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The Most Stylish Way to Showcase Your Hometown Pride

Sarah Lyon
Sarah Lyon
Sarah Lyon is a freelance writer based in New York City who covers interior design and lifestyle content. She is constantly on the hunt for eye-catching pieces to add to her space and believes that a home is never truly finished being styled.
published Jun 3, 2019
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Credit: Kimberly Graydon

Vintage (or just vintage-looking) maps are one of my favorite items to browse for at flea markets or craft fairs. I love flipping through a large assortment from all over the globe, with the hope of finding a map that depicts a place meaningful to me. But it seems I don’t always need to leave my home to stalk down such finds. I’ve come to realize that Etsy has an expansive collection of older maps, and while navigating a website isn’t quite as special as wandering from booth to booth, it’s obviously much easier to track down exactly what you’re hoping to find. For me, that was a vintage map of Washington, DC, where I currently live. I’d purchased smaller DC maps online before, but I wanted something large that I could frame and keep for years to come. Wall art that has a bit of sentimental value is the best kind, right?

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Credit: Etsy

“Antique” Washington DC Map at Etsy, $11

I opted to purchase my map from this shop, but there are tons of options for sale across the site. The more challenging part, in my opinion, was figuring out what style of frame to order! Framing can be so expensive, and I generally only turn to a professional framer when I’m dealing with a pricier piece of artwork, particularly if it’s not a traditional size. For everything else, I just opt for an affordable craft store frame, and this has generally worked just fine!

As a lover of all things Hollywood Regency, I opted to place my map in gold bamboo frame, but I also love this sleek (also gold) version, which rings up at just a little over $30 for a 16 by 20 — and smaller sizes are available, too. At these prices, it would be easy to create a stylish, personal gallery wall featuring two or three different maps for under $100. (Truly a feat.)

Framed maps would make excellent housewarming gifts, wedding presents (pick the place they met or where they’re getting married), graduation gifts (look for a map of their college town), and the like. Pieces like these are truly timeless and are an easy, affordable way to inject some personality into any room of the house.