When it is time to decorate, finding the right pieces is key. Many decorating schemes aim to combine sentimentality with artistry. You want your space to speak to who you are and your personal history, but you also want it to be aesthetically pleasing. Wood maps are a great way to bring these two ideas together for the perfect piece of décor.
How Wood Maps Are Made
When it comes to interesting décor, wood maps hit the sweet spot between accuracy and beauty. Whether you love the grain and stain of the wood or enjoy studying the aerial view of your favorite lake or shoreline, these maps are a sight to behold.
3D maps are made by artists who value the highs and lows of terrain above and below the water. The first step of decorative mapmaking involves gathering the details of the terrain. Then, the artistry comes into play to translate those intricacies with laser-etching and hand staining, producing visually interesting pieces you would be proud to display almost anywhere.
The Science Behind 3D Maps
Decorative 3D maps are not just approximations of an area. Mapmakers use precise measurements to ensure your décor is exact. These charts showcase the important landmarks, roadways, and points of interest in an area, giving you plenty to look at when exploring the depiction of a sentimental spot.
While the familiar geography and sites are easy to see, the details under the water are a surprise to many who look at wood maps. Using a science called bathymetry, mapmakers pinpoint the depths of bodies of water to create visually compelling maps of areas typically hidden from the naked eye. Coupled with the details on land, these accurate wood charts are compelling visual representations of an area.
Joining Science with Art to Make Beautiful Maps
Fortunately, these maps are not just accurate depictions of a lake or beach. Wood maps are decorative, and artists use the measurements — including topography and bathymetry — to create 3D maps that are perfect for display.
Once measurements have been obtained, artists use several materials to construct the 3D image:
- Thin pieces of birch wood
- Wood stain
- Laser etching tools
The depths of the ocean, lake, or waterways are displayed with thin layers of birch wood that are etched by a laser cutter. By stacking these layers, you can see how deep the water goes. The area of the map represented by water is hand-stained in a different color, and a laser etcher is used to include all the intricate details on the map. All of this, put together, makes the beauty of topographic wood maps easy to see and recognize.
Many Wood Chart maps are available in multiple frame and stain colors, allowing you to customize a piece for your home. With a wood map tailor-made for your space, you will have a beautiful way to display your love for a special location.
Decorating with 3D Maps
When you get a beautiful wood map, you want to display it where it will be seen and appreciated. Decorating with maps is stylish and easy, depending on the space and your current décor scheme.
No matter what area you are decorating, a 3D map of an important landmark location can add a personal flair. Whether you want to remember a special vacation, highlight a treasured family spot, or encourage yourself to work hard for a dream vacation, 3D maps can beautify your home while remaining sentimental.
Wood Maps in Your Home
Choosing a decorative map for your home is as easy as finding the right size and style. 3D maps have several benefits over paper maps, including sturdiness and detail. With a 3D chart, you get a greater sense of the area’s topography, and the expert craftsmanship can complement many fashions.
Maps fit in almost any room of the house. Living and dining rooms often showcase personal items, so a map of a special place would fit right in. In a nautically-themed bathroom, a map of the ocean or a favorite lake would elevate the décor. Wood map serving trays fit perfectly in the dining room. The possibilities are endless when decorating your home with these pieces.
Lake House Décor
A vacation home on the water is the perfect place to display a 3D map. There are many ways to decorate a lake house, but almost any style can be enhanced by a gorgeous wood map of the lake where you spend your free time.
Maps of Midwest lakes, for example, can make stunning accents to your home away from home. If you have a house at one of the Great Lakes, consider displaying a map of the specific body of water in addition to a chart of all the Great Lakes. This gives variety while remaining cohesive in your décor.
3D Maps in the Office
Your office — whether it is on-site or you work from home — deserves an individual touch. In a space where you must keep a professional look, a 3D map can showcase your personal history while remaining classy.
A captivating wood chart of a special place like Carmel-by-the-Sea not only reminds you of a memorable trip with your family but also provides an interesting piece of décor for clients or colleagues to enjoy when they come to your office. This will add to the comfort of the space as well as give you an opportunity to connect with visitors personally.
5 Popular Kinds of 3D Maps
With such a wide array of interior design motifs, areas to decorate, and décor functionality needs, it is helpful to have a variety of wood maps to choose from. There is no shortage of wood chart styles, making it easy to find the perfect piece to fit your space.
For example, if you want to showcase maps of the West Coast, you can pick anything from clocks to cribbage boards. Choose a map showing the whole coastline or punch into a favorite beach or lake. This diversity helps give you the best opportunity to get the exact piece of décor you want.
