Travel Notes

A running record of where I go, what I notice, and how travel shapes my work. Each destination has its own intention — sometimes design-driven, sometimes personal — and every entry includes what I hoped to find and what I actually discovered.

These aren’t itineraries. They’re curated notes: the textures, places, colors, and experiences that stay with me, and how I fold them back into my life and my design practice.

Follow along on Instagram for real-time travel notes and design inspiration @julesnoletdesign.

Santa Fe

  • A December escape to historic downtown Santa Fe, staying at an inn layered with antique wood furniture, vintage handwoven rugs, and endless mosaic accents. I’m drawn to Santa Fe for its craftsmanship and its deep Native and Southwestern artistic traditions. This trip is part creative inspiration and part winter reset.

    • Desert-winter palettes

    • Native and Southwestern textile inspiration

    • Over-the-top mosaic installations

    • Native pottery

    • A slower seasonal rhythm to reset creatively

  • When I return, I’ll share what stood out, what surprised me, the places worth visiting, and the design notes I’m bringing back with me.

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Vietnam 2025

  • An 18-day journey through Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Ha Long Bay, and Hanoi — moving from the energy of the south to the history and cool quiet of the north. It’s part creative reset, part discovery, and part content mission for my lifestyle platform.
    There’s also a personal layer: it’s my first time returning to the motherland in decades. I’m interested in seeing what feels familiar, what feels foreign, and what inspires me creatively now.

    • New coastal palettes and textures across five distinct cities

    • Traditional craft and artisanal techniques in unexpected places

    • Architectural contrasts between modern Vietnam and its historical foundations

    • Local rituals, markets, foodways, and color stories I can translate into design

    • Elevated stays, hidden luxury, and experiences that feel authentic, not staged

    • A personal reconnection — not in a nostalgic way, but as a way of understanding my own creative DNA

  • When I return, I’ll share what stood out, what surprised me, the places worth visiting, and the design notes I’m bringing back with me.

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Palm Springs 2025

  • A December escape to historic downtown Santa Fe, staying at an inn layered with antique wood furniture, vintage handwoven rugs, and endless mosaic accents. I’m drawn to Santa Fe for its craftsmanship and its deep Native and Southwestern artistic traditions. This trip is part creative inspiration and part winter reset.

  • A desert reset at Two Bunch Palms — long mineral soaks, quiet mornings, and a full body-and-mind recalibration after wrapping a major project I can’t reveal yet (Cardiff). It’s a private celebration of the work, the discipline, and the pride behind a project that I can’t wait to share.

    The goal is simple: restore, recharge, and start the next chapter with a clear head and a fresh eye.

  • Palm Springs — October 2025

    What I Discovered & Loved

    Two Bunch Palms is even more magical in October — shoulder season means quiet, peaceful desert energy without the winter snow-bird crowd. The mineral springs felt especially restorative: warm, lithium-rich waters flowing from a 600-year‐old aquifer, soaking tubs and grottoes that deliver a real sense of renewal.

    The place balances old and new beautifully — historic adobe bungalows, teak tubs, natural pools, and desert-bohemian details set among palms, water features, and shaded paths that calm the senses.

    Because it’s low-key and adults-only, it felt like true reset time — more spa retreat than resort buzz.

    Best Eats & Night Moves

    Farm Restaurant — a relaxed breakfast spot. Worth the wait, but my tip: don’t show up starving expecting immediate seating.

    Mister Parker's — dinner here was the best I’ve had in a long time. Dark, moody, romantic, sensual atmosphere. The kind of dinner that feels like a small ritual, not just eating.

    Counter Reformation — the speakeasy-style wine bar. Small, intimate, counter seating, curated wines and small plates. It’s perfect for a pre-dinner glass or a late-night toast.

    What I Brought Home (Design + Energy Notes)

    • Color & light — desert light, warm stone tones, natural palms and water. There’s a calm, simple richness to desert materials and hues that feels very gallery ready.

    • Texture & material inspiration — teak tubs, adobe-style architecture, weathered wood, natural stone, plaster, palms. Great ideas for coastal designs that feel grounded and earthy.

    • Furniture & vintage mid-century finds — Palm Springs delivered the good stuff — sculptural midcentury pieces with beautiful patina and that relaxed desert-modern elegance. A few finds were exactly what I needed to finish Cardiff: clean lines, warm woods, and quietly dramatic silhouettes. It’s one of the few places where vintage still feels genuinely discoverable.

    • Reset rhythm — the whole pace and environment helped me reset -- slow mornings, warm soaks, quiet nights. That desert-stillness energy felt regenerative and rare — useful to carry into design thinking or future projects.

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