Maps don’t have to be the boring pieces of paper with squiggles that many people seem to believe. In fact, they can be some of the most breathtaking options for decorating anything that you could ask for. You can do some pretty amazing things when you blow up a map to ridiculous proportions. Being creative in how you use them would let you achieve fantastic visuals, as well.
You can start small with trinkets that are related to maps and place them in strategic locations around an area. From there, you can escalate with wallpapers or decals that represent maps. If you really want to go big, you could also paint walls. You could even do some impressive landscaping or platform art on a body of water! Here are a few ideas to consider if you want to try out maps as decorations:
Just the Little Things First
The great thing about interior design is that it can be done just as well with little things as big things. That is to say, you can bring out the charms of any room with the small, most inconsequential objects. These include novelty items like decorative calipers, tiny globes, vintage cartography lenses, and more.
There is no limit to the kinds of things you could achieve with the right trinket in the right place. You can think of it like how you add spices when cooking. You are not trying to usurp the flavor of the main ingredients. You are enhancing them with a pinch of this and a teaspoon of that.
Map Portraits
People often hang paintings of literally two lines and a dot that has different colors. If this can be done, there should be no reason for you to not hang a map portrait. This can come in many forms, as well, all of which are unique and interesting in their own ways. These include charcoal drawings, oriental maps, map paintings, laminated maps, and even antique maps.
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Not only will this be a great way to inject some gravitas into a room, but it also shows your intellect. Having to read a map to find your way around can be quite boring, yes. Appreciating the beauty, history, or sentimental value of a map, though? This can be considered to be a sophisticated pastime.
Who doesn’t want to be thought of as sophisticated?
Stick Them On the Walls
You can plaster wallpapers that look like flowers, leaves, or waves all over your bedroom walls. You could also go with a gigantic map facade that extends from one corner to another. Better yet, why not a continuous map wallpaper that will wrap around all four corners of the room? Let’s see anyone enter and not pause just to make sure that they are seeing what they are seeing.
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If an end-to-end wallpaper that contains the image of a map is too much for you, how about decals? They are much easier to install and don’t take as much space. They can be a better choice for modern apartments with contemporary materials, as well.
Both of these suggestions will work for interior decoration, but there’s no need to feel too pressured to choose. Who says you can’t do both or try one and then the other afterward? It’s all up to you, in the end.
Splashing Some Paint Around
Are you feeling a little more adventurous with your map decoration project? How about you extend it to your home’s exterior? You can go with doors, both the normal ones and the garage variety. The walls or the roof could work, as well.
If we’re going to be talking about eye-catching ideas when decorating your home, a giant map on the roof works. Sure, it will take some work and you would need to be really artistic if you won’t hire a professional. In the end, though, the results are going to be worth all the effort.
Challenging Landscaping Projects
When you first think of landscaping projects, a unique representation of a map is not the most obvious idea. You would first think of flowers, maze hedges, or even zen gardens with a pond. What you don’t imagine is a gigantic image of countries or cities in the form of dirt, bricks, and plants.
This is exactly what you are aiming for if you want a landscaping project that stands above the rest. You can make it obvious that it’s a map or you could be clever and make it hidden, as well. You could make it entirely inorganic or you could form the features out of flowers and plants. The choice is yours.
Floating Artworks
For the most ambitious way to use a map for decorating, how about going with a floating art project? If you own a large pond or a lake house, you could create a floating platform. You can use modular plastic docks like those used in floating jetty systems, click here for more info. Once you’ve put it together, you can lay a smooth layer that you can paint over.
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This can then become your canvas to paint the globe, an area, or even a fantasy region. Granted, the opportunities for doing this can be rare, but those who see it are guaranteed to be blown away. If that’s the kind of thing you’re going for, this could be an excellent option for you.
With that said, you could also combine ideas. For example, you can create a floating garden that is in the shape of a map. All bets are off here.
Conclusion
Maps have been used for decorations for centuries, even if they have not achieved a high level of popularity. Many libraries and old homes still feature this useful invention in a prominent manner. The suggestions put forward here can be used to bring the idea of map decor to the modern era. You could be among the first to ride this trend.
