Graphic Designer’s Travel ‘Souvenirs’ Don’t Cost a Cent, but Her Expansive Collection Covers Multiple Continents (Exclusive)

**The Art of Texture Hunting: How One Designer Creates a Unique Travel Archive**

*Lisbon’s textured beauty has inspired Valeria Kokur’s one-of-a-kind artistic journey. The 32-year-old graphic and brand designer has transformed her fascination with the intricate visual details of the city into a lasting personal archive of textures gathered from Portugal and beyond.*

Five years ago, Kokur moved to Lisbon and was immediately captivated by the variety of design elements that adorn the city. From its charming door handles and colourful tiled façades to its patterned pavements, she found herself drawn to the nuances of the ordinary. “I quickly became aware of how much visual detail there is everywhere,” she explains. “At some point, I wanted to explore these textures in a more physical way, rather than just photographing them.”

What began as a casual interest has evolved into a remarkable creative practice she has dubbed “texture hunting.” Through a combination of a kneaded eraser, ink, and a notebook, Kokur collects impressions of surfaces she encounters during her daily life. The act of stamping these textures offers a tangible way to preserve small yet significant moments from her travels, allowing them to remain with her long after she has left a location.

Kokur’s artistic process has gained attention on platforms like TikTok, where she showcases her technique. In her videos, she can be seen walking through various locales, seeking out visually interesting surfaces. Rather than following a predetermined checklist, she allows her curiosity to guide her, discovering unique patterns often while engaged in mundane activities.

Her mobile kit, which fits conveniently into her bag, ensures that she is always ready to capture inspiring textures. She presses the kneaded eraser onto a surface to collect its imprint, dips it in ink, and then stamps the resulting pattern onto a page in her notebook. The process is almost ritualistic; cleaning the eraser involves stamping it repeatedly onto a blank page until it’s ready for the next design.

Among her most cherished finds are the iconic azulejos, the decorative tiles that are synonymous with Portuguese architecture, known for their vibrant colours and intricate patterns. Kokur is also drawn to the city’s ornate door handles, which often reflect the character of the buildings they adorn. Surprisingly, even unassuming objects like garbage bins and mailboxes can reveal carefully crafted patterns that catch her eye and contribute to her collection.

As a designer, Kokur occasionally revisits these impressions to inform her professional work. By studying the nature of the textures, she gains insights into their construction, which can inspire her designs. However, she emphasises that much of her texture hunting serves as a creative hobby, a way to compile mementos from her journeys rather than simply serve a professional purpose.

In a delightful twist, one of Kokur’s creations has found a new life beyond her notebook. Inspired by her stamping, her husband, who has a keen interest in 3D printing, recreated one of her textured door handle impressions. He crafted a thin layer in CAD before transferring it onto a T-shirt via heat, effectively taking Kokur’s art into the fashion realm.

Her journey of texture hunting has taken her to various locations beyond Lisbon, including recent visits to Spain and Mexico. Each new locale has allowed her to expand her archive, with each stamped page in her notebook serving as a record of her experiences. From bustling city streets to tranquil rural landscapes, Kokur’s exploration of everyday textures connects her to the places she visits.

The door handles she collects are particularly significant to her, as each impression serves as a tangible reminder of the location where she discovered it. “It started as a simple experiment, but it has become a personal archive of the places I’ve visited,” Kokur reflects. Rather than simply capturing moments through photography, she offers a more tactile memory forged from the very surfaces that embody those experiences.

Kokur’s journey demonstrates that beauty can be found in the most mundane objects. By transforming fleeting moments into lasting impressions, she finds a deeper connection to the places she visits. Each time she presses her eraser onto a new surface, she not only adds to her collection but also enriches her understanding of the world around her.