LED Backlit World Map

For this LED backlit world map, I worked directly with the interior designer to understand the design priorities, budget, and installation requirements. While our company had previously built a backlit world map for Immigrant Foods, this version presented a different set of challenges. Rather than a framed, drop-in map with an exposed power cable, the designer wanted each continent to float directly off the wall, with no visible hardware or wiring, allowing the custom wallpaper behind it to remain fully visible.

One of my biggest concerns was making the installation both visually clean and serviceable. Permanently attaching the pieces would make future maintenance difficult, so I wanted the continents to be removable in case an LED strip, wire, or other component ever needed to be replaced. Traditional sign standoffs would have left visible hardware on the face of the pieces, while simple dowels wouldn’t provide enough security. I eventually found a newer style of sign standoff that uses a ball-and-sleeve system, allowing the hardware to provide a secure connection while remaining completely hidden behind the continents.

I also developed the plan for wiring the individual continents so that each could be lit independently while still being controlled from a single source. I worked with the interior designer to determine the wire routing and control location, then coordinated with the general contractor to make sure the installation could be prepared before the walls were finished. To make this as precise as possible, I fabricated an MDF template showing the exact locations for the wall anchors and wire runs, which the contractor used to pre-install the infrastructure behind the wall.

The result was an installation that achieved the floating effect the designer was looking for while also being designed with future maintenance in mind. The installation itself went remarkably smoothly—with the exception of losing Madagascar somewhere between my shop and the restaurant. Don’t worry - I cut a replacement and got it installed in time for opening day.

This piece can be seen at Immigrant Foods in Arlington.