Easter in Rome, Italy

Well, the title is a bit of a lie...We weren't actually in Rome, Italy but we spent our Easter working on an art project related to Rome.  As most of you know (at least the people that I think are reading this blog know) Nate and I both spent a semester studying urban design in Rome, Italy.  One of the classes that we had was taught by a Professor by the name of Alan Ceen.  Professor Ceen was quirky, to say the least, but he loved Rome.  We walked, and walked, and walked (I was so skinny then!) with Prof. Ceen through the city, week after week, learning about Old Rome.  Prof. Ceen always related our walks back to the Nolli Map of Rome.  The Nolli Map was created by Giambattista Nolli, an Italian architect and surveyor, at the request of Pope Benedict XIV.  It was the most accurate map of Rome at the time.
So, how does this apply to our art project?  If you remember our den, we have a very large, blank wall due to our sloped ceiling.

LARGE BLANK WALLS

We originally put four mirrors from Crate and Barrel onto the wall and they stayed there a while until we could find something else to take up the space.  One night, while both of us where watching TV/doing stuff on our laptops (our nightly tradition), I said "Wouldn't a Nolli Map be cool on this wall?"  Nate agreed, so off I went searching the internet looking for the map.  I found one on Ebay and we pulled the trigger on the purchase about a month later (the map itself was not cheap which is why we waited some time before ordering it).
The map arrived in 12 sheets as it was originally published and there was even an insert written by Professor Ceen!!  The map sheets sat on our dining room table for a few weeks until we could decide how to frame it.
We knew that buying individual frames (each sheet is about 22"x27") would be extremely expensive so we decided to "frame" it using some reclaimed wood that we already owned.  We also decided that our method of framing would be glassless (again keeping the budget in mind).
We started with two sheets of 1/8" wood and began to layout the sheets in order to determine the final size.

LAYOUT IN THE GARAGE

Once we had the first row laid out with the spacing that we desired we cut the board to the correct width on the table saw.

BOARDS CUT AND SECOND ROW LAID OUT

We used a little adhesive roller on the back of each sheet and also decided to use Scotch tape on the corners to ensure that the sheets would not move.

ALL OF THE SHEETS LAID OUT

 Once the sheets were all laid out we brought them (on the two separate boards) in to the den and screwed the boards into the studs in the large wall.

BOTTOM BOARD ATTACHED TO THE WALL

Once we had both of the boards with the 12 sheets attached it was time to begin "framing".  We decided to use the reclaimed wood that Nate used to make the powder room mirror.  We ripped them down to the desired widths on the table saw and used the miter saw to create the miter for the four boards used for the outer frame.  We decided on a 2 3/8" width for the outer frame.  We used the nail gun to attach the frame to the boards that were already secured on the wall.

TOP AND BOTTOM FRAME

OUTSIDE FRAME COMPLETE

For the inside grid we decided on a 1 3/4" width.  We ripped them down to width on the table saw and used the miter saw to cut them to length.  We used full length pieces for the verticals in order to help keep the top frame from sagging.

ATTACHING THE SECOND VERTICAL

Once the vertical boards were attached we measured each of the horizontal boards and cut them down to size.

THE HORIZONTALS BEING ATTACHED!

COMPLETE!

VIEW FROM KITCHEN

So, that was our Easter spent hanging Rome, Italy on our walls.  We love the way that it turned out.  It is definitely HUGE but is a great way to take up such a large blank wall.  We are having fun pointing out where our apartments, our studio, and of course, our favorite bars were.  It was a time in our lives that Nate and I treasure and this map will serve as a daily reminder of our time there.
Oh, and you can see from the above photos that our sectional arrived!  BUT, it is missing piece :(  I will share pics once the final piece arrives.