Hi I'm Louisa!
Founder, designer, map-lover, mum and the sort of person who gets excited about a good push pin.
A little about me
I studied Art and Design at London College of Fashion, then headed up north to the University of Leeds to specialise in printmaking. All textures, patterns, and inky fingers.
I’ve always been drawn to maps (pardon the pun), though I must admit, I can’t read one to save my life. Thank goodness for Apple Maps, or I’d still be stuck somewhere on the M25.
I spent over a decade living in London before swapping the bustle for the birdsong of Surrey, where I now live with my boyfriend, our son, and Howard, our glorified part teddy bear/ part labradoodle / studio assistant.
The Journey Began...
Back in 2011, the idea for the business first sparked while I was on holiday in Puerto Rico. There’s something about being away from real life, a slower pace, a bit of sunshine, that gives your brain space to dream.
I’d just got a new phone (this may show my age!) that could take photos and drop a little pin on a map to show where that photo had been taken. One afternoon, I was scrolling back through those snapshots and the little dots on the map, and it hit me: I wanted a big, beautiful version of that. A proper pin board to track all my travels.
Now, I know pin board maps aren’t exactly a novel idea, but I couldn’t find a single design I actually liked, let alone one I’d hang proudly in my home. So I decided to draw my own. That little seed of an idea followed me around for the rest of my time at university, but between final year deadlines and prepping for my degree show, there was never quite enough time to create something just for me.
After graduating, I found myself in a ‘proper’ job in London. (Fortunately, or depending on who you ask, I either left or was very politely fired. A story for another day!) I ended up back at my parents’ house with more time on my hands than I knew what to do with.
And that’s when I finally sat down and drew that first map. At the time, it was just something to keep me busy between job applications and interviews. There was no business plan, no big vision, just an idea that had been quietly growing since that trip.
That one map turned out to be the first chapter in what would become my dream business.
The business today
Over the past 10+ years, I’ve designed thousands of personalised pin board maps, from round-the-world adventures to UK weekend escapes, romantic getaways to family bucket lists. Every piece is made-to-order by our wonderful manufacturers right here in England.
If you’ve been around since the early days, there’s a good chance you’ve met my mum or dad at a show or pop-up. They still help with everything from pin box sorting to quality checks; it’s a proper family operation, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’ve been lucky enough to work with some pinch-me brands along the way. From designing a double-page spread in Cosmopolitan magazine, to a bespoke postcode map for Made.com, created so their team could pin their favourite local haunts as they returned to the office after lockdown.
But honestly? The part I still love most is hearing your stories. Where you’ve been, what your map means to you, and the memories pinned along the way.
Life and business look a little different now than when it all began, but I’m still here, still illustrating, and still dreaming up new ways to help people celebrate life’s adventures, big and small.
