Visiting places and travelling all around the world shape us and our interiors. It’s the perfect starting point for designing our homes into sun-drenched Mediterranean villas or Scandinavian retreats. It’s more than scenery, you absorb what you see, colour, space, light and atmosphere in a new way. Naturally, homeowners want to bring that feeling home, and at Planet Furniture, we regularly see how recent trips and favourite holiday destinations spark the initial vision.
The kitchen is at the heart of the home, and becomes the perfect place to translate those experiences into everyday living. This article looks at favourite holiday experiences that influence bespoke kitchen design and how our team at Planet Furniture helps transform travel memories into beautifully crafted interiors.
Related blogs:
Creating the La Dolce Vita Italian Kitchen at Home
PF Kitchen Design Notes – Italian-Inspired In-Frame Shaker, Shillington, Bedfordshire
The Short Answer
Travel-inspired interiors translate the colour, light, materials and atmosphere of your favourite destinations into a bespoke kitchen that still feels right in a British home. Rather than copying a look, we interpret it: warm woods, aged brass and rich blues for Italian warmth; pale timbers, soft tones and uncluttered storage for Scandinavian calm; bi-fold doors and wide sightlines for Mediterranean indoor-outdoor flow; and darker cabinetry with bold detailing for confident city style. The starting point is always a memory or atmosphere, which we shape into material, proportion and layout.
Warm & Colourful Italian Beauty
For our clients who are inspired by places like Tuscany or the Amalfi Coast, warmth and texture are at the forefront of the design. Rather than copying the aesthetics, we interpret our own material choices and proportion through the surfaces, colour palettes and appliances. What enhances the style is our handcrafted in-frame cabinetry that adds subtle detailing and a touch of true British craftsmanship. Other details may include warm woods, aged brass hardware, and layered paint finishes echoing relaxed Italian living. The beauty of our kitchens is more than an imitation; it’s an interpretation that feels authentic within a British home. Italian Style Shillington Project Inspired by the romance and richness of Italy, this kitchen reflects the colour, warmth, and character our clients fell in love with during their time there. Their memories of sun-soaked landscapes, vibrant architecture, and long, relaxed meals together shaped the vision for their full-of-life space. We designed the kitchen with our beautiful In-Frame Shaker cabinetry, hand-painted in F&B’s Cooks Blue. This blue captures the depth and vibrancy of the Mediterranean while beautifully complementing the magnificent Smeg x Dolce & Gabbana range cooker, which forms the centrepiece. This limited-edition collaboration celebrates all things Made in Italy, showcasing the Divina Cucina collection’s bold colours and intricate patterns inspired by traditional Sicilian majolica ceramics. The chimney hood proudly wears the vibrant Dolce & Gabbana print, a fitting tribute to our client’s love of Italian culture and cuisine.
Calm & Intentional Scandinavian Inspiration
Similarly, Nordic escapes are inspired completely by a different direction. When clients return from Scandinavia, they often speak about light, openness and simple designs. Consequently, we prioritise pale timbers, soft-toned cabinetry and minimal living. Our integrated storage solutions suggest a calm, uncluttered interior with colour palettes and natural light to complete it. The result is a kitchen space that feels restorative and quietly balanced. Scandinavian Style Haringey Project Inspired by the Nordic trend and understated interior design, we designed and built a light-filled kitchen that celebrates the simplicity and balance of Scandinavian living. From our client’s mood board of serene landscapes and minimal forms, we translated those influences into a personal space made for purpose and beautifully restrained. The cabinetry embraces clean lines and timeless proportions, finished in a palette of Oak Veneer stained in Mist 5% and F&B Wevet. The soft warmth of the oak pairs effortlessly with the delicate white tones, allowing the natural materials to take centre stage. Adding marble quartz worktops and a splashback introduces the much-loved marble design, turning this open-plan space into a fresh, minimal, and quiet modern, capturing the essence of Scandinavian design through texture, tone, and reflective simplicity.
