Kaleidoscope House minis on sale for 3 days only!

1. Mark your calendar for Oct 8-10.
2. Sign up for Fab.com
3. Buy original, unopened Kaleidoscope House furniture sets and accessories before they are gone.

Earlier this year I blogged about this huge lot of KH sets. The unopened items have been sitting in boxes on pallets in a warehouse for years. The order was never paid for so the entire lot went up for auction. One of my readers bought the lot and it will be for sale on Fab.com Oct 8-10! Most items will be under $20, and Fab.com expects to sell out by the end of 3 days. If you want to add modern minatures or families to your existing homes, or buy some extras to keep in mint condition in the box, this opportunity will never happen again, and never at these prices.

I want to share with you some background on who is making this cool opportunity happen. Andrew is a really nice, busy dad of two and is incredibly excited to be able to bring this lost find to the public. He works at a preschool as an admissions director. He adopted his son from birth who has "special needs" and who loved dollhouses from the get go. Andrew was given a Kaleidoscope House as a used gift for his son. His son broke a piece so Andrew brought it to the preschool and the kids broke more pieces. He was about to toss it in the trash when he looked up the history and fell in love with it all the more. He sold it on ebay broken for $700 and split it with his surprised friend who had given them the house. His son is now 12 and Andrew also has a 2 year old daughter (which is his son's niece....the baby of Andrew's son's 16 year old half brother and his 14 year old girlfriend...kind of confusing, but has given Andrew a loving family. We both have daughters the same age, so we've shared some great stories). Andrew was looking to buy another Kaleidoscope House again when he came across my article on the auction. He really felt he could take a risk and do this to hopefully make enough money to pay for a wonderful vacation for his kids. It's not often that you know who the seller is; I am excited to buy some mint condition Kaleidoscope House miniatures for my kids and for my personal collection at great prices and it warms my heart to help contribute to a special vacation for Andrew's family.

Sign up on Fab.com and save the dates October 8-10, if you don't want to miss out on this great opportunity.

Amped up on modern lights?

Are the lights on in your dollhouse? Mine are not. I bought a wiring kit years ago but I'm a little intimidated by the process, I have yet to wire any of my houses. But, these new lights from HBS Miniatures make me want to dig out that kit again. The Reza Floor Light, Marlow Table Lamp and Berkshire Floor Light are my favorites of the bunch. You can check out all of Ernie's new lighting options here.

(all images from miniatures.com)

Dollhouse Kitchen and Home Tools on Fab.com

A friend turned me on to Fab.com — more to come on that in next post ;) — its another online website with daily sales up to 70% off retail, but focused on design inspirations and pretty cool modern stuff.

I saw these household items from Boston Warehouse and had to applaud the designers for bringing miniatures into the kitchen in a less than traditional way. Plus, I think they are pretty cute. These were on sale for $5 each.



Oh, and Dwell Magazine The Bible for Modern Living (I love that tag line) just went on sale for $12 for a 1-year subscription, which usually runs $19.95. They are offering a digital subscription or a print subscription, depending on how much you like trees. :P

( all images from fab.com)

Shedding a tear for Summer

It's been a busy summer, we moved and are still living out of boxes. My oldest just start pre-school and I thought I'd have more time to unpack, but the youngest is really enjoying my undivided attention. So miniatures have taken a back seat, again. Sorry.

The one thing I regret missing out on this summer was The Summer House by Rundquist Miniatures. I should have known to bid higher, but was going back and forth worried the openings weren't large enough making the interior difficult to decorate and get furniture in. Plus some of the walls are foam board, so I would have had to replace those with wood. The kit was made in 1983 and this is the only one I've seen since I lost out on the one posted on Mini Modern a few years ago.

Bidder 4***b, I hope you build the kit soon and publish your photos somewhere.

Hey Moviedogs, you won the last one, have you finished building it yet? PLEASE send photos of your progress, I'm dying to see this beauty built.



(all images from ebay listing by seller andylesly)

4 poster heaven

I need this in full size. I love my new 4 Poster Bed by minimodernistas. The height of the frame really fills the room and allows for great shots from every angle. Doris is also experimenting with these planter boxes/shelves/display cases, whatever you want to use them for. I took two and added small gravel from the hobby shop in the landscape section, then inserted faux bamboo and plants to create the planters. I like the texture they bring to the room.

