Beyond Charlotte Moss’ inimitable mastery of style lies an equally defining passion: travel. For Moss, journeys are never just escapes; they are immersive studies in culture, history, and beauty. Each trip becomes a reservoir of inspiration, feeding her imagination and shaping the way she sees and creates. From the symmetry of European gardens to the patina of storied cities, she collects impressions much like treasures—later weaving them into her interiors, books, and conversations on design.
That perspective was front and center at her Sept. 24 “Conversations on Design” event at Charlottesville’s Farmington Country Club, where Moss convened fellow design luminaries, like Suzanne Tucker, Alexa Hampton, and Lisa Fine. Together, they unpacked the nuances of taste and interiors, with proceeds from the afternoon supporting a scholarship for aspiring designers at Virginia Commonwealth University, Moss’ alma mater. Here’s how Moss gets lost in translation and brings everything she’s learned abroad home.
The Camera Eats First
While many travelers obsess over photographing their meals before taking a bite, Moss turns her lens to the world around her. “I’m a scrapbooker,” she told the audience at Farmington, explaining how travel becomes a visual archive of inspiration. A single garden visit might yield 400 images, as she captures everything from the curve of a topiary to the texture of a sculpture. For Moss, photographs are not souvenirs but tools—ways to, as Lesley Blanch, the savvy historian, journalist, and travel writer, so beautifully put it, “recapture
the rapture.”
Always Have the Next Trip Simmering
“The last night of every trip, I like to plan the next one,” Moss admitted with a smile. For a self-described culture vulture, the hunger to see, learn, and experience is endless. “There’s nothing more depressing than going home,” she said, echoing the spirit of writer Gertrude Bell: Already I want the next thing. Rather than sit on the planning phase until the jetlag of a return trip has lifted, Moss says plotting the next trip will keep you engaged and your creative momentum going.
Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing, Baby
When Covid brought travel to a halt in 2020, Moss—like so many others—turned to armchair journeys, paging through books on far-flung places she longed to see. But in the years since, her outlook has shifted: the time for hesitation is over. “There’s no substitute for being there, for smelling the air,” she told the crowd. Fresh off a recent trip to Greece, Moss emphasized that nothing compares to the immediacy of being in a place and absorbing it firsthand—a perspective that continually informs her design. The dodecahedron newel posts anchoring her stairwell, for instance, were sparked by a garden statue she once encountered in La Foce estate situated on the hills overlooking the Val d’Orcia in Italy. Likewise, the rill coursing through her Charlottesville backyard echoes the shallow water channels she’s admired in Europe.
Interpretation and Personalization
In design, the seemingly unattainable detail spotted overseas is rarely out of reach—it simply requires imagination to translate it into your own home. For Moss, travel often sparks a process of reimagining. At Hillsborough Castle & Gardens in Northern Ireland, she found herself captivated by what appeared to be centuries-old stone walls—only to discover they were, in fact, masterfully executed faux work. Obsessed, Moss took copious photos then reached out to decorative artist James Alan Smith to see if he could bring the look to life—which he did, in startlingly similar style, in her Charlottesville home’s entry hall.
Let Curiosity Take the Lead
Approaching interiors through the vantage point of travel, Moss has one big piece of advice: “Nap before the trip!” The indefatigable flâneuse has no time for slowpokes or dawdlers on her escapades far afield. “I’m at an age where I know I won’t get back to some places,” she said. Russia, for instance, a life-changing visit, will likely not see her return, and there’s a lesson to be learned there. “You only have one shot at this wonderful life. So don’t wait. Take the trip. See the world. Bring what you learned home.”
Learn more about Charlotte Moss here. And click here for the 2025 Southern Living Idea House.
This article originally appeared in the December 2025 issue.
