Video of Antrim PRD fireplace

Paris built this amazing custom fireplace for my Antrim dollhouse. To my surprise, Paris added battery operated lights that go on with the push of a button and emulate a real modern fireplace. Its hard to capture in pictures, so I made this video to share. In the dining room you can see the custom table and Ayche chairs also from PRD Miniatures (Paris painted my chairs a darker brown to match the table). Ball clock on the left wall is minimodernistas. The clear planter is a prototype of a modern planter box I'm working on. Long&Low Chair, Long&Low Sofa, ottoman, rug and pillows by minimodernistas. Pottery on table are gifts from mother-in-law. Green glass demijohn from Ferenc Albert. Coffee table is picture frame from SF MoMA. Palm plant from my local dollhouse shop Shellie's Miniature Mania. White/brown cabinet with vases from ebay blogged about here. Purple duo ceiling light is made by me (attaching to ceiling idea from CallSmall). Floor lamp is AG Mini's plus beads from local jewelry shop.

A Very Merry Christmas

Christmas goodies are in! The ceramic plates, bowl and vase were a gift from my mother-in-law. She's an amazing potter in 1:1 scale, but I believe a friend of hers made these minis so I'll find out who and report back. My brother-in-law and his wife got me the beautiful acrylic artwork over the bed titled Mulinello (Whirlpool in Italian) by Lisa Renfroe from PRD Miniatures.

I got this new rug from PRD Miniatures along with the cool linens Lisa is making for Paris' beds, they are removable from the mattress just like real sheet sets so you can swap them with the room decor. I'm planning on painting the walls in the bedroom a light brown shade but haven't found the perfect color yet. I threw this room together to highlight my new minis but I'll be adding a bathroom to it as well, so it is still in progress.

The goods:
PRD Miniatures: Bedroom - SLICE Vortex End Table, rug, bed, linens, painting, mirror, metallic tribal cubes; Living room - fireplace. minimodernistas: Bedroom - room divider, Japanese pillows; Living room - Long&Low sofa, Long&Low chair, pillows, ottoman, rug. More details on other items blogged here. Flower in pot and paper box made by minisdecris, Cristina Diego. Reac Barcelona Chair. Kaleidoscope House repainted vases. Chrome side tables are on ebay again. 2 portraits over chair are a gift from Shale, SusansHouse.blogspot.com. Artwork over tribal cubes is a magnet from SF MoMA, coffee table in living room is picture frame from SF MoMA. Other accessories are from Good Sam show and I'll post about those artisans later.

ebay misses

Dear ebay winner h***o,

Please please please post pictures of what you are going to do with the "Komplette 70 er Jahre Puppenhaus Einrichtung" lot you just won.

I really wanted those chairs! I adore the bedroom set, but the scale was too small for my 1:12 collection. I would love to see what you do with it.

Oh and you are welcome that I didn't bid on it. I don't know how high you were willing to go, but I was pulling my hair to not bid up to $100.

Enjoy! I hope this isn't the last we'll see of these.

(images from ebay listing item 110626885262)

Copy of the news

Sigh. I've been meaning to be better about posting, but I got hooked on old seasons of "Make It or Break It". Which sounds like a cool DIY show, but its actually about a group of teenage girls vying to be gold medal gymnasts. I used to love the uneven bars when I was a kid, until my best friend fell and broke her arm, scaring me away from gymnastics. Sometimes I wonder "what if..." but genetics put me at 5'8" so I would have been too tall if I hadn't quit. Anyhoo, until I get hooked on another tv show, I should have more time to blog again.

Back to the point of this post... I read the SF Chronicle article online before I was able to get a copy of the paper. Most of the news I get is from online sources or the radio, and I haven't read a physical paper since the NY Times article on miniatures. The Chronicle article was on the cover and continued on the back cover of the Home and Garden section. I must say, in this digital age, print media is doing a great job creating a more visually and aesthetically pleasing format. I may just have to give the print world a second chance.

(picture of San Francisco Chronicle Sunday, November 28, 2010)

Anyone going to MoMA Counter Space exhibit?

I was flipping through the MoMA Design Store Fall Preview 2010 magazine (yes Fall, sorry, I meant to post months ago, but am trying to catch up), thinking of all the fun things that might work as miniatures, when I stumbled across this 1946 Future Kitchen by James Barnes and Jean Reinecke. Ooo la la.

