Have You 'Gotta Thing' For Maps And Globes? I Do!

Map of Narnia from All About C.S. Lewis

When I was younger and I wasn't stuck up a tree, riding my bike, or playing with the kids down the road, I inevitably had my nose in a book!

I used to love fantasy stories... ones where the main characters were on a quest in some foreign land or kindgom against all types of insurmountable odds and good always triumphed over evil!

Sometimes this did simultaneously involve being up a tree reading, but most of the time it was tucked away in the bookcase corner of my room, lying on the rug beside my bed....

....In my own little corner of the world, traveling in my mind to corners of worlds I'd never see anywhere but in my imagination.

And my 3 favourite books or series were...

• The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe followed by the rest of the Narnia books.
• The Hobbit (followed in grade 6 by The Lord of The Rings).
• The Weirdstone of Brisingamen.

All of these books had maps inside the front cover.

Map of  'The Edge' from the Weirdstone Of Brisingamen

via Nick H.

You could track the path of your characters, mull over the courses they should take, and journey in your mind across the ground they must have traversed. Awe inspiring stuff for a kid in a bedroom.

I even had a poster of Middle Earth on my walls for ages, right into my late teenage years, I loved it so much.

Map from The Hobbit via Scribd.

And curiously, now that I'm all grown up (for the most part), I've gotta thing about maps and globes.

Whenever I'm out anywhere and I see a map or a world globe, I HAVE to stop and take a look. Here's the thing though.... I don't like the normal old blue globes so much, the ones I like have that tea-stained, old paper, more black and white kind of look with a tinge of colour..... just like those maps in my favourite books used to be like.

Hmmmmm.

For years I coveted a globe. Everytime I saw one the right colour I drooled over it. But only late last year did I find a beautiful small globe on a wooden stand, perfectly tinged in the right tea stained tones! It cost me $14 at the Sunday Trash and Treasure market here in Ballarat, and I love it. It sits on my bookshelf in the living room, and I admire it often.

A bigger globe would cost the earth (pun intended), and take up lots of space, and my smaller globe fills my 'globe' void just fine for the time being.

But in celebration of maps and globes, here's a few more for fun!

Bathroom wall mural.

Image from Apartment Therapy.

A chair covered in maps!

Image from Urban Sardines..

Globes in the corner.

Image from Design Shrine.

Framed maps and free standing globe.

Image from Urban Sardines.

Framed map well chosen for its colours!

Image from Steven Gambrel.

Serious globe collection (getting too crowded up there!)

and nice framed map!

Image from Isuwannee.

National Geographic Globe.

Priced around $7999.00!

Image from Great Dens.

Map cushions!

Image from The Lennoxx via Refound Objects.

Nice little globe in my colours!

Image from Steven Gambrel.

Map plate from Ralph Lauren.

Image from Ralph Lauren.

Map in children's room.

Image from Steven Gambrel.

Map drawers.

Image from Urban Sardines.

Large framed map.

Image from Steven Gambrel.

Decorative globes in a basket.

Image from Kit Pollard via Valerie Wills Interiors.

London Underground Cushion Map.

Image from Rockett St George.

The whole world and the whole wall!

Image from Kit Pollard via Dufner Heighes Inc.

Map lampshade.

Image from Cartophilia.

Globes as room dividers!

Image from Kit Pollard via Aidlin Darling Design.

40's London Map Bowl.

Image from Flickr via Bombus Design.

The globe painting reflects the globes on display!

Image from Beach Brights via DIY Magazine.

Nice globes against that wall!

Image from Kit Pollard via Apartment Therapy.

If you like blue and green, this room's a great one!

Image from flickr - Kbreenbo.

This is the interior of a yacht! They can map

where they're going while they travel!

Image from Susan On Design.

Map light.

Image from Fresh Home

Whoa.... walls, ceiling, and blind!

A bit too much I think!

Image from Decor Medley.

Very mod and sleek.

Image from Only Globes.

A globe turned into a light fitting.

Image from Addicted 2 Decorating.

Love this one! There's a map on the pillow too!

Image from Susan On Design.

And this one.

Image from Steven Gambrel.

A globe and a view!

Image from World GlobeU.com.

Another very distinct memory from my primary school days involving maps is a game we used to play.

Our school was lucky enough to have this enormous world map painted onto the concrete in our main play area. It was huge, about two thirds the size of a basketball court. We used to line up in two teams along opposing edges of the map. Each member of each team would be numbered from 1 to 8 (we only had 16 kids in the upper school - about 30 in the whole school altogether!!), and the teacher would call out a number and a country. The first person (the same number from both teams) to run and stand on that country scored a point for their team.

I loved that game.

ADORED it!

I was good at geography, and a fast runner, so I got to win at something!

Another great 'map memory'.

Ask yourself: 'What is it that I've 'gotta thing' for? What is it I'm really drawn to?'

Which leads to: Have you included artwork, furniture, objects, or other decor items that feature this 'thing' within your home?

Because: The things we're drawn to are always the things we love the most, and the ones that make our atmosphere magical to us.

It's Hooked On Friday's over at Julia's Hooked On Houses! Head on over and see what other people are 'hooked on' this week!

Cheers,

Linda.

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