Where we choose to live — just like what we do or where we come from — influences who we are. So do you use that as design inspiration, or do you leave the city kitsch to the tourists?
There's no denying that Bostonians are proud of their city. While I"m not painting a giant Patriots logo on my bedroom wall, I love the idea of incorporating favorite elements and meaningful places into decor. Here are some fun ways do to that:
1. Add that Vineyard cottage feel to your entry with this key hook in the shape of Massachusetts (most other states also available) from Etsy seller OldNewAgain.
2. At Debby Krim's SoWa studio, you can use the blank wall to arrange any of the hundreds of Fusion Foto Blocs into a custom collage. There's everything from flowers to food to Fenway.
3. Add a dose of kitsch to the kitchen with these city dish towels.
4. Timothy Craig's cartoony style adds a lightness to Back Bay's historic brownstones.
5. Add a different kind of subway tile to your backsplash with custom ceramic tiles from Boston Coasters. Choose any image from a variety of local artists, and they'll screen it on everything from coasters to puzzles.
6. From the guys who will be producing the official MBTA merchandise, Ward Maps is a Cambridge company specializing in vintage maps and transportation memorabilia, like this antique transit roll.
7. Last but not least, Ork Posters. Fun, graphic, reasonably priced. What's not to love?
Images: as linked above 2:Dan Watkins
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We don't have anything for our city on our walls, but we do have a few prints for places we've traveled, like the San Fran ork poster, which you can see here.
I've never thought about it, but I actually have quite a bit. My gallery wall has several photos of DC murals that I've taken and two watercolors of the neighborhoods I've lived in and my shower curtain is the DC Metro map.
I also am an obsessive map collector, so a while ago I used several maps of places dear to me to make a basket:
http://someoneelsehaslmcwethy.blogspot.com/2010/05/finding-my-way-around-storage.html
I've given an Ork poster (or 2) as a gift before. Wish more places had Raleigh/Durham on their list of cities... or even North Carolina.
Ooooh, exciting!! Finally a Minneapolis Ork poster!
We also have the SF Ork poster as well as another poster of SF's map that was on the front cover of 7x7 magazine. There's a San Francisco ABC poster in my son's room and we various collectibles and art from local people. Oh, and our Heath ceramics...
I have nothing in my house related to where I currently live. Although I know I have to move in the next couple of years (marriage/job/you know, life) and it actually had me thinking of ways to incorporate my current "home" city into my new home, if that makes sense.
Minneapolis Ork poster, with a St. Paul one on the way! w00t!
I love the transit coaster, too. I'd love to get a painting done based off of the old streetcar map from St. Paul and Minneapolis. A girl can dream.
Since I'm from originally from Brooklyn and my boyfriend is from Denver, there are two posters similar to the Boston one shown above hanging side by side in the living room!
I don't have anything from my current city in my apartment, but I do have something from my hometown. Its an original painting of where my husband and I got married, and it also happens to be a landmark. It is very special to use because my brother in law talked the painter who sells many post cards of the image, into selling him the original.
Absolutely no sense of place, at any time in my life. Maybe because nowhere I have lived has been interesting to me. Oh well...
indeed, i do. i have a graphic-style map of oakland hanging on my wall.
I just want to find some Texas stuff that isn't cheesy.
My whole apartment is decorated in the stuff that reminds me of the three states I've lived in: Texas, Massachusetts, and Oregon.
living room: has framed Boston & Portland maps, Boston coasters from BostonCoasters.com, Harpoon IPA tap handle, and a picture of Boston at night that was taken from Cambridge.
dining room: is called the "Flag Room" because I have flags from each state in there (including my college). There's also a map of Mt. Hood and Cambridge in there
kitchen: has old Red Sox pennants, a Texas Rangers World Series flag, my "Hillary '08" sign from when I was in Texas, and some old Portland street signs
bedroom: two framed pictures of Boston and pictures of my family (Texas)
When I finally had to break down and relinquish my Texas vehicle registration, I cleaned up one of the Texas plates and am using it as art over my stove since it's the only thing the cooking surface won't damage :) The boyfriend (also a Texan) loves it, too.
Once upon a time I had old license plates from my home state. I'm currently thinking about getting an old state map. In my office I have three prints from my state.
My entry way is all and only Brooklyn artists! Woot.
The brownstones picture is beautiful.
