Destination Unknown...

It is well known that Albus Dumbledore "always prized himself on his ability to turn a phrase"... and we all know what he said about dreams don't we:

"For in dreams we enter a world that's entirely our own..."

(Image from Google search)

Well, I feel like that quote is the same for driving, not in the sense that we should forget everyone else on the road and drift off into daydreams - that would just be silly! But more so that your car tends to be your own little escape bubble, your own little world - if you will.

A car allows you to go to and from your destination of choice or find a new place by chance; you can either chose to follow a SatNav or drive aimlessly until you find an ideal spot. In any situation, you're in control.

I feel like the ultimate thing to do in a car is to take a road trip, whether on your own or with a friend or two, it's just such a satisfying feeling to jump in a car and go and explore. For me, no road trip, however large or small, would be complete without music!

Music is such a big part of my world and if I'm in my car and not singing at the top of my lungs, or tapping along on the steering wheel, then something's very wrong with me. Something I love to do, every couple of weeks, is to create a playlist; playlists for me are like soundtracks of my life - imagine a movie without a soundtrack there to determine the mood and atmosphere... weird right? So now imagine your life without certain songs that have carried you from one memory to the next, see what I mean? Music is a big deal.

My playlists (or soundtracks) tend to feature songs in the current Top 40 at that time or contain songs filled with lyrics I can relate to, I like to throw in a couple of musical numbers too (could the lyrics to Avenue Q and Mamma Mia songs BE any more relatable?!) Often the songs I chose make me feel like some sort of cover artist when I'm singing them. *Note to self: you probably sound a lot better in your head than out loud - see also - singing in the shower.* The beauty of a playlist is that you can revert back to it at a later date and remember your favourite choices from that period of time; you could hear something you haven't listened to in months and plunge right back into that memory. 

A lot of my music choice is also inspired by my brother. Quite often he will call me up to his room to play me the next bit of indie music he's found for me. I'm all about hearing new things and finding a new sound and I'm always thankful when he's selected it for me. It's like a personal compliment when someone has found a song, thought of you and then shares it, so that you can love it too. When Turo explained to me that that's what some of their customers do for their renters, I was keen to find out more.

Turo are a peer to peer car rental company and if you're not familiar with this process it's where car owners list their own cars to rent to others and vice versa. This isn't a concept I'd heard of before but I think it's a really cool idea - you could find yourself able to rent someone else's bubble/world and experience what they do, first hand - right down to the music picked out for you! Turo operate in almost every major city in America (and even Canada) and I just feel they challenge the normal and mundane way of renting a car - if you're still un-sure what I'm talking about, then check out the  Car Rental page on their website, for yourself - cool right? 

This post has challenged  me to think about the perfect car journey for me and it's made me realise, not every journey has to be just a commute - it can be special, unique and become a completely different experience depending on the materials provided. You all know that my dream, given the chance, would be to travel America and go from State to State and yeah, I could hop from plane to plane to do so but where's the fun in that? In a car you can discover so many hidden treasures, something you couldn't do by sky. I feel like Turo would go the extra mile (pun intended) to make my dream road trip as special as it could be, I'll just keep in mind to have windows shut when I'm singing my heart out! (And hey, if I didn't like the playlist provided for me, maybe I'll leave behind a selection of my own music to teach them a thing or two about the perfect mix tape...) 

My Little Bit of Florida...

Firstly, let me tell you my very exciting news, I'm not sure why or how I've kept this in for so long but all I know is, I am one very lucky girl and so totally giddy about September, because... and no I'm not having a baby... better... I'm off to America! 

I know what you're thinking, 'But Katy you've been to America plenty of times before.' - well yes, I have and that already makes me totally spoilt, but this time, were going BIG: 6 solid weeks in the USA! SIX! Not only will I be, (okay spoilt brat alert, again) returning to my parents home in Naples (Florida) but nope, we're taking it one step further and whilst there, hopping on a plane to California as well. Harry Potter World  here I come! 

Our House in Naples (click to see rental page)

Words cannot contain my excitement for this; America is by far my favourite country in this world - I want nothing more than to explore different parts of it and this year I'll have the chance to start out and tick off some of my bucket list. I just think it's amazing how each state has something different to offer, in culture and in style. However, I must say, I think it will always be Florida that has the special place in my heart. 

There's only one problem with America, and that's that I'm not living there, so when Douglas Elliman, a global real estate firm, offered me the opportunity to do the 'Florida Room Tag', of course I said yes! My chance to create my own little bit of Florida for myself; a dream room based on my favourite place! They have some fabulous Florida Properties, if you would like a little browse! 

Now, I've obviously mentioned that my parents have a house in Naples; when this was purchased, we were lucky enough to buy the full package, where everything down to the cutlery was included. Since renting the property out, usually to the sun seekers of America, heading down South for some Floridian Sunshine (after all, it is the Sunshine State), we've only ever had positive feed back about how the style of the house is very traditional to Florida. The wall murals were hand panted by a local artist and apparently these are well loved features. 

However, this style doesn't do it for me; I'm constantly asking my parents if we can get a paintbrush out and cover over the designs and brighten up the place (they refuse, because of how well loved the current decor is) but if I had my way, i'd be going for something more like this:

Empty your mind and picture...

• White, fresh, clean walls. 
• 'Drift wood' inspired furniture to remind yourself of the glorious coastline of Florida. 
• White shutters to subtly hide away the sunshine, after a long day of soaking it up on the beach.
• A cosy 'love seat' to snuggle up in and reminisce. 
• & a general feeling of crisp freshness - somewhere to escape to.

(Images selected from various Google Image searches) 

Now let's inject some colour and pretty things into the room:

(All items from Next UK)

Now for obvious reasons - being in the UK, I picked items from my favourite UK home store, Next. Whenever I walk into Next Home, I pretty much want to purchase most of the items they sell; the items are exactly the kind of thing i'd imagine my home to be full of and with the opportunity to sprinkle a little bit of Florida into the mix, I came up with the above. The items I picked aren't your typical 'beach scene' with navy blue nautical stripes but more of an escape to a tranquil, hidden gem - much like the beaches of Naples, FL.

Now for the scent in the room... 

As you know from my Every Home Needs Candles Post,  I'm a sucker for them - certain scents can instantly take you back to a moment or inflict a memory of a certain place. Whenever I come across a 'beach' scent, it's rare that I can resist - they always remind me of Florida and take me back to the days of our barbecues on the beach. A particular favourite of mine is the Airwick Life Scents - Turquoise Oasis; once you smell it, you'll know why. This is exactly the sort of scent I would expect my Florida Room to be filled with. It's described as having 'scents of sun bleached driftwood, salty sea spray & warm breeze.' Perfect. 

Now of course, this is quite an adult room, so let's bring out the inner child in me! People tend to think of Florida as the home of DISNEY! So let's make my child's Florida Room represent that:

I stumbled across this image on a Google search and I couldn't have put it together better myself. This is cute, semi-subtle, timeless and fun and I think you'll agree. 

So there we have it, my own little Floridian rooms. I've had so much fun making this post and coming up with ideas, I kinda wish I could design a whole house worths but I'll let you ponder on these first. Maybe you can come up with something too?!

A big thank you, again, to Douglas Elliman, a global real estate firm, for inspiring this post. Be sure to check out their site.

Now... I'm off to go and redecorate - BYE!

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