Da deets: minimodernistas: 4 Poster Bed, linens, pillows, ribbon lamp, planter boxes, pharmacy floor and desk lamps. PRD Miniatures: painting, Mantao Area Rug, flat screen TV, silver thin profile wall mirror, white slice vortex end table. maryann roy: room divider and bead accessories on dresser. Starbucks mug gift from mini2B. 2 portraits are a gift from Shale. Orchid in pot and paper box made by minisdecris. Reac Barcelona Chair. Kaleidoscope House books and repainted vases. Chrome side tables and low modern dressers from ebay. Repainted Petite Princess Buddha. Elephant and metal box are miniature show finds.

I always like to see the whole picture, so here is a shot of the entire room. I think the lines of the bed work well with my thin windows. I have yet to secure the windows in place, as I like to remove them so I can take shots from different angles without any distortion from the actual window pane. More Antrim pics to come. :)

Out of the box

I love these boxes Doris (minimodernistas.com) has been playing with. She sent me these three with my new 4 poster bed that will be featured in my next post. The boxes have a ton of possibilities. I turned two into planters with supplies from my local hobby and crafts shop, that also make great dividers. The shortest, I stood on its end to make a cool pedestal display for a vase (more on that room later). I think they would look good mounted sideways to make a cool shelf or floating bookcase. They are not up on her website yet, but should they be? Would you buy one? What would you do with it?

Antrim Living Room II. Maryann Roy.

Welcome Home. Finally. I bought this living room set from Maryann Roy last April, and 4 months later... well sorry, but sadly I have even older posts on my blog post to do list. I'll get there, bare with me.

The Shopping Sherpa blogged about Maryann's work last year. Although known for her incredible 1:6 playscale furniture and designs, Maryann was lured to the dark side and made some neo-retro 1:12 scale suites! This living room suite, blogged about here, was inspired by the Japanese Rooms-in-Miniature set that Call of the Small blogged about. Maryann was so taken by the chair and sofa, she thought she'd take a stab at a Japanese inspired set.


I plan to put these in another house, but as that is still under construction, I wanted to show these off before it takes another half year. It's funny because I'm not a huge fan of orange in my own home, but in miniature it is one of my favorites. I love the orange fabric on the sofa and chair and I love how Maryann used a bead for the base of the table lamp. I think the Japanese inspired set makes a pretty chic modern room.

These two pictures were taken from inside the house. Another "D'oh!" moment as the painting and one of the ceiling lamps is crooked, the chaise is turned flat to the wall instead of towards the room, and then jeez there is my entire messy garage in the background of the other one. Unkempt indeed, but still a cool shot into the dining room and kitchen.

Da deets: maryann roy: sofa, chair, solid green pillows, room divider, coffee table, end table, bead accessory on table, lamp on end table.
minimodernistas: rug, ribbon lamp, ball clock, other pillows and horizon night table.
PRD Miniatures: painting, large rust pot with verde plant, custom fireplace, leather chaise, M.U.T.T. floor mirror, kitchen and dining room furniture.
Others: ceiling lamps and tall plant behind couch are made by me, vases and accessories picked up at miniatures show, magazines from X10NY Miniature Art.

You can read more about Maryann Roy and her "Neo-Retro Furnishings for today's Fashion Dolls" on her website (www.maryannroy.com), or follow her work on her blog "Welcome Home" at maryannroy.wordpress.com. Or read my other blog posts on her 1:12 work here.

Antrim Living Room I. Very Cool.

One of these days I'll catch up on posts, but the next series will be different arrangements in the living room. I've been playing around with some new minimodernistas furniture and rugs in the Antrim living room. Doris' pixel chair is one of my favorites and I love her cheeky pillow: "Very cool." (click on the middle picture to read the the text on the white pillow on the pixel chair). Too cute.

Da deets: minimodernistas: v-leg day bed sofa, pixel chair & ottoman, pillows, green ottoman, ball clock, ribbon lamp, pharmacy floor lamp, both rugs in living room and horizon night table.
PRD Miniatures: M.U.T.T. coffee table with spring leg, painting, large rust pot with verde plant, custom fireplace, leather chaise, M.U.T.T. floor mirror, kitchen and dining room furniture.
Others: ceiling lamps and tall plant behind couch are made by me, vases and accessories picked up at miniatures show, magazines from X10NY Miniature Art.


