Moving To Amsterdam: 3 Home Decor Ideas for Travel Lovers

There is no point denying it: Summer vacation is over and school has started again! Yep, that means back to university for me too. I’m still writing my articles about Indonesia, but I’ve had to get off cloud nine and face reality: life waits for no one! I have to admit it does feel a bit weird, especially since the past year has been so different from before.

I’ve moved out of my room in Breda back to the capital city of Amsterdam, albeit in a slightly different environment. Of course, furniture doesn’t switch cities on its own, so I had to do some serious moving. Have a look at the before and after pictures to see my current home, including my new living room’s transformation. If you’re looking for some interior inspiration, you’re at the right place. Don’t forget to also check my 3 home decor ideas for travel lovers below!

Before and After: Living Room Transformation

My sister, who was living in Amsterdam, is soon moving to the UK to do her PhD at Nottingham University. The timing couldn’t be any better, since I am now starting my master’s degree at the University of Amsterdam. Lucky me! Searching for a room couldn’t have been any smoother, since I pretty much “adopted” my sister’s apartment.

There is still a lot that needs to be done, but my living room has already made a transformation. In the before shot you can see a kind of weird hybrid version of my sister’s furniture and my own. Needless to say, It wasn’t a big succes. I kept most of the furniture, but totally changed up the colour palette. I’m pretty happy with the results, since it looks a lot brighter than before. We changed the sofa cover, wall decorations, and rug and added some colourful throw pillows. Look what a difference that made! What do you think?

3 Home Decor Ideas for Travel Lovers

I’ve been thinking about how to make my new apartment my own, and I’ve gathered some nice ideas to start feeling at home. I wanted to incorporate my love for travel into my interior decor and do something with my own photos and souvenirs. I found three ways to do just that!

1. Personalized Bean Bag

My favourite addition to the new living room is definitely my new personalized bean bag. I initially thought about printing one of my photos as a poster or on a canvas, but I decided I wanted to do something more original. I picked a photo from my time in Beijing and had it printed on a bean bag at Maxilia.nl. They print thousands of different products, like mugs, notebooks, and pens, so have a look at their website!

I’m completely satisfied. The print turned out so much better than I thought it would. Despite the bean bag’s large size, the photo isn’t blurry at all and the colours are incredibly vibrant. I’m thrilled with the results! I may have already taken an accidental nap on it too, so the bean bag is 100% Roselinde-approved. Seriously though, I think a personalized bean bag is a terrific idea to do something more with your own photos!

2. Memory Jars

Another cool way to do more with your souvenirs is to create a memory jar. It’s also a super affordable option, since you only need to buy a jar! I used these vintage-looking jars that my mother often uses for homemade fruit jam, but any jar is great to display your souvenirs. You can put anything in there! I chose to display two jars with lava stones from Tenerife and shells and stones from our vacation in Normandy. If you have multiple jars, it might be a good idea to label them with the location and year. They’re looking pretty good on my window sill!

3. Postcard Garland

I’m the type of person who never throws away a postcard. Whenever a friend or family member sends me a postcard, I keep it out for a while before putting it in some drawer. I don’t want to throw them away, since I always feel like the postcard represents somebody’s travel memory. It was a moment they wanted to share with me, so how could I just get rid of it? I haven’t decided where I want to put it up (most of my walls are still bare), but I think I’m going to make a few postcard garlands and put them up on my bedroom wall. I’ll show you a photo when it’s done, I think it’s going to look really festive!

Do you guys like my bean bag? I’m loving it! The other two ideas are pretty simple, but I thought it would be nice to share some home decor inspiration. Like they say: less is more! When I’ve finished updating all the rooms at my new place, I’ll probably do another “house-warming” post to show you the results. Let me know whether that’s something you would like to see. Anyway, I’ll keep you posted about life here in Amsterdam! In the meantime, check out my Instagram for live updates.

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