Decorating your home is about creating a space that is pleasant to the eye, and that says something personal about you, the decorator. But more than that, homes are places where memories are formed. Antique maps, by virtue of the history contained in them, make the perfect symbols of remembrance and nostalgia fit for a home in which memories will be created.
Antique maps as interactive works of art
Antique maps, no longer serving their original practical role as records and guides to places and geographies, are now stunning works of collectible art filled with the historical memory of place and geography, of flora and fauna, of people and their journeys.
Antique maps are more than just good-looking works of art framed and hung on a wall. Antique maps are a living piece of history that attract family members, friends and guests to talk and discover. A map draws people to it. A common scene around an antique map is a huddle of guests pointing to it, tracing its coastlines, borders, and names, and talking about how things have changed.
Choose an antique map to match your decorating theme
Genuine antique maps or prints can add another layer to the theme (traditional, rustic, country, Tuscan, Aegean) you've chosen for your home. If you've filled your rooms with Old-World furniture reminiscent of the eighteenth-century then a unique world map dating back to the 1700's is the perfect addition. Nicolas De Fer's double-hemisphere world map, a copper-engraved map in which California appears as an island and Australia is only half-drawn, is a stunning acquisition for a traditional decor. (Maps and prints mentioned here can be seen at VintageMaps.com, an antique maps and prints website).
Match your antique map to your city of residence
An antique map can add to a person's knowledge of their current residential district or state. For a New York apartment, Matthew Dripps's 1880 pocket map of the city is remarkable for its detail. Place it in a bright room or have it well lit so that you and your guests can locate hotels, churches, theaters, railroads and much more.
Choose an antique map to match your hobby or holiday dream
If you are a wine lover and regularly entertain other wine lovers then the perfect map to hang near the dining table is one of Victor Levasseur's maps representing the wine regions of France in 1854.
If you're an avid traveler with a dream of traveling around the coastline of Australia, then Aaron Arrowsmith's 1820 map of "New Holland" (as it was known back then) is the perfect addition to your study or home office. You can study the coastline as it appeared to cartographers of the era and keep your travel dream alive.
Antique maps are records of how places have changed over time and are symbolic of how our homes change over time (children grow up and leave, new rooms are added or joined). Antique maps are the ideal addition to a home and, if chosen well, soon become part of your family's own history.
Neil Street is co-publisher of Baby Names Garden, a website dedicated to helping prospective parents pick the right name for their baby. He is also the editor of the Celebrity Baby Names Blog. He writes frequently on baby naming topics.
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