Travel Themed Décor For Your Den or Office

I love to travel. I can't always afford to travel, but I still love it! One day, as I was sitting at my desk, working on articles for Associated Content, I started daydreaming about my 'next' destination. There I was, in my stark, white-walled work cage, called my office. Today, just a few days later, I am sitting at my laptop, that is sitting on a travel themed laptop tray in my lap, grabbing a pencil from my travel themed pencil cup to make another note about my next trip in my travel themed journal.

And, with things from around the house, from grandma's attic, and from a couple of thrift shops, I have my perfect Travel Themed Office, for under $100! Actually, the grand total was $87.33, including tax.

Materials and Supplies Needed for a Travel Themed Den or Office

• Stack of Paper Maps - enough to cover one wall or all four walls

• Box of Antiqued Hammered Brass Thumb or Upholstery Tacks

• Jar of Modpodge and an assortment of cheap paint brushes

• Old lamp, either torchiere style or table lamp, lampshade if appropriate

• Empty Spray Bottle, teabags and coffee, boiled and with no grounds

• Shoe box lid or shallow wood tray

• A stack of old suitcases from grandma's attic, the shed, thrift stores or friends

• A stack of old travel photos, from your previous travels

• Two or three juice or vegetable cans- cleaned and dried

Miscellaneous knick knacks such as old cameras and tripods, a didgeridoo from Australia's Outback, a model of the Eiffel Tower, model ships, trains, planes, a sarong from Bali, an old trunk, a tapestry throw from France - actually, any objects from your travels make great décor items for your travel themed den or office. You can also purchase authentic looking and native items online or at stores such as Pier 1 and World Market, but I prefer using things I have around the house, things that I personally picked up in my travels.

Now, for the specifics:

Walls- Decide how many walls you want decorated, and then sort the maps appropriately, smaller maps for a smaller wall, etc. Fill your spray bottle with strong cold coffee, or for a lighter tint, strong tea. Tack the maps in a pleasing design on the walls you have chosen, using the antiqued brass thumb tacks. Cover every square inch , starting at the top corner. Don't worry if the maps overlap, that adds to the rustic travel flavor of the room. When the wall is covered, start spraying the coffee or tea mixtures lightly onto the maps, wiping any drips with a soft cloth. You may need to apply a second or even a third coat, to achieve the antique quality you desire.

Lamp- Apply a coffee stained map to either the lamp base or the lampshade of the lamp or lamp you have selected. I recommend one table lamp and one floor or torchiere lamp, for adequate lighting. When the maps have dried to the touch, paint with a thin coat of ModPodge. The ModPodge coating, when dried, will make it easier to dust the shades without damage.

Coffee Table- A delightful and handy coffee table can be made from an old travel trunk. Storage inside the trunk is handy for afghans, books, games, and other things you want to hide away when not being used. For just $6 at the craft store, I found a package of 'steamer trunk' stickers, exotic and tourist locations, and nice colors and textures, too! Place a shallow decorative bowl filled with pebbles and shells on top of the trunk, and voila!, you have a travel themed coffee table!

End Tables- Grab a couple of old suitcases, the older the better, and stack them together, flat sides up. For added stability, fill the suitcases with old guidebooks and souvenirs for weight. This way, any time you get lonely for your 'stuff', it is right there in your end table, and out of sight. This helps maintain an uncluttered feel to your travel themed office.

Paper Trays and Pencils Cups- Take either your shoe box lid or shallow wood tray (or both) and cover them with travel photos from your journeys. Coat the photos and the entire bottom of the tray liberally with ModgePodge and allow to dry thoroughly. Keep your papers, mail and other notes in the trays. You can also serve a nice Oolong tea, in the authentic Japanese Tea Set you purchased for a few dollars from Trader Joe's or any import store.

The juice cans become great pencils cups when covered in a rustic twine and sealed with ModgePodge, or covered in maps or stamps. You can get a bag of 'foreign' stamps through mailorder for very little money. Pick through the stamps to select a theme you enjoy, stick them all over the container, then seal with, yep, you guessed it, ModgePodge!

Miscellaneous Knick Knacks- Selectively chose a few precious souvenirs or purchase a few travel themed décor items from a dollar store or thrift shop. I particularly like my collection of old cameras, including my very first Brownie, that grandpa gave me a billion years ago, and my three didgeridoos standing in the corner, waiting for me to blow the droning music through them. A coin collection, garnered from your travels, maybe a few postcards or playbills, select only the things that make your head wander to far-flung places.

Spend a few dollars, a few hours, and enjoy your travel themed office or den - that is, when you are home to enjoy it! Just think, now when you come home from your travels with MORE souvenirs and memories, now you have a place to keep them!