vintage maps

There's something about nautical maps and charts that get my heart racing.  They are a great way to bring a little personality to your decor without going overboard with the beach theme.  As the wife of a Recon Marine, I've been fortunate enough to accumulate quite a few of these; whenever my husband would dive, he'd bring home some of the maps he used.  Some I've framed whole, and others I've cut into portions and framed each piece separately.  For me, it's so much more meaningful to hang them in our house, since they are something that my husband used.  Here are some of the creative ways others have used nautical charts in their decor:

This entryway, by Thomas O'Brien, is stunning thanks to the oversized charts and lustworthy glossy black double doors.

Steven Gambrel used them to wallpaper a boy's bedroom in this Long Island home that was featured in House Beautiful here. 

Steven Gambrel created a jaw-dropping accent wall in the living room of his South Beach hideaway by framing multiple charts in a grid pattern on one wall.

Interior Designer Ruthie Sommers used pale blue walls as the perfect backdrop for one lone framed map in this beach house.

Designer Kerry Joyce made a big impact in this child's room with walls papered in many nautical maps.

This hallway, featured in Garden & Gun, boasts an unexpected surprise:  it is actually covered in wrapping paper, that was cut and glued to the walls!  You can get the same look with maps from Kate's Paperie, which I wrote about here.