Graceful Flows of Mediterranean Indoor-Outdoor Living
Meanwhile, holidays in Spain or the South of France frequently inspire clients to think of flow. After experiencing dining in open terraces and seamless garden terraces, clients want to bring this back to their British home and create a stronger indoor-outdoor connection. To achieve this, Planet Furniture designs layouts around light and movement. Many of our clients’ projects incorporate glazed extensions, bi-fold doors, and wide sightlines that draw the eye outward. It connects them beautifully with nature through an open, relaxed feel. Parisian Style Tewin Project Designed for versatile living, this kitchen embraces relaxed evenings and meaningful family moments in a sleek handleless design. The clean, contemporary lines introduce a subtle Parisian elegance, while the open-plan setting provides the perfect canvas for bold detailing and layered colour. The island colour takes its inspiration from the iconic blue ribbon found on Louis Vuitton packaging, a subtle nod to French heritage and craftsmanship. The blue island is certaining a striking focal point where we blend French sophistication and contemporary living.
Confident New York Design
On the other hand, city breaks inspire bold confidence, from New York’s architecture and the industrial materials and dramatic contrasts of other cities. In response, Planet Furniture refines these influences through bespoke design, balancing bold materials with handcrafted precision. Colour schemes are pushed towards darker cabinetry with unique detailing, and appliances are integrated to maintain visual strength throughout. The result: a contemporary, confident kitchen that’s tailored and timeless. City Style St Albans Project Inspired by the client’s favourite city brunch spot, this kitchen captures the relaxed yet vibrant energy of urban dining. The artistic flair and keen eye for detail have been portrayed through to every corner of this space. The bespoke bench-style banquette, carefully hand-built by our team, offers generous seating and integrated storage, echoing the dark tables that sparked the vision from the intimate café they visited.
Designing the Ultimate Kitchen Around Memory & Emotion
If you design your space around travel, it connects to memory and has a lasting effect, a place you enjoy your time in again and again. When clients describe their favourite destination, they describe an atmosphere, helping us translate those emotions into material, proportion, and layout.Frequently Asked Questions
How do I bring travel inspiration into my kitchen?
Start with the feeling of a place rather than a literal copy. Identify the colour, light, materials and atmosphere you loved, then interpret them through cabinetry finishes, worktops, hardware and layout so the result feels authentic in a British home rather than themed.
What makes an Italian-style kitchen?
Warmth and texture lead an Italian-inspired kitchen: warm woods, aged brass hardware, layered hand-painted finishes and rich Mediterranean colour such as Farrow and Ball Cooks Blue. Handcrafted in-frame cabinetry and a statement range cooker, like the Smeg and Dolce and Gabbana Divina Cucina, complete the look.
What defines a Scandinavian kitchen?
Scandinavian kitchens are about light, openness and simplicity: pale timbers and oak, soft-toned cabinetry, marble-effect quartz and integrated storage that keeps everything calm and uncluttered. The natural materials take centre stage, creating a restorative, quietly balanced space.
How do you create indoor-outdoor flow in a kitchen?
Design the layout around light and movement. Glazed extensions, bi-fold doors and wide sightlines draw the eye outward and connect the kitchen to the garden, recreating the relaxed open-terrace feel of Mediterranean living in a British home.
Can a kitchen be designed around a holiday memory?
Yes, it is one of our favourite starting points. When clients describe a destination they describe an atmosphere, and we translate that emotion into material, proportion, colour and layout, so the kitchen connects to the memory every day.
Does Planet Furniture design travel-inspired kitchens?
Yes. We design bespoke handmade kitchens inspired by the places you love, from our Hertfordshire workshop, installed across Hertfordshire and the surrounding Home Counties. Visit our Hitchin showroom to start the conversation.
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Planet Furniture’s kitchens are designed to reflect your journey wherever you have travelled in the world. We can reflect your experience through every detail, capturing the spirit of the places you have visited. Every kitchen is handmade in our Hertfordshire workshop and installed across Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, London and the wider Home Counties. If your favourite destination has sparked an idea, visit our Hitchin showroom or get in touch and we would love to help you transform that inspiration into a beautifully crafted, enduring space.
