Dan's Papers - July 13, 2007 - What's Your Destination?

Looking to bring a worldview to your home? World travelers, sophisticated academia, destination designers and map mavens alike understand the importance of having cultured quarters. You don't have to be an expert to project a worldly ambiance throughout your home though.

Maps remind people of how big the world really is, but more importantly, they highlight how well the world seems to fit into almost any home. The traditional way to make use of a decorative map is by framing it and hanging it on the wall. Now, depending on the color scheme of the room, the color effect of the map can match. If there is a dark, antique theme throughout the room, there are great tricks to turn a relatively new map into a visionary antique. The elementary trick of dipping paper in tea and coffee to add the rustic feel is a priceless trick in map decoration. Take the map, new or old, soak the paper in a bin of coffee or tea for a couple minutes and then hang the map to dry. This will look beautiful framed or unframed on your wall.

Marking where you've been and where you'd like to go are milestones in any traveler's life, so start early. Teach your children the enormity of the world through maps, but also teach them the importance of their mark on the world, literally. A great decoration for a child's room is a large map or a map mural across the wall. After each trip, have your child mark where they have traveled with permanent marker. Make sure to label the city and the date to jog their memories in the years to come. This is a great keepsake for their childhood memories that they will keep forever.

For those history buffs out there, maps are an essential part of historical progression of any area. Try decorating your room with different century maps of your local area to better visualize the changes of yesterday that occurred right beneath your feet. Even better, locate where your home would have been situated in the old maps and then mark that area throughout the series to see how your particular plot of land changed hands over the years. The local maps can most likely be found at your Town Hall or the Historical Society of your area; and often you can bid on them at local fundraising functions, so you'll add some history to your home while helping out your local charities. Take advantage of your surroundings and document your history as decoration! It adds meaning to a typical shallow appearance.

Nautical themes are abundantly popular, especially near the beach, like most homeowners who are Dan's readers. Try hanging different ocean cartography on your walls to match the boating feel. And if you're a true seaman, mark the routes that you've taken and date them for a decorative scrapbook of your travels. Often, the oceanography maps are waterproof (for obvious reasons) so these are the most multifunctional of the map family. Try using the ocean maps in uncommon places. For example, if you've run out of wall space, try cutting the map to fit the top of a flat table, and then put a fitted sheet of glass over the map to secure onto the table (or try Plexiglas over the map for an alternative glass aesthetic). If you have a large map, be prepared to awe your guests into a creative culture shock!

Cut the map down into even rectangular pieces; for practical purposes, laminate the cutouts. This will make for a clever and festive placemat setting and if you're feeling really clever, label the pieces so you know which sections fit together, making the table setting a worldly puzzle!

Nautical charts of your region can be purchased inexpensively from any local boating-supply store (or nearly any store that sells maps). And since many nautical charts have a waterproof coating, these are the most durable and will stay pristine even if drinks are spilled on them. So try using a nautical chart to lie on the bottom of a serving tray. Take the glass panel from the tray, and trace it onto the map, then using a craft knife, carefully cut along the traced edges, erase any leftover pencil marks and finally, replace the map beneath the glass pane on the tray.

Maps are a surefire way to add a splash of culture into any room in your house. So bring the world home and decorate your home, with the world.