All about the Antrim

I contacted Kari the owner of Earth and Tree Dollhouses and Miniatures in New Hampshire to find out more about the Antrim Dollhouse and it's other owners. I bought the last kit in November of 2007 on clearance for $125. Turns out there were only 12 kits made. One of the shop employees, Melodie, sent photos of her Antrim to Modern MC when she inquired about the house back in 07. All of the houses at Earth and Tree were originally designed by Kari's husband, Tom Berkner (Tom's Mill). He named all of his houses after towns in New Hampshire. Tom passed away in 2005. Kari's son-in-law Ryan now builds the kits and houses for the company. The Antrim is no longer available, but Earth and Tree continues to sell the contemporary Merrimack dollhouse, inspired by a house in Minnesota.

Here are a ton of photos with all of the dimensions for Paris and I to reference as we add the custom floors and features to this house. Yes there are way more measurements than necessary but I went a little OCD. Tomorrow I will post photos with some layout ideas and more information on designs in progress. Front view and Patio details


Entrance and both sides of house



Living Room



Dining Room & Kitchen



Bathroom



Exterior Bathroom Window. Office / Hallway / TBD


Master Bedroom with en suite bathroom



Lounge / Man Cave / Rec Room



Bedroom



Roof Top

Vintage Theo Klein Garden Furniture

I saw this vintage Theo Klein garden furniture set on ebay. It's not the Theo Klein dollhouse furniture I'm looking for, but I thought someone might be interested. It is for fashion dolls up to 30 cm (almost 12") so I'm guessing 1:6 scale (?). They ship worldwide and opening bid is $9.99, but it is a one day auction so it ends about 20 hours.
Details from seller "... mint in the box theo klein garden doll furniture. It appears that all of the pieces are still with this set, but not 100% sure. This is a nice set, and made really wonderfully too. The box does show a little more than normal shelf wear to it."

(images from ebay auction from seller vintagegemsatoz )

Modern Furniture Plans in American Miniaturist

Does anyone have the July 2010 issue #87 of American Miniaturist? The cover article is "Miniature Modernity - Chic furniture you can make", but before I buy, I'm curious if the directions are only for the couches on the cover or if there are more designs in the magazine.

Magazine available for $6.95 at earthtreenminiatures.com.

(image from earthtreenminiatures.com)

My Article in Dolls' Houses Past & Present Magazine

I beefed up my article "So you want a modern dollhouse" with some new houses and budget friendly ideas inspired by fellow modern dollhouse bloggers for the June issue of Dolls' Houses Past & Present Magazine.

The updated version is on my site as well: Read it Here. This is still a work in progress. I have more houses to add and I would love any suggestions for others I have missed or information on builders. Please email ideas to modernminifan (at) gmail.com.

Here are a few of the new additions, please check out the article for more details on each.

PRD Miniatures Summer Sale

If you are not subscribed to the PRD Miniatures newsletter, you may not have heard yet about the super "Summer Sale" with 10-50% off many items. Sale ends July 31.

I am definitely getting some of the cubes. I love the orange but they also come in natural wood, powder blue, and metallic, plus the tribal effect is pretty cool. Oh the possibilities. Check out the sale here.

(all images from www.prdminiatures.com)

Updated FR8 House Photos

My last post on PRD Miniatures FR8 House was when it was only 70% complete, so in case you haven't seen these new pictures yet, I just had to share.

I think my Antrim house definitely needs a pool and deck like this on the rooftop.
I think the angles of this house make every view incredible. There is something amazing to look at in every room. I love the walk in closet. If only my real house was this nice. Check more photos on PRD Miniatures shutterlfy page.

(all images from m112podsbyprd.shutterfly.com/25)

Floor plan dilemma

We're starting on the floor plan for the main level. Staring at the space was getting me no where, so I threw random furniture into the rooms to see how it would look. Having the kitchen on the left seems awkward as the front door is on the far left and you'd walk into the house through the kitchen. But if the kitchen is on the right then the fireplace becomes less of a focal point, and gets crowded behind the dining room table. Luckily, I'm sure Paris will have some brilliant ideas when I call him to discuss tomorrow.