The five most popular Wood Chart maps are traditional wood maps, wood clocks, tide clocks, wood serving trays, and cribbage boards. Each 3D map style has its individual benefits and unique functions. By exploring each type of chart, you are sure to find the ideal map for your home.
1. Traditional Wood Maps
Look no further than the traditional wood map for a classic piece that fits almost any room. Include your map in a gallery wall, use it as a stand-alone piece, or surround it with other souvenirs to create a display about your honeymoon, family vacation spot, or other special destination.
There is a 3D map for every space. The various frame and stain colors help cater your map to the rest of your décor, and it is easy to choose a chart that fits your existing setup.
These wood charts come in various sizes, including:
- Small, 16”x20”
- Medium, 13.5”x31”
- Narrow, 13.5”x43”
- Large, 24.5”x31”
Creating an interesting gallery wall is easy with various maps. For example, if you want to showcase your love of travel with several international wood maps, you can choose different sizes and styles to mix and match charts of some treasured travel destinations. Then, use postcards, photos, and other trinkets to embellish the display for a well-rounded and visually compelling arrangement.
2. Wood Clocks
Telling the time doesn’t have to be strictly a fact-finding necessity. With beautiful wood wall clocks, you can get the time while gazing at your favorite 3D map. These pieces are perfect when you have limited space and still want to show off your love of a special place.
Wood clocks are made with all the intricate details and stunning craftsmanship of traditional wood maps, but the chart is set into a 12-inch diameter circle. The birch wood 3, 6, 9, and 12 are affixed to the clockface in the correct spots, with the rest of the minutes and seconds laser-etched into the face. With standard hour, minute, and second hands, you can easily read the time.
Clocks are needed everywhere, so replacing a boring timepiece with a work of art is an easy choice. Have a specific vacation destination on your bucket list? Display a wood clock in your office to keep you motivated with every workday minute that ticks by. It is that simple to bring a bit of personality and motivation to any space.
3. Tide Clocks
Related to typical wood clocks, a tide clock provides vital information throughout the day. Instead of time, a tide clock shows beach-goers, fishermen, and swimmers when they can expect the tide to rise or fall. These are only effective on the East Coast, where tides are more predictable.
The ocean’s tides come in and go out in response to the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. When it is high tide, the water rises onto the shore, and low tide brings it back out to the ocean. This happens twice over the course of a lunar day, which is 24 hours and 50 minutes long.
Stylish 3D map tide clocks help predict the tides before you head to the beach. A specialized quartz piece keeps the clock hands moving so you can easily see where the water might be in the tide cycle. Plus, with the striking craftsmanship of wood charts, tide clocks can be the ultimate useful piece of décor in seaside homes and businesses.
4. Wood Serving Trays
Don’t just serve tasty treats and delicious drinks at your next get-together. With a stylish 3D map serving tray, you can start a conversation about your travels while sipping cocktails or savoring snacks.
Wood chart serving trays are stylish accessories that highlight important locations. They hold all the landmark details of other wood maps while staying protected from spills and moisture by a layer of acrylic glass. Carry your tray with confidence and pride as you serve up memories along with breakfast-in-bed or snacks on the patio.
Different Uses for Serving Trays
Serving trays are versatile pieces, even outside the kitchen. Decorating with serving trays is a popular and easy way to display a work of art while keeping a handy tool within arm’s reach.
Using a serving board doesn’t have to involve delivering food from one place to another. By expanding your options for utilizing your tray, you have more opportunities to display your 3D map in a fun and interesting way.
Some creative uses for serving trays include:
- Making a centerpiece with a serving tray as the base
- Using a serving tray as a catch-all area for everyday items
- Hang your serving tray on the wall
- Grow a mini indoor herb garden on a serving tray in the kitchen
5. Cribbage Boards
When you can’t decide if you want to play a card game or a board game, it is time to start a round of cribbage. Requiring both luck and skill, cribbage has been a favorite game for centuries. It’s easy to play – all you need is a deck of cards and a board to keep score.
Cribbage boards make the game unique, with pegs that travel around the board to show the current score. Wood map cribbage boards are a beautiful way to add some artistry to the gameplay; they make great decorations to hang on the wall when the game is done.
Some of our favorite cribbage boards are a nod to the game’s history, displaying its birthplace as well as areas where it has become popular. It’s said that cribbage was developed in England by Sir John Suckling in the 17th century. It is still a popular game in pubs across the United Kingdom, and that popularity has spread worldwide. Display your knowledge of the game while defeating your opponent on a wood map cribbage board.
Whether you display a wood clock in your office or a serving tray in your lake house, 3D maps are a versatile way to bring class and sentimentality to any room. With their variety of styles and subjects, wood charts really do make the perfect home décor.