If you've had a nosey on the website, or perhaps met us at one of the events we do, you'll know that we love maps, from little snippets on pin badges to bespoke map lampshades, we include them in our ranges as much as possible!
For us, and our customers, they are a real talking point, and can be incredibly sentimental, meaningful, or basically just evoke ALL THE FEELINGS!
Coastal locations always make a great lampshade - we make an awful lot of Cornish ones as memories of wonderful seaside holidays!
If you know me in real life (Hii!!) you'll know that I'm a collector, (never going to be a minimalist household here!) and that in my home there are objects that to some, might seem like something better off in the recycling, but for me, these represent memories, and events, happy times, life changing moments, and serve as a visual reminder of a journey. They are part of my history, and often, if they are something I have found in a charity shop or antique fair, they are representative of some one else's history too. To me, that an object has history, and has been part of a life before coming into mine is incredibly important, and this is definitely the case with the maps we work with.
Our map hearts and houses are a popular anniversary, wedding, birthday, thank you, goodbye, and welcome gift!
I first started working with maps for the sheer beauty of the colours, fonts and designs. At the beginning of my business journey my work had a slightly different aesthetic, my love of vintage florals was intertwined with a hankering for a bygone era. But my work has always been tied up in bringing what is overlooked to the foreground - the details that people ignore, and the beauty and form in something designed to be functional. Using a couple of vintage maps that I had picked up in a charity shop, I made a selection of small pieces, which sold quickly, and as popularity grew people began to ask if I could make them with a specific location that was important to them. This was really a lightbulb moment for me, there were people out there as sentimental as I was! This of course, over time, has spiralled into the huge number of map decorations and lampshades that we now make each year.
Detail from a recent commission shade - the intensity of the green on this age of map is fantastic!
Every shade we make is so varied - we regularly post them over on our Instagram page - find us at @gracefavourhome
One of my favourite London shades - the customer asked for central London, and to be able to read the street names - no mean feat in such a built up area, but I think this was a brilliant result!
We are often asked how we make the maps, and people are often surprised by the answer, that no, we don't photocopy, or reproduce any of the maps we use. Each one is a piece of an original paper map, taken from our huge collection, that we spend hours sourcing and scavenging in the most unlikely of places. So each piece will be a one off, unique to its new owner. At any given time, from the thousands of maps in our possession, we can cover pretty much anywhere in the world. Our maps have been used, loved, and have helped to navigate adventures. They are sometimes aged, and marked by pencil notes and routes marked out, but we believe this adds to the story, they have been part of a life, and now make a new life with you, in your story.
If you’d like us to help tell a story, or cherish a memory, please drop us an email (mail@graceandfavourhome.com) or give us a ring at the studio 01626 437676