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Maps Give Lots Of Decorating Latitude

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By PENNY CARNATHAN The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 29, 2007

Perhaps it's a response to the overwhelming presence of Internet maps in our lives, those stark but useful little charts created in seconds by virtual cartography gremlins. They appear in party invitations, on school newsletters and all over our favorite Web sites.

Maybe they're what help homeowners appreciate the much greater artistry of maps created by human hands. In fact, maps have become treasured as collectible art, adding a personal touch to home decor that invites conversation.

"From a decor standpoint, that's a hot topic," says Mike Kline, longtime general manager of MapSource in Tampa, which went out of business about two months ago. He's now general manager at Mapsco in Dallas.

Maps satisfy both decorative and utilitarian needs, he says, noting home-school families are helping fuel the trend.

"They're popular now more than ever because of the wide variety available."

Maps may be antique-inspired sepia works, showing your own city as it looked 100 years ago. For the contemporary home, fully illuminated maps have the look of high-definition big-screen televisions; clear acrylic creations appear to float on the wall.

All of them transport us back in time to the places we have traveled or forward to the places we dream of going.

They represent who we are, making them good conversation pieces in the home, says Larry Compeau, associate professor of marketing at Clarkson University in New York and executive officer of the Society for Consumer Psychology.

Maps also can signify who we wish we were.

"Those who haven't really traveled, who have a map displayed, want to convey that they're knowledge-seeking, intelligent people," Compeau says. "In that case, maps are kind of like back in the 1950s, when having a set of encyclopedias in your living room sent a message that you were worldly."

But the top reason people buy maps, Compeau says, is that they look cool. They're rich with details in the names of places and the colors of regions.

Debbie Dusenberry, a shop owner in Prairie Village, Kan., is drawn to maps because of their graphic appeal. She hung muted nautical maps like wallpaper in the powder room of one of her stores. She overlapped them haphazardly and tea-stained them, giving the small space a vintage look.

The possibilities - with inexpensive maps, glue, scissors and a little imagination - are endless, she says.

"They can hide flaws in furniture. They can be scanned onto printable fabric to make throw pillows. They could line the backs of medicine cabinets. They could be tacked onto the walls inside the garage to make it a more interesting place."

They can also be a meaningful gift. Besides the obvious popularity of world, U.S and European maps, people buy maps that pertain to a narrow interest, says John Serpa, chief executive officer of Maps.com, an online catalog in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Sought-after thematic maps include bike trail, fishing and Shakespeare's England maps.

David Spivey, owner of Spivey's Old Maps, Fine Art, Prints & Rare Books in Kansas City, Mo., says wine-region maps are the hottest trend.

"It seems like everyone is a wine connoisseur these days," he says.

Mary Lies, owner of Round Trip Imports in De Soto, Kan., says many of her customers buy maps to signify family heritage. One husband and wife displayed a 7-by-6-foot map of Europe in the dining room, tracking his father's tour of duty in World War II based on his journals.

Lies notices that men and women gravitate to maps. Such was the case with Art and Sharon Shoener of Leawood, Kan., who bought a European school map at the store.

"Usually, he doesn't take much of an interest in home decor stuff," Sharon Shoener says of her husband, who is president of Kansas City Southern Railway. "But the map was something he was enthusiastic about, something he could get behind."

RESOURCES

With the closure of MapSource stores about two months ago, the Tampa area no longer has any map specialty stores. However, Internet companies offer a wide variety of maps, and a few offer localized products.

• www.mapandglobe.com - This Tampa-based Internet site includes a selection of antique maps of Florida and regions within Florida, as well as a 1903 city of Tampa map; 1-800-388-6588.

• www.mapsco.com - Longtime Tampa resident Mike Kline is general manager of this Dallas company and can help Floridians with localized maps. Call him at 1-800-950-5308, Ext. 325, or e-mail mike.kline@mapsco.com.

• www.historicurbanplans.com - Find maps drawn a century or more ago for major metropolitan areas at this Ithaca, N.Y., company. Inventory includes old Florida maps; 1-800-388-6588 or e-mail info@historicurbanplans.com.

Penny Carnathan contributed to this report. She can be reached at (813) 259-7612 or pcarnathan@tampatrib.com.

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