How a World Map Wall in This Kids’ Room Brought a Family Closer Together

What comes to mind when you think of sentimental objects that decorate kids’ bedrooms? Is it a DIY furniture piece built with love and safety in mind, a gallery wall of their artwork, or a mural painted with bright colors that match their energy? 

There are many ways to add meaning and sentimental value to kids’ spaces. Take Stacey-Ann Blake’s sons’ shared bedroom in their colorful North Carolina home, for example. A family member’s absence inspired her to try to bring her family together through design. 

“In our sons’ shared bedroom, there is a map wall that I installed when our firstborn was about 4 or 5 years old,” Blake writes. “Being a military family, the hubby was always deployed in war zones, so the map wall was a way to incorporate him into our daily activities, like bedtime. We’d look at the map and point to where he was (if we knew that information) and say ‘goodnight, Dada.’”

Blake didn’t want their Dada (which the family lovingly refers to him as) to “become an abstract concept.” Unfortunately, at the time, phone calls weren’t always reliable — especially before video chatting services became widespread. So, she found the traditional map wallpaper from York Wallcoverings (unfortunately, this version is unavailable) and had it professionally installed. 

“This world map enabled Dada to be there for bedtime routines, for morning routines, or just whenever we wanted to go and randomly ‘visit’ Dada,” Blake shares.

The map also piqued the kids’ attention. Blake remembers fondly when Zion was younger and pointed at the Pacific Ocean and exclaimed that it was the beach. To this day, her oldest child still enjoys talking about different geographical locations. 

Luckily, their Dada can be home full-time now, but the map still holds its magic. “They use the map for many fun activities, to find places they may be learning about in school, brush up on their geographical skills, brainstorm places we should visit, etcetera,” Blake shares. 

Visit major cities with Rifle Paper Co.’s “City Maps” wallpaper. Each city illustration includes notable landmarks, too. 

While this option isn’t technically wallpaper, the Maps International Giant World Map Mural is huge (91 x 62 inches, to be exact).  

This map-themed wallpaper comes in several textures, including non-pasted traditional pebble, grasscloth, peel-and-stick, and prepasted removable smooth.