My own place doesn't have any local memorabilia because I figure I'm not going to forget where I am. Then again, having two huge picture windows does help cement that sense of location ... it's always there for me to look at.
I don't but I live in a shity place.
I love the buttons in the first picture .... source?
We do this and as we move around we have a little bit of every place we've lived with us. I love it.
I was born and raised in Baton Rouge, LA, but my husband and I started our life together in Dallas after we got married. To pay tribute to our new home and our roots, I hung an iron Lone Star decor accent on the wall next to a well-known Louisiana icon, the Fleur de Lis. I love the way that the juxtaposition of the two symbols represents the two locations that are close to our hearts.
We have the Chicago (where we live) version of photo #7 up there. It's a white map on a beautiful deep turquoise background in a thick white frame. Got the poster from a friend (she ordered 2) but had to get the frame custom made because it's so big!
We also have several vacation photos scattered throughout the house - Prague, Vienna, Fiji, Vegas (we were married there, so they're classy Vegas photos) :)
I am from Texas. My favorite thing to decorate with are stars of all shapes, styles and mediums. I also have an art piece made out of Lonestar Beer bottle caps made into the shape of Texas. I made this myself and enjoy it very much.
I love my screen-printed City of Saint Louis Neighborhoods poster from stl-style.com. It's distinct from the Ork city posters in its use of color and various other elements.
My latest hometown acquisition is a poster from the Wisconsin protests.
I'm framin' it!
I live in a small city in Michigan that's too small to rate "city kitsch," but I'm involved in local politics, so I ended up buying a map of election precincts. I recently framed it and hanged in the living room. It's kind of a nerdy form of city kitsch, I guess.
Funny, because after reading this article I realized that I don't have any signature items from my home state of Texas - except a six-pack of Lone Star that usually occupies space in my fridge.
My husband and I live in Chicago, and there's a couple of things - a pilfered CTA train map (for the record, neither of us stole it - it was given out as a door prize at a friend's party).
And - prepare to cringe - a print of a painting of John Wayne Gacy. We met the artist who painted it (Darick Maasen, a very talented guy), and my husband (himself an artist attracted to strange subjects) insisted on buying it, saying that it was quintessentially Chicago.
My house has serious hometown (Atlanta) pride complete with tons of vintage maps, beverage glasses, screen prints, and collectible plates. I also have a large collection of vintage postcards from various sites around the city. I think it's tasteful and it makes me happy.
Check out my city prints!
http://www.laceywaterman.bigcartel.com
I have a framed placemat, that hangs in our entryway, used to advertise the Kalamazoo County Fair (the "bit town" closest to the little one I grew up in) from the 1950's. It was used as an advertisement for church suppers, masonic chicken dinners and the likes. Attractions that year: Tommy Dorsey band on Friday night and Midget Westling on Saturday!!
OMG THATS MY APARTMENT! Seriously, the one with the MA hook. I had OldNewAgain make me the MA hooks when I moved to Boston. It look phenomenal by my front door with my little button paintings. Super well made, attention to detail was superb.
http://juliebcreative.etsy.com
My boyfriend just bought me the Toronto poster from Ork and we had it framed and hung up in our office. But my profession/passion lends me to loving cities, anyhow. :)
I keep two framed license plates, one from PA my old home and one from NY my new one.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5081037360/in/set-72157625161966594/
@nsflax, there's your button source! http://juliebcreative.etsy.com
@juliebcreative, your entry is adorable :)
i've been wanting a big old vintage map of Ohio for a while. We have some Ohio license plates in our kitchen though.
This post has made me SO homesick for MA! I have tons of photos all around of my adventures and the places I have been but hardly ANYTHING in my California apartment from home in Mass! Next time I visit I am on a hunt! The keyhook is super cute too!
I have a number of Chicago (my hometown) themed paintings & prints, along with a couple from the other various states I've lived in. We also have some paintings and prints of Hong Kong and San Francisco.
Gee, you know... I have nothing, and yet I AM very proud of Ottawa. May not have been born here, but it feels like Home to me. Hmmmm.... what to put up? A Beavertail?
I have major Texas pride (home state) and do find it hard to get non kitschy stuff to put up - that being said, Xmas ornaments are the way to go. Lots of Texas pride ornaments adorn my tree. And for adopted home of Chi-town, I can't help but have the neighborhoods map up.