Map your Interior

Posted on January 15, 2015 by marleen

Looking for a pretty map to spice up your interior? Here are some suggestions:

I love this black one: a stylish option if you want to add some cartography to your home but you don’t like the look and feel of ‘regular’ world maps.

You might already know I absolutely love this website created by Waag Society showing the age of buildings in the Netherlands. You can order a map detail here.

Or, think about ordering a ‘general’ topographic map. We ordered one to decorate our hallway in our new home (we glued this map onto some hardboard, easy does it):

Polder Map Scarf

Posted on January 12, 2015 by marleen

Here at Maps and the City, we are a huge fan of map inspired fashion. Look at this great example: this scarf is Dutch design by Studio Geanne. The design is called ‘Ingepolderd’, paying tribute to the Dutch habit of impoldering (creating polders). The fabric is produced in California and the scarfs are made in the Dutch city The Hague.

The scarf only costs 55 euros: Go for it!

Dutch Map Cushions

Posted on October 17, 2014 by marleen

Looking for something new in your interior? What about these great cushions by B/aR, by Dutch graphic designer Barbara Smit. Various maps of the Netherlands (for example maps of the water, forest or construction density) form the base for these colourful cushions. Check out her website for more info. I think they are a great addition of some map fun in your interior without going completely map nut.

Map of Amsterdam Museums

Posted on September 12, 2014 by marleen

Well, here is a nice mash-up: see my personal interest meeting my job. Quite a nice map for a cartogeek who works in the museum industry in Amsterdam. Amsterdamtips.com published this metro style map of museums in Amsterdam. As you can see on the central line, the Allard Pierson Museum is on it. In the next edition they should add the Special Collections right next to it (especially because of the huge map collection there ).

Map Music: Map Ref. 41°N 93°W by Wire

Posted on June 23, 2014 by marleen

Weird, but I don’t have any map song posts yet on Maps and the City! So, what better way to start with this one. Thank you Melle for introducing this classic to me (so you should thank him for my music education). Enjoy Map Ref. 41°N 93°W by Wire (1979).

“An unseen ruler defines with geometry
An unrulable expanse of geography
An aerial photographer over-exposed
To the cartologist’s 2D images knows
The areas where the water flowed
So petrified, the landscape grows
Straining eyes try to understand
The works, incessantly in hand
The carving and paring of the land
The quarter square, the graph divides
Beneath the rule, a country hides

Interrupting my train of thought
Lines of longitude and latitude
Define and refine my altitude

The curtain’s undrawn
Harness fitted, no escape
Common and peaceful, duck, flat, lowland
Landscape, canal, canard, water coloured

Crystal palaces for floral kings
A widespread waving span of wings
Witness the sinking of the sun
A deep breath of submission has begun”

Guardian Map Quiz

Posted on June 13, 2014 by marleen

Something awesome for a Friday: check out this ‘Can you identify the book from its map? – quiz’ by The Guardian. Worth your time. I must admit I only scored 6 out of 10.. Go go go! Here’s one of the questions to get you warmed up:

Good Night Jewellery – Wake Up Post

Posted on June 9, 2014 by marleen

I can pretend it did not take ages since my last post, but that would be unfair. I haven’t had much time for Maps and the City lately, which is a shame. Was there not enough cool map stuff out there? Definitely not! There’s more than enough beautiful and cool design things going on. So the good news is, I’m back with loads of inspiration. Here we go, let’s start with one of my recent finds on Etsy:

These cufflinks, rings and necklace pendants are handmade and called Good Night Rome, Good Night Berlin, Good Night Warsaw: you get the idea. The image on this jewellery is based on satellite night photos. The artist (Simon from FruitBijoux) added some gold metal particles to the surface to create a shimmering view on the city. Very pretty if you ask me!

Get Lost in Straetview: 17th Century Amsterdam

Posted on April 22, 2014 by marleen

Looking for a good reason to visit Amsterdam this Spring? The Amsterdam-based maritime museum Het Scheepvaartmuseum just openend a great exhibition on their Atlases. Very high on my to do list, as you can imagine.

If you can’t really book tickets to Amsterdam anytime soon, you’re still lucky: today the museum launched the website Straet View (think Google Street view goes seventeenth century). Great fun to wonder around seventeenth century Amsterdam.

I’ll keep you guys updated about when I’ve visited the exhibition because there will be a lot more map fun in The Atlases (so be careful… that post might still trigger you to visit Amsterdam real soon!).

Development of Golden Age Amsterdam

Posted on March 27, 2014 by marleen

Look at this: great visualisation of the development of the city of Amsterdam from 1600 to 1700. Enjoy! (Credits: Stadsarchief Amsterdam)

DIY Map lamp

Posted on March 3, 2014 by marleen

Great idea if your interior could use some mappiness. Roomed.nl suggests you chop a globe in half and turn the halves into lamps. Awesome if you ask me. Don’t know whether my boyfriend can actually take more map stuff in our place, but there’s only one way to find out!