A Boston interior designer shares her favorite pieces to transform spaces into perfectly colorful road trips.
Like the rest of us, designer Paula Daher (daherinteriordesign.com) has been fighting pangs of wanderlust. “Travel has always been an important inspiration for my work. With travel completely nipped in the bud the past year, I thought I would travel in comfort from internationally inspired rooms,” she says. Daher notes she approaches all projects with an overarching simplicity of form and adds, “Yet within this structure I like to add layers of comfortable furnishings, luxe materials, modern elements, artwork and always at least one unexpected element that creates tension and life for the space.” We asked Daher to give us her latest picks for evoking instant getaways in your home.
Bright Nights
“This perfect reading light is available in many finishes from Britain’s Porta Romana. Called Willow, this is another way to wander from Boston to London from your armchair,” says Daher. Studio 534, Boston Design Center, 1 Design Center Place, 617.449.5514, s5boston.com; portaromana.com
Maine Event
“An original cocktail table by Daher Interior Design was born from seeing the cracks in the craggy granite on the rocky coast of Northeast Harbor in Maine’s Acadia National Park,” says Daher of her original piece. daherinteriordesign.com
Magic Carpet
“An antique Qashqai kilim from Persia, circa 1900. Sitting in the room, imagining the rug being woven in a tiny Persian village, what better way to have an armchair adventure?” says Daher. Landry & Arcari, 333 Stuart St., 617.399.6500, landryandarcari.com
Endless Summer
“Chic, comfortable and the perfect sofa for a party, especially since it offers a wide arm that continues around its back side,” says Daher. “With the Newman sofa from Troscan floating in the room, people can rest on the arms and back—all the better to chat about trips taken far and near.”The Bright Group, Boston Design Center, 1 Design Center Place, 617.449.5514, thebrightgroup.com
Global Chic
“I came across this book recently and love its endless inspiration for design indoors and outdoors,” says Daher. vendomepress.com
Picture Perfect
“This captivating photograph, taken by Michael Eastman in Cuba, brings mental imagery of Cuba, Istanbul, Granada, Marrakech, Beirut or so many other wonderful destinations,” says Daher. Robert Klein Gallery, 38 Newbury St., Ste. 402, 617.267.7997, robertkleingallery.com
Walls Speak
“The Gregorius Pineo Strata wallpaper, handcrafted with layers of gesso on cotton, has intentional fractures on its surface. Installed, its patina begs you to travel mentally to far-flung locales with centuries-old architecture,” says Daher. Holly Hunt, Boston Design Center, 1 Design Center Place, 617.449.5514, hollyhunt.com; gregoriuspineo
Photography by: Nicole Connelly; Studio 534; Michael J. Lee; Brands; Guido Taroni; Michael Eastman/Robert Klein Gallery
