Where in the World?: Decorating with Maps and Globes

My family is fascinated with maps. My dad's home office is covered in nautical charts. My brother's work office is decorated with diplomas and vintage maps in frames. And my kitchen broom closet is papered with maps (both metro and city) of places I've visited. We have a thing about them.

I chalk our fascination with maps up to all the drama and possibility that they promise. An old map is like a great historical novel and a new one could be a thriller, a romance, a mystery.

There are dozens of ways to incorporate maps (and their cousins, globes) into home design. Here are a few of my favorites:

Kit Pollard

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This college dorm room reminds me a lot of the inside of my broom closet - in a good way! I love the idea of papering a whole wall with maps. It's such a fun (and inexpensive) way to decorate.

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One single globe can have a huge impact - like this one, placed regally on top of a gorgeous cabinet. I especially like the way the curve of the globe mimics the curve in the wood.

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These globes, positioned on a bookshelf acting as a room divider, make a fantastic statement. I also like how their traditional look balances the ultra-modern chair. It's perfect for a 21st century study.

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This is a great space. The collection of globes is interesting and pretty - and I absolutely love the wall color with the medium-light wood.

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Like maps, globes are a fantastic decorating tool - and handy when you need answers to geography questions. I love these little globes, used as decoration in a big basket, especially since they're mixed among other types of balls.

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There's no rule that says that maps have to be of the land, either. This brain image is a different take on the map - and a very cool one. In this room, a vintage map would work just as well, too - I love the mix of modern and traditional.

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As I mentioned, my brother has a collection of historic maps. They're cool for so many reasons, but most of all because they tell a story of how people of the world perceived their landscape at a certain point in time. Vintage maps can be expensive, but don't have to be - I found some great, cheap maps at the Paris flea market. In a nice frame, they're a great addition to any room.

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A small bathroom is another great place to cover a wall with a map. The only downside is that people might linger!

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Several of my childhood friends went to college at the Merchant Marine Academy - a school that sends its students out to sea on commercial vessels for six months during their sophomore and junior years. My friends' parents each hung a huge world map in their basements, charting their sons' travels with pushpins and adding photos along the way. In the end, the maps looked like something out of a Jason Bourne movie - they were really cool capsules of their travels. That's what this wall-sized map reminds me of. I love the idea of using this in a guest room, too. It'll give visitors hours of in-room fun and a great conversation starter.