Untouchable @ Home: Modern Map Art

I like to believe that walls can talk. In our bedroom, I have octopus paintings torn from the pages of a culinary magazine, two framed D.L. & Co. skull cards, a pair of prints from Philadelphia-based artist Sarah Russell, and a small watercolor of whales, lined up by size. I definitely wanted to keep it more whimsical and totemic, and it's no coincidence that everything is ordered in pairs. 

The walls of our living room, on the other hand, tell stories of all the places my boyfriend and I have visited, lived in,  and love. We each lived in different cities before moving to Philadelphia, so we have posters of Washington D.C. (him) and Boston (me) hanging up, alongside some maps and other posters and prints. The Boston posters I have are printed on dictionary paper, and are definitely more in-line with the island and railway maps we have hanging up.

So when Modern Map Art  offered to send me a Boston Street map, I was super excited - it's decidedly conceptual, definitely modern, and incredibly detailed. It comes in a few colors, like yellow, green, and Red Sox navy/red. I opted for the classic black and white one in 16" x 20", and the ink they use in the printing process is literally the darkest black I've ever seen - so it really makes the piece pop! 

I love it so much, I'm thinking of getting a few more for the other places I've visited and lived - Istanbul, Venice, and London are top choices, or the Bahamas, where I just visited for the first time over the holidays. I wouldn't rule out a Boston iPhone case, either. Just saying!

Wall art doesn't have to be expensive. The Modern Map Art prints start at around $30 for an 8" x 10" (the 16" x 20" is $59.99) and looks pretty great in an Ikea frame. (Almost all of mine are in Marietorp frames from Ikea, $9.99.)

Another case in point for inexpensive wall dressings - these two babies:

 Above: Railway Map wrapping paper from Paper Source (it was around $4.95); Barack Obama inauguration poster distributed in Merida, Yucatan. 

I'd love to show you guys some of the bedroom artwork next time. All except the Sarah Russell pieces are cheap and easy - some were free (from the pages of a magazine), $5 (the D.L & Co. cards and the whale watercolor, also a card) or snagged at Modern Map art and flea markets. Stay tuned for that!