HEIDI’S TRAVEL & TREASURE DIARY

People often ask where I find my favorite pieces. 

The truth? It’s rarely the obvious place. It’s usually somewhere I wandered.

MOST SURPRISING: IOWA

A quiet drive through the Midwest led me to Walnut, Iowa - an entire town dedicated to antiques. Store after store. Dealers who’ve been curating for decades. It reminded me that treasure doesn’t care about coastlines. Sometimes it’s tucked between cornfields.

MOST FUN: ROUND TOP

I did Round Top solo once. Miles of tents. Dusty boots. Dealers who know their craft. It was empowering to hunt alone - but next time, I’m bringing friends. The real magic? Wandering the backroads nearby. The quiet barns. The small stores no one posts about. I will always choose the two-lane road.

FAVORITE HOTELS (WHEN I’M NOT RENTING A SMALL HOME)

I usually prefer renting a small home and immersing in local life. But some hotels truly transport you.

• Ballyfin in Ireland - sixteen rooms and you feel like you’re living inside a period drama. Grand staircases. Oil paintings. Silver trays at tea.
• Reschio in Umbria - magical charm. Hand-forged details. Candlelight. Silence. It feels like stepping back in time in the most exquisite way.
• NIHI in Sumba - swimming with horses. Tribal traditions. Wild, primal beauty.
• La Mamounia in Marrakech - the architecture is magic. Pattern and texture layered with history. Each one taught me something about restraint, detail, wildness, and heritage. 

A LIVING FILM SET: SAN TELMO

Sundays in San Telmo, Buenos Aires. Tango in the streets. Leather. Silver. Saddles. Gaucho relics. Ralph Lauren meets South America, but authentic. You walk slower there. And when you walk slower, you see more. 

A MUSEUM YOU CAN SHOP

M.S. Rau in New Orleans feels like stepping into a private museum. Master paintings. Rare jewelry. Museum-quality antiques. Even if you’re not buying, you’re learning. And learning sharpens your eye.  

FAVORITE PURCHASES EVER

• Rugs from the Vanves flea market in Paris that came out of a villa in Saint-Tropez.
• A still life painting from Beverly Hills that I brought to Antiques Roadshow.
• Life-size Balinese angel carvings from a waterfront alcove home in Newport Beach - the woman told me koi fish would jump from the pond and sun themselves at their feet.
• A carved walking stick from Stockholm that now lives at my cabin.
• A leather quiver and arrows from Paris that hang in that same cabin. 

Objects hold memory. 
That’s why I collect them. 

ON MY 2026 HUNT LIST

• The Himalayas - for ancient textiles and perspective.
• Chile and Patagonia - gaucho heritage and raw landscape.
• Tokyo’s vintage scene - precision and craftsmanship.
• The Cotswolds - countryside English antiques.
• Finland - Nordic restraint and design history.
•  And the legendary garage sale stretching across Michigan and beyond - roots and road trip combined.

 The hunt never ends.
It evolves.

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