The kitchen was featured in a Popular Mechanics Apr 1946 article Designs for "Better Living". A little searching and I found just the article blogged here on Modern Mechanix.

What I'm dying to know is if this mini kitchen is part of the exhibit at MoMA. Anyone going to be in New York to check out the exhibit? Please let me know if its there and if it is bolted down. :)

Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen
September 15, 2010–March 14, 2011
Second floor
The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street
New York, NY 10019

(images from MoMA Design Store Fall Preview 2010 magazine and Popular Mechanics April 1946 magazine.)

Interviewed by San Francisco Chronicle

Extra Extra! Read all about it! I've been waiting for this article to hit the press for weeks, but SF Chronicle writer Leilani Marie Labong's editor loved the article so much that they waited to run it in the next available Sunday issue, Nov 28th. I'll pick up my copy tomorrow to see it on the cover of the Home and Garden section. Woo hoo modern minis!! Read the full article here and check out the great photography: "Bauhaus meets dollhouse: miniatures go midcentury"

Seriously, how cute is Doris? I love this shot. I think The Chronicle photographer, Michael Macor, did an outstanding job capturing the DWR event.

The photos showcase the work of the four designers featured at the Design Within Reach Miniature Modernism: “The next generation of dollhouse designs” last September. You can read my recap of the night here »
Paris Renfroe, PRD Miniatures, www.prdminiatures.com
Tim Bolye, Brinca Dada, www.brincadada.com
Doris Nathanson, minimodernistas, www.minimodernistas.com
Modern MC, www.minimodern.blogspot.com (opted not to be interviewed, hence no mention in the article)


My Antrim was on display as part of Paris' work, as I've been working with him to turn this dollhouse into a modern dwelling. You can see pictures of my Antrim Dollhouse at the DWR event here »

I get a little giddy and nervous when being interviewed. It's awkward and fun rolled into one, but I must say, I think my quote came out better in this article compared to the kicker I got in the New York Times article which eluded to me being a total control freak. I'm not really, well, maybe just a little.


(Images from San Francisco Chronicle article on www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/28/HO001G1M04.DTL)

Back to the Antrim

Sadly, I have totally neglected my Antrim, but now that I've finished Doris' website, I have time to focus on it again and get it finished. Paris is going to build a custom kitchen, but I'm still wavering on layout. Here are some options I'm toying with. The green minimodernistas' ottoman is a placeholder for where the spiral staircase will go. I think the room is a little too open without an island, but then might be too cramped with one, so maybe an L shaped kitchen unit is the way to go. I'm not sure if there is room, but I think I might be able to squeeze a buffet behind the custom PRD table, but I'm going to hold off on that until the stairs are installed.
Paris designed the table based on this photo I found, and I want the kitchen cabinets to compliment the table, but I also love the look of the white frame around the dark cabinets in the kitchen photo. I'll keep you posted as to what we decide after I talk to Paris.

minimodernistas' website is up

For the last few months I've had the pleasure of working with Doris Nathanson to create an online website for all of her wonderful mid-century modern furnishings. I have been a huge fan of Doris' work, but had a hard time tracking it all down. Now you can see it all in one place (all 176 items!! Seriously, who knew she had so many!?!) A lot of sweat and tears went into the site, so I hope you enjoy it. I feel like I have done my duty to help make more modern miniatures available to the world, so now I can sit back, relax and blog about it. It's good to be back. :D

http://minimodernistas.com/

Look who's back...

I know I know, it has been a long time, but I have a good excuse. I've been building an ecommerce website for minimodernistas, which will be live very very soon and I will be back to blogging again. In case you haven't heard, look who is back...

Thanks to all of you modern miniature enthusiasts we have the return of some beloved modern houses that were discontinued. The Citadel is back by Lolly's (thanks for the tip mini2b), DHE brought back the Malibu Beach House, and Ocean Drive now comes in a black finish compared to the old "wood" exterior finish. For links and details on these houses, please read my updated post on modern dollhouses.

I added some more houses by Miss Schumetta, Studio SWS and Dave Slater's Apartment Building, read more about these here.

