Photo: Courtesy Mapiful.
Just because you have navigation apps at your fingertips doesn’t mean you should lose sight of the way we once viewed the world. Whether you’re a frequent traveler or simply suffer from wanderlust, maps are a visual reminder of the places you’ve been and where you want to go next. Whether you like your destinations intricately detailed or prefer a big picture perspective, the ways to display maps in your space are as varied as your adventures are.
Map Murals
Photo: Swag Paper on Facebook.
Whether you want to gaze all day at a double hemisphere, imagine yourself on the coast of Italy, or visually wind through Chicago’s railway system on the wall, Swag Paper has a self-adhesive vintage map in a style that substitutes for wallpaper. The designs in the company’s expansive collection span two hundred years, mesh with a wide range of decor, and include big cities like Boston, London, Paris, and New York. It’s less of a question of “if” and more a question of “which one?”
Poster Maps
Photo: @alexandravrennes on Instagram.
Maybe you’re not ready to commit a wall-sized map. That’s okay. Mapiful allows you to choose any location in the world and customize the style and text for a display-worthy map poster. Your design is printed within one day and the $60 price includes free delivery (express shipping is available for an additional fee).
Beer Cap Map
Photo: @BeerCapMaps on Instagram.
Show your brew pride with a beer cap map. Available in wood, steel, or whitewash laminate, this hangable wall decor has plenty of slots for all your bottle tops in either state or country format. Priced between $39 and $99, you can afford to put one in every room you drink in.
Map Pillows
Photo: @521handmade on Instagram.
North Dakota-based Etsy seller 521Handmade specializes in throw pillows. (You know how much women love throw pillows, right?) The worldly ones come in four designs with wistful text like “adventure awaits” and “eat well, travel often” for a mere $40 each. Minnesota and North Dakota pillows with tiny hearts and “home” written on them are also available in case you’re sweet on a Midwestern girl or trying to impress her mom.
Map Lamps
Photo: zazzle.com.
Put the words “map lamps” into the search box at Zazzle and you’ll soon be sifting through over 2,000 lighting options in city, state, country, or world designs. Narrow the selection down by choosing from table, tripod, or pendant models in any price range. We particularly like the meticulous accuracy and pleasing aesthetic off the David Rumsey collection.
Map Coasters
Photo: @thewritestuffdesign on Instagram.
Made by a New Hamsphire craftswoman, these colorful ceramic coasters from The Write Stuff can capture four different locations or depict your favorite place divvied up in quadrants. Built to last with cork backing and durably printed images, these coasters double as conversation starters when you have guests over for drinks.
DIY Map Projects
Photo: @remnantsofaugust on Instagram.
Don’t let our list limit your ambitions–thanks to the internet, there’s a surplus of DIY blogs that will help you get creative with cartography via one click (and a trip to the hardware store). Perhaps you want to try your hand at decoupage and re-do your office chair? Or make miniature map magnets? What about a hanging kusadama globe? The options truly are endless. If you think you’ve exhausted them all, just enter “DIY maps” in the search box on Pinterest. You’ll never leave the house again!
