Styling a Sophisticated Apartment with Antique Maps

Negative: Renting

Positive: New Roots

 

I was gifted antique maps a few years ago and didn’t know where to put them. From my research they are late 1800s and sell starting at $55. I believe they were found on Ebay for a lot less than that.

 

Living in an apartment sometimes makes it hard to call it your own. In college, you can add movie posters and that’s enough. While I was living alone I created a mirrored wall and made myself a runway in my bedroom. In young adulthood something more is expected of you because you are a so-called “grown-up”. The décor we used to have when I moved in is now located in the garage. Time to start over.

 

How I made my positive:

1.       Find map

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips:

-Consider places you’ve traveled to and hang the map alongside an artifact you’ve collected from that area

-Pay homage to your ancestors

-Find a map of where you met your significant other

-Check the attic/basement/boxes in the garage

2.       Buy a Frame

 

 

Tips:

-If you can’t paint the walls think about using a colorful frame

-Black or white are always simple and classic

-Seek a frame from a thrift store, antique shop, or tag sale just as old as your map

-The frame pictured is a float frame, this is helpful for pieces that are uneven like mine 9.5 X 12. It also makes the piece look like it belongs in a museum or is an art piece. Collectors use float frames to display newspapers, magazines, and comic book pages.

3.       Hang it

 

 

 

Tips:

-If the map is sentimental to you and your partner, place it in the bedroom

-Want to start a conversation? Hang your map above your mantel

-Framing a place you’d like to travel to? Position your artwork in your office where you can see it from your desk. Maybe you’ll burn the midnight oil to earn that trip a little more quickly.

Before:

A feeble attempt to give an apartment style and interest.

 

 

After:

Grown-up and sophisticated apartment. 

 

 

What I love: Hanging an antique map is a sophisticated way to style your home and/or apartment. I’ve seen architect sketches in vacation homes, land surveyor plans in home offices, and aerial land photographs in cabins. You don’t have to own a vacation home to get your apartment to look like this.

 

What I would change: Float frames are easily smudged, if you want to avoid that, consider a shadowbox for a classy look.

 

Status: Not for Sale