Vintage School Map for the Family Room
Late last winter I found something that I had been searching for, a vintage school map. I found my treasure in one of my favorite downtown shops, Estates Revisited, and it is extra special because it is from a local private school. I’m so glad that VES contacted Estates Revisited to find new homes for some of their old classroom maps.
The new vintage school map hangs over my sofa in our family room. I say my sofa because Mr. SP and I have his and her sofas that we enjoy snoozing on nightly. I love this map but am not sure that this is where it will live forever. What previously was hanging in its spot was an antique hunt scene inherited from my mom and I already miss it.
Our family room is 100% comfortable and is admittedly a mix of styles: traditional, vintage, antique, and a touch of modern. My favorite thing in the room is the rug that I bought years ago at Green Front in Farmville. It gets hard use, especially now that we have Sherman, and wears like iron. I know that this is a lifetime piece for me. I am so.so. tired of our plaid sofas but they are high quality (also from Green Front) and are still in great shape. So, it looks like I may have to live with them another 15 years or learn how to upholster furniture. The mid-century chair (also from Estates Revisited) sticks out like a sore thumb but will blend much better after it is recovered to coordinate with the rug. Mr. SP’s favorite piece in the room is the TV console made by Clear Lake Furniture in Vermont. The cabinet doors are made to look like tree rings. You can see more details here.
We definitely have a map theme in our family room. The grouping above Mr. SP’s sofa are all Civil War maps from the Official Records. The large map to the left is Lynchburg in 1927. My parents surprised me with the pie safe one Christmas. The larger radio and phone on top of the pie safe belonged to my grandparents. The radio still works!
We have never had a coffee table and I don’t think Sherman would like it if we got one because he loves playing in this space, especially if it means a wrestle session with Mr. SP!
To hang the map, we stapled it to a large dowel that hangs between two wooden holders that Mr. SP fabricated. The holders are hidden by the curtains so we didn’t bother to add wooden buttons to hide the screws.
This large map really catches your eye when you walk into our family room. It’s a great addition for the home of two history and map lovers!
Be sure to come back tomorrow for a fall giveaway!
I’m so glad you found one. I have two map stories to share with you. First, I found (and left) an old school map in the thrift store in Blacksburg a few years ago. I couldn’t imagine a place for it. (It was a $5 steal.) Second story and the best one, I think, happened in the late 80’s. I was teaching third grade and spoke at a school board budget hearing. I commented that my classroom map only had 48 states. (How I would love to have that map now!) The next week a local citizen donated money for a new map.
Oh my goodness! I know that you wish that you had both maps. I’ll bet that the one from your school was thrown away.
Paula
There are companies that make slipcovers for furniture. You could check those out to change the look of your couches.
Sheryl
Oh, how I wish I had grabbed old maps that were getting tossed from classrooms years ago (and card catalog cabinets, too!) I noticed your pie safe immediately. I have one almost exactly like it that belonged to my grandmother. I’ve had it now for about 30 years and would not part with it for anything!
I love your map. In my mind’s ear, I can still hear the swoosh of the map as the teacher pulled the map down over the blackboard for the day’s lesson and then the repeated snap and tug in order to get that map to roll itself up out of the way. It must be a teacher-thing to appreciate an old school map.
I am map mad right now I love them they can be so versatile. I’m quite new at the furniture recycling with lovely chalk paints..I’ve got lots to learn! But I visited a woman who had a shop of pieces of furniture and other cute nick naks. I was instantly drawn to a beautiful desk she’d decoupaged on the top and dyed red. She used maps for lots of stuff now in giving it a go. I love your antiqued map it’s gorgeous