Good thing #3

Ask and Paris answers.
A few weeks ago I was asking for suggestions on flooring for my Antrim house. I know I don't always read every comment on everyone else's posts, so here are the comments from Paris Renfroe of PRD Miniatures I had to share as I think I'm not the only one interested in Paris's work:
"I can make floors of any dimension, any species that are perfectly scaled. The price is reasonable too, as I use a laser cutting machine to mill my parts. All I would need is the floor plan dimensions or paper template. I could even sand them down for you, and let you finish them off. I will be cutting custom tiles from various laminates too, and selling them by the square foot. I'm here to help, and the advice/quotes are free. To give you an example, a walnut floor, with 1/4"-1/2" planks would be $30 per square foot, plus shipping. The sky is the limit people!
Here is an image of the double Pod with walnut floors http://m112podsbyprd.shutterfly.com/1127#1129

This room is 16" x 20", so it's about 2 1/2 square feet, or about $75. If that's too steep, then I can cut the pieces for you for half the price, ship them to you, and you can glue/sand/and finish them yourself. It's actually pretty easy, and it's a lot of fun. So I recommend you try to do it yourself, but if you don't feel mechanically inclined, then send me an email with your specs. More images can be seen at www.M112podsbyprd.shutterfly.com"


So, good thing #3 this week is meeting Paris (albeit over the phone) and taking him up on his offer. He should receive my floor plans tomorrow (construction paper taped together) and then we are off and running to make the most out of this house.

This house is so huge, it has been a bit intimidating as to where to start and what to do with the floor plan. With Paris's design background he has a lot of insight as to what will work well and look good. Plus he has a lot of tricks to making things, and making them look real that he's willing to share. I've been a huge fan of his miniatures since first seeing them on MiniModern, but until now hadn't realized the full range of services he offers. I'm really looking forward to working with Paris and excited to blog all about it. Much more to come (hardwood floors, tiles, doors, kitchen, bathroom, spiral staircase... I may have to rename it the Paris House).

In other news, Paris is building a line or two in 3/4 (1:18) scale for not only the Emerson and the Bennet Houses, but he is also doing a line of custom car showrooms in 1:18 scale for diecast collectors. Just think "mini Man Caves" complete with electronics like Paris' TRIO media players and bose desktop system. I'm never going to own a real lamborghini or ferrari, but I could pimp out a mini garage with one! That might actually get my husband to hang out in my mini houses.

Thank you Jean and Mini2b!!

Good thing #2.
Jean R. of Florida sent me an email regarding my inquiry for Ira Grandberg's dollhouse plans (read the comments on My Vintage Dollhouses and Other Treasures). She found the plans in her attic and made PDFs of them for me. She scanned them in pieces allowing overlap so they could be assemble like a jigsaw puzzle. (45 pages!!!) Jean also attached a booklet of directions and diagrams for making the furniture and accessories "From the Mid-October 1976 issue of Woman's Day A Dream of Dollhouse To Build" (another 18 pages!) Thank you so much Jean!! I've been dying to get my hands on these and have been getting all sorts of ideas to build items. Coincidentally, I had just built my first couch the week prior, and although my measurements were slightly different, I constructed the frame the same as Mr. Grandberg. I had mocked up several different layouts but thought it was pretty cool I ended up using the same one as his.

If you are interested in getting a copy of the plans, please contact Mr. Grandberg at www.grandbergarchitects.com.

Since a version of the dollhouse went up on ebay (now it's starting at $225) several of us had been trying to track down the plans. Mini2b searched and bought the October 1976 issue, but then found out it was the "Mid" October issue (jeesh, how many issues of Woman's Day came out in a month?). She tried the library, but the electronic copies of the magazine only go back to 1977. Mini2b even contacted the Museum of the City of New York where The Woman's Day dollhouse (Ira Grandberg's) is part of the Museum's collection (MCNY accession
number 76.118). Only to find out that the Museum doesn't sell plans for this dollhouse, and their curatorial files are in storage so they couldn't access the magazine article that featured the house. Finally, she tracked down and contacted Mr. Grandberg directly and he sent her this response: "Your e-mail is timely in that I have been looking into 're-introducing' the plans to the market. I'll look into the logistics of establishing a mailing package and its related out-of-pocket costs. Thanks for linking me into the blog-very exciting! If you wish to contact the blog and pass on my information, I have no problem."
Thanks for all of the great sleuthing Mini2b!!!