I was surprised by the 500 EUR price jump for The Arne Jacobsen house that Modern MC pointed out. At 1,340 EUR, it's out of my budget, but I hope Minimii finds a way to make more affordable houses, as I love their concept.


Please send me houses I've missed as I continue to update this post as a resource for modern houses on the market. December and 2011 have much more to come.

Thank you for all of the email inquiries about my absence, I plan to back in full force soon. And when you see Doris' website it will all be worth it. :)

Mini smiles,
Megan

The Antrim Dollhouse makes its debut

The run up to the show was filled with late nights painting and attaching the faux metal and wood siding on The Antrim (I will post details on how I did all of the exterior finishes with Paris's instructions later this week). I was worried about the interior decor, but Paris and Doris had extras to use so the interior came out pretty spectacular. Paris finished an amazing fireplace and table, and is still working on the doors, spiral staircases, kitchen, roof top infinity pool and other items, so there will be more photos to come as we finish the house.



Here is the third floor master bedroom. It really came together at the show with lots of items from Paris.

The goods from Left to Right:
· SLICE Vortex End Table with painted white finish is PRD Miniatures.
· The floral arrangement in a ceramic pot was from fortunateislandsmini on etsy made by minisdecris, Cristina Diego, minisdecris.blogspot.com.
· Barcelona Chair by Ludwing Mies Van Der Rohe from Design Interior Collection Designers Chair Vol.1
· Thin Profile Wall Mirror in silver PRD Miniatures (here is one in white).
· Jonathan Adler repainted pots from Bozart Toys Kaleidoscope House "House Accessories" set.
· The artwork is by Paris, titled "Elegance" I borrowed it for the show, its for sale here.
· Gray carpet is specialty paper from Joann Fabrics.
· Bed and linens are PRD Miniatures. These are the new changeable linens that Lisa is making. Now you can buy new linen sets if you want to change the decor of the room without having to buy a new bed. Clever! I'll post links when the linens are for sale.
· single white and red Asian print pillow is MiniModernistas
· Chrome with acrylic top side tables are an ebay find.
· Buddha is painted silver from the Ideal Petite Princess line 1964-1965 collection.
· phone on side table is from A.G. Minis.
· two portraits over bed are a gift from Shale SusansHouse.blogspot.com.

The third floor lounge cracks me up. I unintentionally copied Paris's room on his website (his photo on far right). Paris asked me if I needed any rugs and I saw the gray one and thought this will look perfect with the SLICE Tilt Coffee Table, and of course it does, as this is the same rug and room layout he already came up with. D'oh! Oh well it looks pretty great. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery right?

· silver trio light in corner is made by me.
· Le Corbusier Double Grand Petite Comfort Chairs from Design Interior Collection Designers Chair Vol. 1 and Designers Chair Vol. 4
· Black and white cowhide rug by PRD Miniatures (Paris are you selling more of these?)
· SLICE Tilt Coffee Table is PRD Miniatures.
· mini magazines by X10NY Modern Miniature Art
· The artwork is by Lisa Renfroe, titled "Blue Celestial" from PRD Miniatures
· Metallic Tribal Cubes by PRD Miniatures
· Dracena Plant from ByShelly2 on etsy repotted in ceramic pot from a dealer I can't recall at the Tom Bishop SF Miniatures Show (hopefully they'll be at the Good Sam show, so I can list them later).

We're still working on the final bathroom but for the show Paris loaned me one of his new double vanities. These are so hot! The office is not finished either. The shelving unit on the back wall had the 3 square boxes on the desk glued to the top of it. I sawed those off and sanded and re-stained the sideboard, here is what it used to look like.

· Dual Vanity Unit by PRD Miniatures (new item coming soon)
· plant from local hobby shop repotted in ceramic pot mentioned above.
· artwork by ebay seller winpick0
· Hatbox Toilet from PRD Miniatures
· Bathtub from DHE Modern Oval Bathroom Suite
· bathroom bench and "modern sideboard" are ebay finds from EurekaOnlineStore, middle shelf vases from Manor House Miniatures; all items blogged about here.
· carpet square rugs in both rooms are PRD Miniatures (new item coming soon)
· Modern Pharmacy Floor Lamp in Chartruese by MiniModernistas
· Bamboo desk from PRD Miniatures
· mini magazine by X10NY Modern Miniature Art
· "Aluminum Chair" Charles and Ray Eames from Designers Chair Vol. 2 (borrowed from Doris)
· Artwork is a magnet from SF MOMA of "Bracket" by Joan Mitchell.
· Other accessories: Re-ment Tea Time Ryukyu Glass, small lamp is A.G. Minis, books Bozart KH House Accessories.