This is one of those photos that makes me yell "D'oh"! I always forget to fix stuff in the background. I was photographing the table and chairs at the same time and forgot to put the chairs back, making the dining room look very unkempt. Sigh. I usually leave the photos on my camera for weeks, finally download onto my computer, but by the time I go to post them online, I've already changed of the room and can't go back and retake the picture. Nobody's perfect. :)

For more information on the artists' work featured here please visit minimoderistas.com and prdminiatures.com.

Eat on this.

More PRD Miniatures in the house...

The table was actually one of the first pieces that Paris made for me, based on a design of a table I sent him (blogged about here). I LOVE this table. Paris came up with this great material to wrap around the base. He also used the same ribbed white laminate on the upper cabinets of my new kitchen and on the entertainment unit to tie the rooms together.

If you couldn't guess, I love high contrast. Paris made these custom Ayche chairs for me. The chairs are super sleek and made of corrugated cardboard with acrylic detailing on the sides. The PRD website lists two versions, natural with white acrylic or black acrylic, but he painted mine a dark chocolate brown which makes the white acrylic pop in the room. At first I was thought it was pronounced like a cute sneeze (ahh chee), but its actually pronounced like the letter "h". It took me a minute to get it, but very clever Paris!

The Mantao Area Rug is dreamy. I've used it in a few scenes (pictures to come). Its a versatile charcoal grey with textured stripes. I can count the stripes to make sure I have everything centered in the middle.

Da deets: Ayche chairs, custom table, Mantao Area Rug all from www.PRDminiatures.com; candlesticks refurbished Petite Princess, plate from miniatures show. (Living room deets in next post.)

You can check out more of Paris Renfroe's work on flickr too.

The Antrim PRD Kitchen

I got an email asking what's going on with my Antrim house, and the gist of it is, I suck, seriously, my photography skills suck. Whenever I look at the photos I take, I realize how much my lighting is horrible, items are crooked and the photos don't do justice to the quality of the pieces. So I keep saying, I'll get better lighting, read my camera's owner manual and figure out how to take better pictures, but um yeah, that's not happening any time soon. So instead I spend hours in photoshop making adjustments so the white is not as pink or yellow, and the colors look more normal. So over the next week, I'll try to get all of my recent photos up. I have some really cool PRD Miniatures, Minimodernistas and Maryann Roy work I'm excited to show you.

For starters, what do you think of my custom PRD Kitchen? I haven't found accessories yet to match its beauty. The details are amazing. I love the faucet and under mounted sink. The backsplash is actually clear plexiglass with blue craft paper creating the tiles, so any time I want to redecorate I can swap out with another piece of paper/fabric/photo or whatever and voila instant makeover.

There is also under cabinet lighting that can be turned off with a little button on the top of the middle cabinet. I love the faux concrete countertops, and the metal lower cabinets. The upper cabinets have the same ribbed white laminate that is on my dining table base and entertainment unit to tie the rooms together. The island is too dreamy, and I just adore the bar stools he designed for me.

Basically, I sent Paris the measurements of the space and this is the genius he came up with. Paris, I love it!!! Check out more of Paris' work at his website www.prdminiatures.com

BillyBoy*'s Mallet-Stevens dollhouse

The best part of this blog is the people I've been able to meet along the way. It's truly wonderful connecting online and in person with incredible modern miniatures enthusiasts that share this passion and being able to showcase their work. The absolute highlight is a surprise email from BillyBoy* (more on him below) with this historic gem. This house was constructed by Robert Mallet-Stevens for BillyBoy*'s family in 1925 inspired by their real house, which was destroyed during World War II. (Yes, Robert Mallet-Stevens the famous architect! Mallet-Stevens and Le Corbusier are widely regarded as the two most influential figures in French architecture of their time.)

Here are the fabulous details sent by BillyBoy*. The Mallet-Stevens house is entirely furnished with authentic pieces either made for it or put in it by the architect at the time. His family added pieces up until the 30s, but the house was neglected throughout the war and 50s until he played with it in the 60's. Then in the early 70's he had the idea to preserve it and has kept it in incredible condition. The house has traveled all over the world with BillyBoy*. These are older photos of the house and the interior. Some of the details below and small pieces are not in these photos. It is currently crated up and being moved to a better private display but BillyBoy* hopes to send more photos once it is installed.


