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DIY Faux Map Wallpaper {Boys’ Room Progress}

I will show you how to make world map wallpaper for your walls!

Do you have a thing for pinning images from Pinterest of beautiful spaces?

Hahahaha….

Who doesn’t?

Well, when I was planning out our boys’ shared bedroom I pinned a ton of cool spaces that featured some kind of map wallpaper… some of it “real” and some of it faked. One of my favourite inspirations for Map Wallpaper is from the Inspired Home … in fact I love so many things about Melissa’s beautiful home.

But since the idea of committing to pasting maps on my boys’ bedroom walls with wallpaper paste almost sent me into a full blown tizzy, I decided to go-faux. It was cheap, easy, fast this wallpaper design and I love how it turned out.

DIY Faux Map Wallpaper on the wall in the closet.

Do you ever go into thrift stores where you are somewhat afraid for your life when you start moving things around and searching through the piles because you never quite know when you might move something that was holding everything else in place and it is all going to tumble down on you?

Then you know how I felt when I went searching a local thrift/used book shop for some suitable old atlases. I was in deep fear for my personal safety but was willing to risk it for this DIY project.

A world atlas book and scissors on top of it on the table.

 

The rest of the wallpaper project was not so fear-inducing.

I simply selected a whole bunch of the old maps in the color schemes that I liked, cut the page edges down to the edge of the maps, and then used brass/gold colored push pins to put them in place. Then I covered the whole back wall of the closet and then ran out of maps so I quit… I figured it had the effect I was after, and with the doors on you really don’t see the side walls very much anyhow. Right? Right.

 

The opened closet door looking into the back wall with the map wallpaper.

Metal shelves and hooks in the closet.

A white metal shelf in the closet.

Up close picture of the maps on the wall.

 

I think it looks even better now that we have filled up their bedroom closet again.

Plus I love the fun Union Jack storage bins that I picked up at my local Home Sense – I stuff my boys special art projects in there. I fear the day that these bins fill up and I have to figure out a more functional method for handling the onslaught-of-artwork-that-is-elementary-school.

Do you have a solution?? I am open to any suggestions!!

Cardboard boxes on the shelf in the closet with the British flag on it.

A chest of drawers in the closet.

DIY Faux Map Wallpaper in the closet.

I love how it adds so much extra interest and character to their closet… for very little time and cost.

Like this? Want to try it?

Pin it to remember it!

Dress up a wall or closet with cheap and easy DIY Faux Map Wallpaper poster.

What do you think? Are you crazy for maps?  Do you love this awesome wallpaper design?

I have had a thing for maps for a few years now… and it doesn’t seem to be going away. Plus I love that my boys ask questions about the maps too… we discuss some of the different places and it opens their eyes up a little more to the fact that the world out there is a very big place to explore.

Thanks for reading. And remember my housie friends, HOME isn’t built in a day. Enjoy the journey.

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36 Comments

  1. I love the maps, and I know my 6yr old would, also, he’s so into maps and globes!Do the edges ever tearwhen someone leans against it- like when you’re hanging up clothes?

    1. Hello! It hasn’t ripped at all… but it hasn’t really had anyone leaning on it. I guess if you wanted to do it in a more exposed area you could use some Command Poster strips to attach it more securely? I think it would do fine on a wall where it doesn’t get a ton of contact, but perhaps not on a main thoroughfare wall where little bodies are going to be rubbing against it constantly:)

  2. Krista — This looks great!! I want to do this in my hallway, also very much inspired by Melissa’s map wall too. So I found this BEAUTIFUL old book of maps from the 50s… but now I am guilt-ridden about the idea of tearing it up. It’s such an amazing book. I may have to search for some cheapy, not so awesome atlases instead, lol.

  3. I love this idea, Krista! It totally looks wallpapered, but I love that it is not so permanent. And as for all that artwork… I throw a lot of it away. I’m bad. My son caught me once and was like, “Why are you throwing that away?” It’s just… How much can I really store?

    1. I do the same, when they’re not looking, at the end of every month I tell them to pick 1-2 things that they really want to keep, and the rest will be ‘filed’…I just save the really special stuff like mother’s day poems, etc.I rationalize it to myself.I have 5 kids, they’re each going to go through 6 grades of elem. school- how can I possibly save everything?

      1. You definitely can’t save everything or it would fill your whole house! And realistically you would never have the time to look at it all again. I think 1-2 things a month is a great idea. Wow – five kids must keep you very busy!!

  4. Your faux wallpaper looks fantastic! As for handling the onslaught of papers and artwork, etc., I saw a suggestion a little while ago somewhere to collect everything in a bin and at the end of the year, have the boys choose a set number of projects/paper that are special to them that they can keep and ditch the rest. It’s impossible to save everything, but at least they’ll feel in control of what stays and what goes. Your boys’ room is really coming together!

  5. Krista – that is fabulous! I love cutting up books for art/wall decor. The finished closet is soooo nice. Nicer than the one I have in my room! Pinned!

  6. Hi Krista, I LOVE maps too! I’ve been searching for a nice big map to decoupage onto my desk top. I also love globes. Most young people today don’t know how to read maps believe it or not. I love how your son’s closet turned out! Thanks for the great idea!

  7. What a great solution! And now when you get the redecorating bug (as we all do), you won’t have to spend days scraping it off. But honestly, this looks like its going to be there for a very long time. The whole closet is gorgeous!!!

  8. Love how those maps turned out in the closet! So cute! And I’ve started using Artkive, it’s a free app that you take pictures of your kids artwork and then can make into books.

  9. This looks sooooo good! I too love map wallpaper. What I’m doing for my kids’ artwork is displaying it for a while, and then taking a photo of each piece to archive. I then descreetly toss most of it and keep a couple of really special pieces in storage.

  10. I never would have thought to spruce up a closet. Great idea. I too am overwhelmed by the paper coming home from school! I plan to put my favorites into some sort of book, but it feels overwhelming at this point.

  11. this looks awesome! we did this in our playroom and i had it up for a little over a year and took it down this past january- in a playroom where it was constantly getting knocked into by kids or balls, it was not the best solution for me! 🙂 i was rehanging maps all the time. i haven’t come up with a new idea for that wall yet!

  12. Wow Krista, that looks very cool!! I love how maps look, they encourage discussion don’t they? My son is always looking at the maps & charts I’ve hung and we talk all about the places we’ve been and the places we want to go. I think your closet looks great, well done!!

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