The guest room is pretty much the Paris room. This seemed to be the crowd favorite. Paris's signature line of M.U.T.T. (Made Using Tossed Trimmings) furnishings is my favorite and is the real highlight of this room. Can you believe I didn't center the bench with the bed? Whoops.

· Modern Low Chest of Drawers from ebay seller mel8214 and elsewhere online
· Custom M.U.T.T. Bed and linens from PRD Miniatures, white and orange pillows are from MiniModernistas
· M.U.T.T. Floor Mirror, M.U.T.T. Bench with Angle Leg and Tan Leather Chaise (except mine has added wood base) are all from PRD Miniatures.
· Large Painting is "Morning Sunrise" by Lisa Renfroe and over the bed painting is "Burnt" by Paris Renfroe; more one of a kind artwork at PRD Miniatures
· Jonathan Adler pots from Bozart Toys Kaleidoscope House "House Accessories" set.
· waste basket is Re-ment Tea Time American Kitchen
· wood turned bowl is from my local dollhouse shop Shellie's Miniature Mania
· round wood turned vase is Gilbert Mena "Fine Art & Furniture in Miniature" gilmena (at) webtv.net
· I made the metal artwork on the wall from a "Tag Maker" kit from local craft shop, and copper planter is from the plumbing section at local hardware store that I filled with mini rocks and faux bamboo.

I love the entryway Paris came up with. The door is kind of hidden on the side, so the porch helps draw more attention to it. The custom dining room table Paris made for me is AMAZING!! The photo on the right is what I sent him for inspiration, and what he created was even more spectacular. It's hard to see in these photos, but the white base has this really cool ribbed pattern, I'll take more photos later. Paris's new "Ayche Chairs" (pronounced simply "h" the letter they look like) are fabulous and look so good with this table. We'll be adding a custom kitchen next and of course the stairs.

· custom dining table from PRD Miniatures and Ayche Chairs in Natural with White Edge
· Metal Triple Hanging Lamp from MiniModernistas
· candlesticks are painted silver from the Ideal Petite Princess line 1964-1965
· white rug is specialty paper from Joann Fabrics, plate is Mighty World Town Cafe, pears are from 50's kitchen I bought on ebay.

Saving the best for last, the custom fireplace that Paris created is magnificent. It has battery operated lights that make it look like an actual glowing fire. Modern MC joked that I better keep an eye on it, but Paris promised he could make her one, too. I think everyone will want one. I'll take a video of it so you can see it in action. The middle picture was taken the day before so not everything is in it, but you'll notice MiniModernistas all over this room. Personally, it's a toss up between the dining room and living room as to which is my favorite room right now.

· custom working fireplace by PRD Miniatures
· Long & Low Sofa, Long & Low Easy Chair, rug and pillows from MiniModernistas
· large glass green jug on fireplace is a demijohn from Ferenc Albert fermma (at) aol.com
· coffee table is picture frame from SF MOMA gift shop
· large palm plant from my local dollhouse shop Shellie's Miniature Mania
· white/brown cabinet from ebay blogged about here
· purple duo ceiling light is made by me (attaching to ceiling idea from CallSmall)
· Other accessories: Re-ment Tea Time Ryukyu Glass, A.G. Minis lamp, ceramic vase from Manor House Miniatures.

Oops, almost forgot the rooftop. For now not too much going on, but Paris has a brilliant idea to build an infinity pool that will cantilever off the side of the house, so it would be like swimming off the edge. I can't wait, plus I'll get some of his new outdoor furniture to truly rock this pad out.

· Ribb Chaise in White from PRD Miniatures (one was a gift from Mini2B)
· side tables are drawer pulls from IKEA (idea from petite nouveau)
· umbrella is from Mighty World spray painted white (left coast mini just gave one away)
· drink is from Lil Bratz.

Wow, that took a lot longer than I expected, and I can't believe you just read all of it. Phew! Thanks for reading, I just can't stop talking about this house. More to come...