HG Openhouse Blog

Amazing beaches on Mexico’s west coast.

I’m so excited to be back on the HomeGoods Openhouse blog! I did two weeks of guest posting in the fall, which was a blast with so many comments and questions from all of you. And now I’m back with a very specific thought in mind:

In these tight money times with the pound sterling and the euro so strong, the dollar so weak, gas so expensive, airport delays and weather issues all over the globe, what are you planning to do for your summer vacation?

We’ve decided to show you how you can have a vacation at home that will make you feel like you’ve gone to some fabulous location, soaked up the local color, walked on those cobblestone pathways, visited those lush gardens, lolled days away on sandy beaches, and still been able to sleep in your own bed at night! We are going to take you on an around-the-world tour of ten amazing vacation spots–some near, some very far–that you can create easily and memorably in your own house and gardens.

Of course, we aren’t recommending total home makeovers just to capture the spirit of your favorite vacation spot. But it is inexpensive and easy to get the essence of these locales into your own home to spark up your environment a bit. While a Country French bedroom might not be the equal of visiting vineyards in Tuscany or staring at the Roman Pont du Gard aqueduct in Provence, it will certainly cost you a lot less!

Pont du Gard outside Uzes in France’s Provence region.

Where are we going on our around-the-world tour? In Europe, we’ll visit the Greek Islands, south of France, the Amalfi Coast in Italy, and the wonderful Cotswold region of England. Tropical climates will be visited, too: Antigua in the Caribbean, Acapulco in Mexico and Bali in the East Indies. Closer to home? Bar Harbor in Maine, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and California’s Laguna Beach.

For each location, we’ll showcase two images of easy room makeovers that will give you a smattering of summer style from our global tour. In addition, we’ve developed a designer fabric/paint board for each stop on our tour, giving you insight into pattern and hue direction that speaks of that place. And, we’ll also include an image of what the territory looks like–a touristy photograph to evoke memories from those of you who’ve been there or enticements for those who’d like to go.

Tomorrow we start! Get your passports ready as we’ll begin with our four European vacation destinations first. Bon voyage to us all!