However, just because they're not going anywhere, doesn't mean map collections can never look contrived. The best way to ensure your map decor feels authentic is to decorate with maps that have a personal meaning to you. Maps of your home town, favorite vacation spot, or family origin location will always have a place in your home. And while some of the coolest patinas come from authentic vintage wear, even a new map of a favorite spot has its place in your life.
There are as many ways to decorate with maps as there are maps themselves, and with the resurgence in main stream popularity recently we've seen them move well beyond the gilt frame or dowels…
• Using maps as wallpaper has seen its fair share of fame in recent years. A whole room of maps can add charm and character to old and new construction alike. My favorite application to date is George Krauth's use of vintage maps of the Chesapeake bay in his bedroom. Rather than covering the whole room, he used them to anchor the bed and compliment other elements in the room. The yellow is a perfect contrast to the moody, sophisticated gray, and the maps also show his love for colonial port towns.
• Maps as art can take many forms. Many have a graphic nature that can stand alone just as any other piece of art. Others place in casual frames in spare places play up the humble nature of maps. And still others, grouped in large collections can have a similar "library" effect as a large grouping of old tomes.
• Using maps as you would any other decorative paper can make a strong and personalized statement. We love Kim's use of maps from her travels abroad to cover containers for her craft supplies, and Rhiannon and Victor's cabinet coverings. You can also use them to cover map shades, books, or even roller shades!
How have you put your map collection to work?
Images: 1: Tria Giovan for Southern Living, 2: Inside Out Magazine, 3: S.R. Gambrel, 4: Domino, 5: Charlotte Magazine, 6, 7: Elle Decor, 8: Metropolitan Home, 9: Susie Nadler and Victor Obeck for Apartment Therapy: SF , 10: Leah Moss for Apartment Therapy: DC, 11: Notebook Magazine, 12: O at Home
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I have a large world map in my living room. It's a Winkel Tripel projection (which I've realized I don't care for) and I refer to it constantly to follow storms and locate satellite coordinates. Don't know what I'd do without it. Plus, it's a large shot of color on my otherwise white walls.
The grey-green in the first image is the wall colour of my dreams, and I can't find anything like it here in the Netherlands....
Anyone know where I could find that wall-sconce that has an arm to reach out over the bed in the first photo?
i love the third image in this series. i love maps! the color combinations here though are just perfect.
I've been using roadmaps, topo maps, and nautical charts in my mixed media paintings for about 15 years now. (katyallgeyer.com) There definitely are "map people" out there! :)
using maps is one of my faves. all of these rooms are so lovely, esp. the second one in the lineup. i just used a map to recover my coffee table. what a coincidence!
http://meredithtuttle.blogspot.com/2010/09/makeover-monday-one-risky-table.html
Love the use of maps as wallpaper. Adds that personal touch, while staying sophisticated. Antique maps are also always in style!
I love maps as art, just not as wallpaper.
Maps are fabulous and the best part is there is a never ending supply.
I have a large collection of vintage atlases & outdated map sheets, but instead of displaying, I repurpose them them into personalized paper cut art. I create little wooden blocks with mounted anatomically-inspired hearts I cut around a city of one's birth, or the place where a couple met. It's not quite as overwhelming as wallpaper-like maps, but still very much satisfies the cartography lover in me!
www.papercutworks.etsy.com
loopiforyou on etsy does fridge magnets cut from our local road atlas - you can pick the postcode/street & so on. Fabulous & cool & not overly pricey - we gave many for christmas last year.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/36745114/set-of-4-custom-1-inch-melways-magnets?ref=sr_gallery_2&ga_search_query=map+magnet+melbourne&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=&includes%5B0%5D=tags&includes%5B1%5D=title
Urban Outfitters have these great big tapestries that are maps of the world. I've been thinking of getting one to use in a reading corner and making small material labels and pinning them onto places I've been to make it more personal.
I have a map wall in my current bedroom. We're moving at the end of the month and intend to have a map nook around the headboard in our new flat. Have been collecting for this one for a while so it's going to have lots of different types of maps, including some anatomy stuff - like a cross section of the human chest, and other things.
It might be overdone these days, but I love maps and I love the look. (I was originally inspired by the bedroom in martha meet frank, daniel and lawrence). I also have an amazing vintage wallchart map of france to go up. I'll be posting pictures when I do all these things!
Online? i post my favourite maps every week (although i miss weeks quite often) http://annabelvita.com/tag/cartography
Also, I couldn't agree more with this: "However, just because they're not going anywhere, doesn't mean map collections can never look contrived. The best way to ensure your map decor feels authentic is to decorate with maps that have a personal meaning to you."
My mom taught me this - use small maps, such as the ones local tourist companies will give you when you travel - to make place-mats. Just laminate them, and they are artsy and easy to use. Can do sets or mix-and-match locations!