Mirror by MAP for Sabi, $160 Not only is it irresistibly cute, Sabi’s mirror is also designed for universal use. Installation is a breeze: Punch out the to-scale template from the packaging and hang it with the included adhesive or easy-mount screw.

The March 1, 1943 issue of Life magazine included one of publishing’s more intriguing fold-outs; the first example of Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion Map. Less outlandish today, in an age of Feltron and infographic overload, Fuller’s fold-out projection was an outlier that raised serious philosophical and political points. With no fixed direction and less distortion than then-current maps, the Dymaxion Map sought to do away with judgements based on size and position, and make the underlying point that we’re all together on spaceship Earth. Fuller deliberately presented humanity as "one island, in one ocean," so we could better face our common problems together.

Francesco and Mafalda’s bedroom is open and playful with only a bit of Algue by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec guarding the stairs. The lamp was designed by Francesco himself and the decal on the wall is from My Vinilo.

A map on the wall shows where MAR pulls its culinary inspiration from. Photo by: Tiffany Orvet

Last but not least, Emily Fischer and Haptic lab also offer these supremely tactile designs: titled Soft-Map City Quilts, they're a series of hand-stitched, all-white designs that outline the streets of major cities: from Boston (seen here), to Brooklyn, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, Rome, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

Designed by Ritika Mathur of Denmark’s Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, "Memory Maps" uses GPS technology and a radio frequency identification reader to enable individuals with early-stage memory impairment to record and map experiences.

The designers explain, “These steel windows played an integral part in making the interior feel larger and more open by blurring the boundaries between the interior and exterior.” A grey Halcyon Lake area rug, an oak chair from MAP, and Hans Wenger Wishbone chairs make for a simple, neutral palette. The painting over the fireplace is by Kate Hendry.

Inspirational spaces

A mustardy couch and a large map of the world—Whitlock travels all over the place for work—keep the living room bright and cheerful.

A topographic map of Kapiti Island hangs in the tower.

A Map of the World: The World According to Illustrators and Storytellers via Gestalten $60.00 Navigate your way around the world through a series of visual storytelling maps and atlases composed by contemporary designers, illustrators and mapmakers.

The SPUR exhibition Urban Cartography, which is open until February 6, 2015, documents mapmaking in the past twenty years. Eric Fischer's map, one of the myriad pieces on view, documents where locals and tourists in San Francisco take photographs using geotagged images from Flickr and Picasa. Blue signifies locals, red is tourists, and yellow could be either. "His maps are gorgeous," says Allison Arieff, SPUR's editorial director and the show's curator. "It's not immediately apparent what they are showing but a little explanation goes a long way."

Koetter|Kim, OSHER MAP LIBRARY

British artist Hannah Sawtell and technologist Avi Flombaum created sawbaum.com, where users can create visual collages using multiple vine streams. "We wanted it to look like a visual comic book, with overlapping panels," said Flombaum. "And we wanted it to be fun!" Photo courtesy Rhizome.

A peek inside the bathroom, where a raised topographic map doubles as reading material and travel inspiration.

A monumental German climate map enlivens the dining area, which also sports CH 23 & CH 30 chairs by Hans Wegner.

A tabletop desk with trestle legs is a modern, customizable, and budget-friendly option for creating a clean surface to work from.

Designer Thor ter Kulve spent the first 10 years of his life in the Oostelijke Havengebied. When he returned as student of Slow Lloyd, he was curious whether the spaces where he played as a child are still used by kids today. He made a map for children of Lloyd guests to find these spaces of play in the immediate neighborhood and perhaps to meet local children. Ter Kulve printed the map on a pillowcase, so that the child can sleep with her/his memories. Fabric markers are provided to annotate the map with his/her discoveries.

Exquisite Contemporary Estate on Grange Lake in Serenbe Community 10744 Serenbe Lane Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia 30268 United States $1,300,000 www.atlantafinehomes.com/eng...

Bedrock also sells much smaller details of the maps they carry. This one is from the D.C. map and shows the Capitol.

Haptic Lab designs intricate quilts of celebrated cities. Each Soft-Map City Quilt is made using 100 percent superfine cotton, ensuring a pleasant and soft tactile experience. From afar, the ivory quilt appears uniform, but upon closer look, the cotton quilt is interrupted by warm brown stitching, creating an elaborate and organized reproduction of your favorite city. Brooklyn City Quilt is shown here. The quilt is also available in Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Paris, Philadelphia, Rome, San Francisco, Washington D.C. versions at the Dwell Store.

The above image shows a close-up of the planning that goes into a City Map Quilt. “City Quilts are a sort of bridge between my architectural education and the craft skills I learned growing up in rural Wisconsin," Fischer says. "I use GIS data, satellite imagery, and USGS and NOAA charts to design each quilt pattern. But the quilts aren't just translations of maps—I'm not a big fan of the ‘maps on stuff’ design trend—because they are hand-quilted and subject to idiosyncrasies scaled to the human hand.” Haptic Lab also designed and created the Constellation Quilt, which features the night’s sky.

Map Tapestries by Hannah Waldron for Konstfack at Spazio Rossana Orlandi.

Across the lower level, which was expanded by 258 square feet, spaces within the living area flow into one another. An Art Deco-style fireplace provides a sense of retro glamour.

A metal wire map of the United States and southern Canada hangs at the Western Group's Portland, Oregon headquarters.

@angelaishere: "Designer uses survey where people are asked about their sentiment on different parts of LA. The data is then used to help create a unique map on leather. Final product is a messenger bag. #dod2014 #wuho"

Map of New Canaan, Connecticut, 1962. Courtesy of the artist and P!, New York "Philip Johnson commissioned Lustig Cohen to design a map of New Canaan that identified the location of the Glass House as well as nearby modernist homes, some of which are no longer standing," notes Akers.

Kemp's design inspiration, clearly, comes from all over the map.

"Maps to Help you Navigate Milan Design Week" by Craighton Berman.