Wallpaper - Old Old World

Our Old Old World wallpaper brings a weathered, vintage maritime world map to a dramatic, wall-sized scale. Created in collaboration with Wild Apple Portfolio, the design presents a historic Mercator projection map showing antique steamship routes and telegraph lines across a deep, moody, dark charcoal and black distressed ground. The landmasses emerge in textured, aged off-white and eggshell tones, marked with fine historic typography, graticule lines, and delicate navigational details that give the motif the character of a time-worn screenprint. Produced as made-to-measure wallpaper on a PVC-free substrate with a subtle paper texture, this design adds rich historic depth and graphic intrigue to an interior.

In the room

Because of the expansive global motif and panoramic scale, we see this working best on a wide, uninterrupted wall where the full breadth of the continents and oceans can be taken in without heavy disruption. It makes a compelling focal point in a dedicated home office, a private study, or a home library where the cartographic details can be studied closely.

In rooms with strong natural daylight, the contrasts between the dark oceans and the pale, distressed landmasses remain sharp and legible. In spaces with softer, low-level evening lighting, the dark oceanic background recedes comfortably into the room, creating an atmospheric, grounded feel around a desk, reading chair, or shelving wall.

Styling it

The historic, weathered character of the map pairs naturally with heritage, classic, or industrial interior elements. To maintain balance against such a bold, graphic backdrop, we would keep surrounding large furniture pieces grounded and relatively simple in form.

Darker wood tones like aged oak, walnut, or mahogany complement the historic cartography, especially when paired with vintage leather seating or dark painted joinery. Matte black metal or muted antique brass accents on lighting and hardware echo the fine navigation lines without competing with the overall composition.

Colour combinations

The wallpaper is defined by its strong contrast between the distressed charcoal and near-black background and the aged, eggshell and off-white tones across the continents, accented with subtle sepia and earthy undertones.

When choosing paint colours for adjoining walls or woodwork, we recommend pulling directly from these tones. A deep charcoal, warm off-black, or muted slate grey on surrounding woodwork creates a seamless, immersive atmosphere. Alternatively, pairing the wallpaper with soft off-white, chalky parchment, or muted warm stone paint on adjacent walls provides a clean, intentional contrast that frames the mural wallpapers naturally.

About our wallpaper

At Wallism, our wallpapers are made-to-measure according to your specific wall dimensions, which helps reduce unnecessary excess wallpaper during decorating.

Each wallpaper is PVC-free and printed on paper with a subtle physical surface structure. Our wall murals are designed to be straightforward and easy to hang, offering options suited to both homeowners and those in rented accommodation.