I'm sure you've seen Mapiful on blogs and Instagram because this small Swedish start-up has really made a name for themselves in the social media and design world! Not only are their black & white designs the perfect minimalist addition to any home, but their theme satisfies the explorer in us all - whether you're dreaming of a destination, you live in a spot you love or you have been to a special place that forever stays in your heart (like where you had your honeymoon). Mapiful lets you showcase that favorite place in your home through their customized posters.

If you’re familiar with the expat life, then you probably have a few favorite places. I'm an American expat living in northern Germany and next month I celebrate 8 years (!) of living full-time abroad, 10 years total if you include the first two years where we lived in both the United States and Germany (we had two residences) before we made the big jump.

A decade of life in Europe changes you. As any expat will tell you, you're not the same person once you leave your home country and make a life in an entirely new culture, speaking a different language each day. I arrived with an open heart and dreams of what my life could become and living abroad has changed my life completely - and I surpassed all of the dreams that I had, quicker than I'd imagined, and now I'm dreaming of what's to come. I've also had some unbelievable challenges and moments when I felt very much like an outsider; it's not all been perfect.

Yet, I'm so happy that I relocated and I just love the access that I have to other countries and cultures here because Europe allows you to be in so many different places in such a short time, and is very affordable, so I can drive to places like Denmark, the Netherlands and Poland in just a few hours. I take a train to Paris when I feel like I need to relax in one of my favorite cities. It's a total luxury if you love (or like me, crave) adventure, to live in Europe. On Friday morning, I'll be in Spain for holiday. Then, I'm off to Finland in September. Yet, I can't put my finger on a "favorite" spot in Europe. I tried to, but failed because I enjoy so many different cultures and cities for so many different reasons. That's why I wanted my Mapiful poster to feature all those places- it doesn’t center on one spot, but on all of Europe instead.

When it comes to the design, you can choose from several different layout options- Modern, Pantone, Strict or Clean. Modern is the classic style, and highlights your beloved place in bold. Pantone, Strict, Clean are for the minimalists out there looking for clean lines and subtle details. If you have a special neighborhood you want to highlight, then you can zoom in and add houses/buildings to your map. You can even zoom out to feature not just one city, but entire countries (or in the case of my map, an entire continent)!

If you want to create a Mapiful poster of your favorite place (or places), you can easily design one by visiting Mapiful. For a flat rate of $60, they will ship it in a tube anywhere in the world, no shipping fees and you will have within a week or even less.

I just love Mapiful and I hope that you have fun designing a poster on their site. If you order before July 30, 2017, they will give you 15% OFF of your map if you use the discount code DECOR8.

(Photography: Holly Becker for decor8)

This is a sponsored post in partnership with Mapiful. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep decor8 blogging for over 11 years. :)