Welcome to Curated Travel! The blog is created by Heather Lindstrom, founder and luxury travel advisor, at Curated Travel. Heather shares travel inspiration, tips, and wanderlust inspiration with readers and clients on the blog.
At Curated Travel we create bespoke itineraries with perks/upgrades for the modern traveler. Contact us to make your travel dreams come true!
Be my guest! It's finally the summer season which means many of us will be doing some travel of some variety. It may be a luxury resort, a tour, a road trip, a camping adventure or visiting friends and loved ones for a vacation. With that in mind, I've been in the mood to update our guest room for summertime guests.
Read MoreI'm seeing shades of coral everywhere this season and I'm especially noticing how well it pairs with
shades of blue-from navy to turquoise.
Read More
The al fresco lifestyle is all about taking life outside. It's finally spring (joy!) and that means we are gearing up for the season of throwing open our windows, carrying our movable feasts to dine alfresco, the alluring possibility of lazy afternoon naps on the patio and warm evenings under the stars is on the horizon.
In Italian alfresco means "in the cool". Love that!
It may be a fresh, sleek space with natural elements
or a classic, luxurious elegance with warm wood tones and a roaring fire.
There are elements of each photo that appeal to me. I've done outdoor living spaces of different styles over the years~from South of France to Cottage Garden to a sleeker, more modern version in our current space. We are working on an update and I will share more on that soon (yep-a do it yourself project-more honestly a do it 'himself' project).
No matter what my style of outdoor living space becomes I do have some essentials:
*Candles are a must to create an ambiance in my outdoor spaces.
*The sound of water~ a water feature, water fall or even a tabletop fountain~ creates a relaxing mood
*Fragrant plants (citrus, night blooming jasmine, tuberoses are all lovely)
*A throw blanket to ward off an evening chill
*A pot of herbs to pick for grilling or adding to alfresco dishes
*I love to add a curtain to a deck or patio space to soften the look-even in sleeker styles
*A fire element. Yes, to candles and the next step would be a flickering fire bowl or fireplace to set the mood.
What is your favorite style of outdoor living? Do you spend time zhushing up your space to get it ready for the season? Any tips?
What are your must-haves?
Here's to our upcoming al fresco season~are you like me? Can hardly wait!
There are some weeks when there is nothing like a little time to yourself to help rejuvenate and restore. Taking an hour or so of quiet time, paired with a soothing at-home spa experience, is one of my favorite ways to refresh.
Read MoreJust a week ago Northern California was experiencing temperatures 15-20 degrees above normal which is pretty perfect for a long weekend. Scott and I had a getaway planned to Napa so the timing was good. On a sun-splashed day we got up early, threw open the sunroof and made the 2 1/2 hour trip to Napa. As we were driving over, I had a memory of a lovely estate off Silverado Trail. It sat high on the hill, with cypress lining the drive. The flagstone terraces flanked a perfectly placed vanishing edge pool....at least that is how I remembered it. I made it my mission to find it.....and we did!
Read MoreGlimpses of our trip from iconic vistas in Rome to the rustic, natural beauty of Umbria.
Read MoreIt happened again this year. Foraging through the greeting card aisle looking for just the right Mother's Day cards for the women I adore. I'll admit it, Mother's Day is not a simple holiday for me. It is a one that fills me with love and gratitude and grief.....all rolled up into a 45 minute roller coaster of emotions that leaves me fighting back tears, biting my lip and taking a deep breath when I'm done, in the card aisle no less.
Read More
It's a sublime Saturday here and I'm dreaming of beachy vacations(The Viceroy Anguilla would certainly do)
And finally.... a little mood music from Vargo while you chill.
Simply sublime here on the deck today. Hope you are enjoying your time with family, friends or some quality time to yourself.
These are a few of my favorite inspirations to keep the relaxation vibe going for the weekend......
What are yours?
Cheers,
Heather
I'm crushing on a fresh pop of color with some shine!
I adore Friday. It's the gateway to the weekend for most of us and it's also my day off from my career as a School Psychologist. During the rest of the week, I try to "make the world a better place" for our teachers and their students with emotional/developmental disabilities. Our teachers and clinicians are fantastic- they ROCK!- and I'm honored to work with them four days a week. These fine folks also kindly tolerate me in a bit of a split personality. I may wear a heel a little too high to be practical ('what if we have a runner?' and I don't mean in your tights) or maybe a little too much animal print for an IEP/case management meeting or maybe those folders seem a bit too coordinated to my outfit (sometimes you just can't help it). My team does, however, appreciate the regular parties I throw to celebrate their dedication and indulge my love of entertaining.
Read MoreIt's a rainy Sunday at home and lattes for two, chill music and snuggling up by the fireplace with a favorite book or 2 sounds just about perfect.
Read More
Let's get it started in here with sunset from our deck tonight.
It all begins with that first step, being the water baby I am, I'll plunge right in.
Today I'm inspired by the color yellow, so fresh and cheery, even on the rainiest of days. I had to have some yellow in designing my blog today. Putting together styles, colors, fonts, photographs and working to create the right vibe. I'm sure it will be a work in progress.
I'm loving Pinterest and the ever-present inspirations for everything under the sun.
Visit Heather Lindstrom @ Stylemindchic Life's profile on Pinterest.
I have a few favorite blog writers that I've been following (but without a blog home had no where to invite them to visit). I will share those soon and hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
For now it's Saturday night and I'll share the view from our terrace for some natural inspiration.
Cheers,
Heather
![Wine Country Getaway [Napa Style!]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a66444d017db2e6975e076e/1527984208254-1ZJ5T4O1T43P817SUFSR/DSC03099.JPG)
