apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I love any kind of map...

Terrific post, thanks. Was just looking for nautical chart -- great memories of sailing. Makes it easy to point out to friends where I got Lyme disease. ;)

After working for 15 years in the marine repair business, I tried to get my hands on nautical charts of all the ports that I worked in or visited. The only drawback is the cost factor as these charts can be expensive. However as these charts tend to be constantly Look for outdated charts at a lower price as these charts are constantly updated to reflect changing coastlines, draft etc.

We may soon see the end of nautical charts as more ships are updated with digital navigational aids.....

there's a company in Maine that mounts the NOAA maps onto plaques for a cheaper alternative. custom can get really expensive! they're huge, UV resistant and you can wash them with Windex.
they're available at Home Accents in Maine, they can drop ship anywhere in the country.
http://yourhomeaccents.blogspot.com

I would LOVE to see your nautical decor that isn't kitschy!!! Do you have photos anywhere that I could view? I'd love to play off a sailboat picture we have in our bedroom to redecorate, but can never go there without it looking cheesy!

I love the nautical charts idea. We have one in our beach house in the South Sound area of Washington State. A friend of ours hangs his charts on dowels and a holder that holds the charts stacked up - kind of hard to describe. I've also had a chart professionally mounted vs. framing. They are a good conversation starter and also helpful if you live on the water to show people where they are in relation to the nearest town and/or city.

There is also a great store in Halifax, Nova Scotia offering a huge range of nautical maps, antique maps, topographical maps, etc. - http://www.mapsandmore.ca

HOLY COW....I'm staring at the photo you took of the map in Delaware, shocked at what I'm seeing and getting really homesick. It's interesting that you found that map in Delaware, considering it is a nautical map of Long Island, featuring Oyster Bay Harbor!! (My hometown) What a nice surprise for me stuck in DC on a rainy day, now wishing I were back in Oyster Bay....

Mrs. VanderMeulen -- I'm working on getting my apartment to a showable status, but as it stands right now, we're still waiting for a good month to spend on framing our art! We are buying and collecting our apartment furniture one piece at a time after starting with only two borrowed table lamps. I can tell you that right now our nautical-ness consists of: a blue and white striped Dash and Albert rug in the kitchen, touches of blue here and there (a blue throw on the cream-colored sofa, blue quilt for the bed with taupe sheets), and a glass urchin. Soon, I hope to have a nautical map framed above our sofa, and frame our piece of art that's of a boat oar in the Carribbean! Good luck with your own nautical project!