Maps and the City

Litterally anything wrapped in paper with this tape around it would make a great gift! The tape exists with the subway or railway lines of London, Tokyo and New York. Absolutely love them.

Etsy.com is really filled with cool map items. Look at these great iPhone cases, love them! Do you too? Check ‘m here.

So, I stumbled upon this map on Pinterest, a cool Mondrian style world map. It was posted on a blog called College Life DIY by Vanessa. And I am so happy she did because it let me to the site of ArtPause. It just won’t get much better than this site… Jawdropping map designs all over the place. Yay! I will only post two here, please go their Etsy site to see all of there amazing prints.

We all know the Netherlands are famous for tulips, but the country actually also has a strong design flow going on. Yes, there is way more to that little country than just tulips, wooden shoes and drugs policy.  Dutch design rocks! So, check out this cool object in which design & the tulip stuff come together. Sander Alblas is the designer of the Holland Vase for Royal Goedewaagen, a traditional ceramic company based in the Netherlands. The vase is meant for tulips and available in several colours. For € 99,- it’s yours!

Well, I am one lucky map girl. It’s one thing people remember I actually like maps… But it gets even better when’s someone brings you a souvenir from New York and it looks like this… Thanks R.! J

This is incredible, because a) yes, it’s a map! b) it’s a wallet c) it’s made from strong microfiber material that is 100% recyclable. The Mightywallet has 2 large pockets for cash and receipts, 2 credit card pockets and 2 ‘quick access business card pockets’. I like that, because in NYC eco-friendly is sooooo business.

A few reasons why I think these Crumpled City Maps are just absolutely brilliant:

1. Duh, we’re talking maps here.
2. You can just cram them into your pocket.
3. There are versions of various cool cities like New York, Amsterdam, Berlin & Sydney.
4. You can compose your own Collection Box of 5 cities to start with.
5. The design and the fresh colours of the whole thing are just amazing!
6. The material is waterproof, so the maps can probably endure more rain on your city trip than you can.
7. You can buy the maps online.

Gotta love them. Emanuele Pizzolorusso did a very, very good job designing these!

Spring is in the air and Amsterdam looks better than ever. If you do not want to miss out on this great city or if you need a refreshing way to look at the A10 highway around the city centre (actually one of the places a lot of people spend some boring hours every week)… There is an accessory that will suit you perfectly: check out this cool ring, designed by Puck Bomers. Frodo, eat your heart out!

Great, even if you don’t have a lot of space on your walls (a problem I am familiar with), you can still get yourself some cartographic coolness. There are many nice objects and gadgets with a connection to maps, so there is always an opportunity to pimp your house mapstyle. With this bowl called Metrobowl from the Dutch studio Frederik Roijé, you can put Amsterdam or New York on your dining table. How nice if you can grab an apple from the Big Apple rushing to work in the morning! (Thanks for the tip, Joyce!)

Whether you live in the middle of a metropole, or somewhere in the countryside, the city can always be close. City feeling can sometimes hide in the small things, like getting yourself a cup of coffee on Saturday morning, hearing five different languages around you in a bar, or suddenly noticing a great building you’ve been passing for years now. It can be things that make you smile because you accidentally hear, smell or see them. Small surprises, waiting for you just around the corner. So, how great is this gift: a Postcarden postcard that actually is a small city garden to put on your desk! Can be a perfect gesture because your friend just moved out of the city. Whatever the reason, opening your pigeon hole and finding this is a nice surprise for everyone!

Searching for a perfect way to sneak out on a grey day? Just fold out a map or open an atlas and escape your living room for a second: wander through the Sahara, be amazed by the  different colours for sea water or stumble upon cities with names you’ve never seen before. Not your idea of a perfect afternoon? Perhaps you might be interested in this map then: keeping it a bit more realistic.This map by You & Me the Royal We shows the world and you can literally pinpoint where you’ve already been or desperately want to go. It sort of gives you the idea you painted these goals yourself. Yeah, keep on dreaming… Great news the guys at You & Me the Royal We did that job for you! Thanks for the great tip A. ! www.youandmetheroyalwe.com