortress that rises high above the city.
Chrysler Building photo by Jonathan Pease
Head to Art Deco Travel Destinations in the United States
But what if you’re not in the mood to cross the Atlantic? “Locally, I would say—just for fun—Palm Springs for color and modern pop,” suggests Kapner. Palm Springs is world famous for its never-ending salute to Mid-century Modern design. This now includes Modernism Week, a festival which features hundreds of events, including tours of iconic homes in more than 30 neighborhoods. On the other coast, Miami Beach is also known for showing off Art Deco’s curves and lines in a parade of pastels. And New York City is a great place to see a variety of great architecture. For Art Deco, Midtown Manhattan alone contains inspirational landmarks including Rockefeller Plaza, Radio City Music Hall and the Chrysler Building (pictured).
Havana by Spencer Everett
Explore the Islands for Color
“Cuba—all the boldness and color: that inspires me,” notes Kapner. Indeed, the islands that dot the waters between North and South America are filled with inspirational energy. Closest to the United States is Cuba, where Old Havana feels like a slice of beautifully preserved history. Further south, Puerto Rico boasts both natural inspiration (bioluminescent lagoons!) and manmade (Spanish colonial architecture). And, for a taste of the French Riviera without crossing the Atlantic, head to Marigot on St. Martin.
Jennifer Coolidge in “White Lotus” by Fabio Lovino courtesy MAX
Embrace European Travel Destinations for the Flashbacks
“Of course, Italy’s big now with White Lotus and all the different beauty that it has,” Kapner observes. If movies and television capture the stuff that dreams are made of, what could be more inspirational than stepping into the settings of your favorites? See the Sicily of White Lotus Season 2 with a stay at the show’s main setting: San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel. Elsewhere, Game of Thrones fans can bring King’s Landing to their Instagram in Croatia’s Dubrovnik—which played the capital city of Westeros on the hit show. And fans of the Mamma Mia movies should take a chance on a trip to Skopelos. The enchanting island makes an inspiring excursion for visitors to Athens.
Now that you’ve gone traveling, check out something good you can do at home.
Ready to transform your inspiration into reality? CWI design services are waiting to help.
