Where Travel Meets Design

 Some of my best design ideas haven’t come from a studio.

They’ve come from walking through unfamiliar streets, pausing at local markets, and quietly observing how people live.

This particular moment was captured at Little Kook in Athens, Greece.

Tucked into the narrow streets of Psiri, it feels almost like stepping into a different world. Overhead, umbrellas float across the sky, colors shifting with the light. There’s a sense of playfulness in the air, a kind of controlled chaos that somehow comes together beautifully.

And then there’s the food.

Athens has a way of slowing you down just enough to truly enjoy it. A simple Greek coffee, a flaky piece of baklava, or something whimsical from a place like Little Kook, where desserts feel almost too pretty to eat. It’s indulgent, a little theatrical, and completely in sync with its surroundings.

Athens itself carries a similar energy.

It’s a city where history and everyday life exist side by side. Ancient ruins stand quietly while cafés buzz with conversation. You turn a corner, and suddenly the mood shifts. It’s textured, layered, a little imperfect, and deeply alive.

And perhaps that’s why it stays with you.

Not because everything is perfect, but because everything feels real.

Over time, I’ve realized something.

Travel and design speak the same language.

Both begin with curiosity.

Both are forms of storytelling.

Both embrace imperfection.

And most importantly, both are about how something makes you feel.

For me, travel has never been about ticking places off a list. It’s about absorbing moments.

The way a street looks just before sunset.

The rhythm of people going about their day.

The colors that don’t quite match, yet somehow belong together.

These are the things that stay.

And slowly, quietly, they begin to influence how you see the world.

As a designer, I’ve come to realize that inspiration doesn’t always arrive in structured ways. Sometimes it comes from places like this, unexpected, slightly whimsical, and full of character.

It shapes not just what you create, but how you create.

With more ease.

With more openness.

With a little less need for perfection.

This blog has always been a space for my travels and my love for food.

And now, it’s slowly becoming something more.

A place where travel, design, and everyday moments come together.

Maybe this is where a new journey begins.

Some places you visit. Some places stay with you

Romance

It has not much to do with the web definition. Romance = “A love affair. Ardent emotional attachment or involvement between people” – In most of the cases or in the intensity that I sense, most often it has nothing to do with just people. It is multi faceted and versatile like not many other words.

Romance is a very situational, presently and personal feeling that one feels. It can be with people, nature, animals, books, situations, smell and most often music.

The color of the word ‘Romance’ is most often pink. Since pink is the color of love and passion, Romance is easily linked. Have you ever thought of black romance? Imagine heavy rain and a dark evening, wet breeze that touches your face and passes by or ruffles your hair and disappears. Would you call that pink? Imagine green romance, walking in a open field with tall grass tickling your bare skin – romantic to the hilt. One can make music from the drops of falling rain, which is romance.

Originally the word ‘Romance’ the old French word was borrowed into English (“romaunt” or “romaunce”) and developed in several ways. Since love was an important theme in the vernacular works, the word came to mean a love-story or a love affair. Many of the old stories were also rather far-fetched, full of magic and superhuman feats of arms, and so “romance” also came to mean a tall story, and in some cases a euphemism for a lie. Hence, no one really knows why this word is a representation of love and nothing else.

Of course, the man – woman romance is equally beautiful. It may or may not be platonic but the momentary passion is present in abundance. Romance is temporary since the feeling is very intense and severe. Romance is strong, hearty, heady and enthralling. Anyone who has felt romance has felt the sweet pain of rejection or extreme fervor. Romance has been present forever. It is charming, charismatic, pure and stimulating. It is like an aroma that lingers on long after it is no more……………..