The interior is absolutely amazing with artworks by Giacomo Balla, Fabergé, and Annie Albers, along with miniatures of other famous pieces. The rugs and furniture are cubist, there is pottery by Gio Ponti for Richard Ginori, there is rare and unusual furniture by Techno doll, along with pieces made by Mallet-Stevens. These date from the early 1930s and are cubistic but realist looking. The oddest part is a psychiatrist's office with sliding glass door, and Bauhaus furniture, and on the top, an artist's atelier (workshop) complete with a guru (not in pictures yet)! In the atelier are funny paintings, and odd streamlined metal furniture. Some of the wallpapers are documented Bauhaus papers and some of the walls are cork, very racey for the time.


The pictures only show the back of the house, so you can't see the psychiatrist's office and the main rooms in the front, but I hope to get share more photos from BillyBoy* at a later date. I am in love with the different windows from the clear, frosted to cubed glass on the front and first floor. Check out the sliding frosted glass pocket door in the corner office under the dining room. The details are just breath taking.


Seen in the photos are the maid's room, the kitchen, small bathroom, large bathroom, cellar, powder room (notice the artwork!), main dining room with Balla and Fabergé bear in marble (authentic wallpaper is genuine Bauhaus design). The toy car is a rare Citröen toy car. A lot of the lighting is German and some French. The old wiring had to be removed as it was rusted and ugly and could no longer be used. He still has the Marklin train transformer which was used though to electrify it from the 20s or early 30s. BillyBoy* plans to rewire the house to get the lighting working again. The kitchen is utterly modernistic with Bauhaus-like fixtures, all very 1920s modern extremism, and the bathrooms, the same, complete with electric heater. Anyone else see Ikea's inspiration for their dollhouse cabinet. ;) I can't wait to see and share more photos of the Mallet-Stevens house.


More about BillyBoy*
Barbie collectors know his limited edition designer Barbies - "Le Nouveau Theatre de la Mode" the first Barbie doll bearing a designer’s name on its box from 1985, and "Feelin Groovy Barbie" from 1986. He's an artist, designer, collector, author, fashion doll historian and social figure.


BillyBoy* and his partner Lala are the creative masterminds behind the Mdvanii fashion doll. Decades ago I saw one of the originals sold at F.A.O. Schwarz, New York in the 90's. The Mdvanii fashion dolls are the sexiest, most fashionable and beautiful dolls I've ever seen. Here are some sold from the Paris boutique, "Faubourg Saint-Honoré" (on the left) "Sapphire deluxe giftset June 1990" (middle) and accessories "Dans les rues de Londres" (aren't these accessories incredible!)

So, the best part of this surprise email correspondance is what is to come. BillyBoy* and Lala founded the Fondation Tanagra in 1997, with the goals of preservation and conservation of BillyBoy*'s high fashion collection and fashion documentation, as well as a vast ensemble of fashion dolls and antique doll's houses and toys. The Fondation Tanagra holds important archives and an extensive collection of Mdvanii and familly dolls artworks by BillyBoy* and Lala. They are currently preparing to build a museum in Switzerland that will be the first museum devoted to the history of fashion dolls, and will include some of his extensive colletion of modernist toys made from 1900 until now.

BillyBoy* collects Antonio Vitali doll houses and furniture, and dolls and toys from Creative Playthings from the old Rockerfeller Center, NY and Zurich shops. He has some very unusual Bodo Hennig dolls houses from post-war era made in DDR, flatroofs from the 20s and 30s and some really amazing rare French dolls houses of the 60s with authentic Knoll furniture made for them. These were made for a doll named Tadie Muz, "La Maison De Tadie Muz". Billyboy* also collects dolls, such as Sasha dolls, as he knew her when he was a kid. Sasha Morgenthaler had her Sasha doll boxes designed by modernist Max Bill, the Swiss architect, artist, graphic designer.

There are two antique doll's houses on the Fondation Tanagra's website, The Lala House, an authentic 19th-Century doll's house and An Early Toy House From France, but modernism is the true thrill for BillyBoy*, his partner Lala and his family.

Read more on the Fondation Tanagra website here »


So, here's my plan: I am starting to save for a trip to Switzerland to see the museum when it opens (they are just starting the renovations so it will be a couple of years). I propose we all do the same and in 2-3 years let's have an international modern mini meetup in Switerland once its open. Who's in?


(All photos of Mallet-Stevens doll house are from BillyBoy*. "Le Nouveau Theatre de la Mode" photo is from anatchim's flickr page and "Feelin Groovy Barbie" is from rod_collection_3's flicker page. Mdvanii photos are from maniac7's flickr page.)