Designing Across Borders: What I've Learned about Luxury Interior Design from a Life of Travel
- Joseph Szymczak
- Jul 17
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 24
Over the years, I've come to realize that travel is not a detour from my work. It's part of the practice. Every trip, city, and space I experience adds to my visual vocabulary, enriching my work as an interior designer, layer by layer.
The Intersection of Travel and Design
Professionally speaking, my time working in the Middle East opened doors to extraordinary opportunities. I explored and absorbed artistic cultural influences through travel. I attended numerous worldwide trade exhibitions while collaborating on furniture production with international workshops, textile weavers, and decorative arts craftsmen across Asia and Europe. This period of my career massively expanded my design instincts and introduced me to centuries-old traditions still alive in the memory and hands of the makers.
Immersion in Culture
Through this lens, travel has become more than just work; it’s about immersion. I find myself walking through narrow, winding streets framed by architecture from different times and places. I might stumble upon an art gallery featuring local artists displaying deeply rooted images of their people, tradition, and heritage. Neighborhood shisha houses spill into the street, echoing foreign languages and dialects. Later, I return to a former palace turned luxury hotel, steeped in history, with lush decor and evolved intent imparted by generations of occupants and continental influences.
The Impact of Experience on Design
Every moment—every carved door, colored glass, or ancient geometric detail—feeds my professional thirst for exploration of history in connection to decorative arts and lifestyles, both past and present. All these senses find a place in my design perspective, resonating deeply within my work.
What I've learned is this: the most lasting design isn't created in isolation. It's shaped by the experience and context of the environment. There’s an unspoken harmony that reminds us how beautifully we can express meaning in different ways.
SLATE interior design - Chicago
SID is a boutique design studio specializing in developing interiors that reflect sophisticated living. My work spans the U.S. and the Arab Gulf, where I have collaborated on high-end residential projects in culturally and architecturally significant locations. In the U.S. My contributions have earned recognition through award-winning collaborations on custom-built homes and transformative renovations. I enjoy contributing to industry supported charitable events including DIFFA Chicago -- Art for LIFE, the Grand Rapids Symphony Designer Showhouse and Lake Forest Infant Welfare Society Designer Showhouses, as well as other industry knowledge based engagements.
