Design can and should always be sought out when traveling. Not biased at all, of course. There’s always beauty that can be captured as new inspiration. I always make it a priority to dedicate at least one full day towards design during every trip, but anything is liable to happen after that. Between flights from Salt Lake City and Jackson or Atlanta and Colorado, I received so much more than I anticipated this summer.

Utah Valley was easily one of my favorite places to get new inspiration. After visiting the Parade of Homes for a couple of days, I was full of vision for future designs and upcoming trends. Every trip begins with a motivation of attending meetings/ sessions, getting inspiration, or sourcing for clients needs. Thankfully we had enough time to slip away to a family get together as well.

Similar to the itinerary in Utah, Jackson Hole hosted many mastermind meetings with other designers. It also had margins of time that allowed for lots of fun. Lauper was right when she said “girls just wanna have fun”! After all of the meetings, the boardroom deserved a little excitement, so we decided to brave rafting down the snake river. This was followed up by a beautiful plane ride with my husband and a 4-day trip to Yellowstone. The pictures just don’t do these places justice!

Next up was Atlanta- home of accessories galore! The city is also known for it’s rich variety of accessories as well as rugs, but the best part of the city is the beautiful architecture. The streets of Atlanta are full of design allure, so a couple of city strolls are a must on the to-do list.

Finally, the memories of Colorado were just as beautiful and inspirational as the other cities, but they were even better because it was with all of my siblings. Wandering around the Cherry District is enjoyable but doing it with people you love makes it 10 times better.  I come from a family of 8, so getting any of us together at any given time is a win.

Summer is usually a time to recoup and prepare for what’s next, but it’s often the simple pleasures that end up meaning the most.