The team at Paige Williams Interior Design stays on the go. For us, the best design inspiration usually comes not from a showroom or a Pinterest board, but from standing in a canyon or waking up in a mountain lodge. Travel introduces you to textures, colors, and feelings you might not get at home. But when you bring them home intentionally, the result is always a hit in our book.
We’ve been lucky enough to visit some of the most stunning natural landscapes in North America, three of them this year! Here’s what some of our 2026 travels have taught us, and ideas for bringing the outdoors in.
Zion National Park
Zion stopped us in our tracks with its soaring red rock walls, and valleys cut deep into the earth. Almost nothing breaks up the landscape, be it dense tree lines or structures. Instead, it’s just endless sandstone, sky, and water carving through rock, with some of the best stargazing known to man once night falls.
That expansive, clean, awe-inspiring feeling makes a powerful design element for your home. A Zion-inspired room starts with an earthy palette of warm sand, terracotta, dusty blush, and soft white. Think about rock-like accents like plaster walls or limewash finishes. Textures are paramount when drawing inspiration from the outdoors. Zion immediately evokes linen, stone, ceramics, and wood grain.
Yellowstone
Yellowstone is naturally wilder than Zion’s wide-open spaces. The landscape shifts from flat, open valleys to dramatic, towering mountain ranges, geysers erupting from the earth, and wildlife like bison, wolves, and elk moving throughout the landscape. Indigenous peoples developed the land long before it was a national park, and their presence is woven into the landscape.
Yellowstone's design is richer and more layered than Zion’s. To achieve the look, incorporate Western art, animal-inspired textiles, tribal patterns, and natural materials. Accents are key here: think leather, wool blankets in earthy stripes, buffalo hide, dark wood furniture.
Banff
Banff is comfy cozy while remaining majestic. This Canadian national park is known for its turquoise glacial lakes, snow-dusted peaks, and a quintessential après-ski atmosphere. The palette skews more blue, grey, and evergreen (like the trees).
A Banff-inspired room leans into the lodge aesthetic, but as we’re in the American South, we can’t go full ski chalet. Sprinkle chunky knit throws, plaid wool pillows, flannel, and velvet in navy, forest green, and warm grey throughout the room to immediately make it cozier. Add substantial furniture, stone or slate tile, wood-planked ceilings or walls, and fireplaces surrounded by natural rock.
If a trip has ever made you dream of bringing that very vibe home, we love helping clients translate those experiences into spaces that make sense for them. Let’s talk!