Maps and an old-fashioned compass form the basic decorating materials in map-inspired rooms.
Maps as decorative pieces inspire worldliness and speak to travels to exotic lands far away. Although maps were a common decorative element in Victorian decorating, all these years later, they still haven't gone out of style. The decorating possibilities vary from using old-fashioned looking maps along with sepia-toned photos and Egyptian artifacts to using maps that have a decidedly modern, subway-under-the-city kind of feel. The key to decorating with maps is to settle on the decorating style of your choice and find maps and map accessories that fit that particular decorating style. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Determine your decorative motif; this will help you narrow down the types of maps you will need. For example, if you've chosen an ultra-modern look for your home, you'd probably want to stay away from maps colored in the sepia tones of days gone by.
2. Bring the map motif largely into focus in the room by displaying a large map onto a main wall. A number of options exist for this. You can frame a very large map in an appropriate frame, paint a mural of a map on the wall, or decoupage a large map onto the wall in lieu of wallpaper.
3. Decoupage maps onto a table, chairs, dressers or a hutch. These pieces become accent pieces in your living space and can help enhance a focal point in the room. For example, if you've framed a large, antique replica of a world map, decoupage a map of the same style onto an old dresser and matching chairs.
4. Display an oversized atlas on a book stand, opened to the map of your favorite place.
5. Cover a plain lampshade with a map. If you use a map made from thin paper, the light from the lamp will shine through and cast interesting shadows on the wall. Affix the map to the lampshade with decoupage.
6. Buy a globe on a tall wooden stand. These come in a number of sizes with the globes ranging from very small to quite large. If you'd like the globe to be part of the display that supports your focal point, gravitate toward a large globe and position it in a corner near your display.
7. Look for pillows with a map patterns. Sometimes you can purchase these in home decorating stores. For those handy with a sewing machine, they can be made from some fabric that features a map pattern.
8. Hang curtains made with a map pattern on them. Make them from the same material as the throw pillows.
9. Find travel and adventure-related accessories like a ship's spyglass, a compass, seashells, and old trunks stamped with travel stickers. Make the smaller items into travel-related shadowboxes and use bigger items like the trunk in place of a coffee table. To tie it into the room, cover it with a replica of an antique map and cover that with protective glass or Plexiglass. Allow the travel stickers to show.
Tags: decorating style, focal point, lampshade with, large onto, made from, travel stickers