What Could Have Been 1: Kaleidoscope House Pool Pavilion

Years ago, when I discovered that Bozart Toys had plans to release the Pool Pavilion, I purchased the Ikea Varde counter storage unit to put the Kaleidoscope House and pool addition upon. I stalked the Unica Home site daily in anticipation of seeing the item note go from “pre-order” to “available”. Well, as everyone knows, the Pool Pavilion never made it to production and I’m reminded of it every time I temporarily stack miniatures on the Varde counter in the space that was to be for the KH pool.

There is only one prototype of the Pool Pavilion and it sits proudly in Peter M. Wheelwright’s office. You’ll remember that Peter is the architect who designed the Kaleidoscope House and Pool. He was kind enough to entertain my email inquiry about the design of the Pool Pavilion, as well as provide me with some additional pictures of the structure. He had this to say about the Pool Pavilion and accessories:

“In some ways, I like the design of the Pool Pavilion better than the K House, although they work quite well as a pairing which had been the original intention. I think the details in the Pool Pavilion, like the rear sauna with its small corner windows, give it a nice scale. The pool actually held water and was lit from below. Laurie Simmons was designing swimming dolls and we had 'pool side' accessories planned with the architect, Michael Graves, artist John Newman, and others. Unfortunately, despite the surprising interest in the Kaleidoscope House, the Pool Pavilion never went into production.”

I really wish that the Pool Pavilion and other pool accessories had made it into production before Bozart folded. To this day, my Kaleidoscope House seems incomplete.

P.S. Peter is not willing to part with the pool.

The High-Tech Dollhouse

I have contacted the London Dolls House Company mentioned in the previous post to see if they are the company that produced this house. There's some slight confusion on my part because I think a company by the same "London Dolls House" company name folded a few years ago, so I'm not sure if it then re-emerged or if it's a completely different operation. As soon as I hear back from the company about the house, I'll post if the High-Tech dollhouse is available and what the cost is.

Anyway, I think it looks stunning. Doesn't the Lake View House sort of remind you of it? A tiny bit.

UPDATE 10/07/07
I received a response from the London Dolls House Company. Apparently, the High-Tech dollhouse (based on hauf haus designs in Germany) was produced by their shop in Covent Garden, which closed a few years ago. The house was made for a competition but never went into production and the one constructed was sold off within the shop. The London Dolls House Company will construct something similar for anyone interested. Contact Anne Cains at enquiries@londondollshouse.com to order one.

picture source: The Modern Dolls' House by Jean Nisbett

The London Dolls House Company

I’ve been a fan of The London Dolls House Company’s art deco house ever since I saw it on the cover of The Modern Dolls' House book by Jean Nisbett. However, I'll have to remain only a fan and not an owner since the sturcture is a little over $6,000. It's an exceptional dollhouse whose maker is so specific about the details that he refuses to sell it as a kit and only produces two to three a year. There's a waiting list to purchase one so you have to order one year in advance.

They have some nice modern furniture—though it isn’t cheap. However, I’ve got my eye on the 1920’s shelf pictured above. Whew!

Caroline Mockett

Another gifted lady who has spectacular modern miniature works at CarolineMockett.com

My favorites are her Merrimack House and the Macintosh House:

http://www.carolinemockett.com/cameron/pages.php?projID=16&pageID=43

http://www.carolinemockett.com/cameron/pages.php?projID=1&pageID=1

The Shopping Sherpa = Great Blog

A reader of my blog alerted me to The Shopping Sherpa blog which features some wonderful modern miniature scenes. The friendly and humorous blog author, Anna-Maria, is quite crafty and resourceful as she gives you tips on how to make and find modern minis. The picture above attests to her skill. The first picture is from a Home Beautiful magazine that inspired her work in miniature that is in the second picture. Cool stuff!

In addition, she hosts a Flickr Group called Modern Miniatures where you can see more of her work. You can join the Flickr Group and share/post pictures of your mini modern scenes. As soon as I get myself organized, I plan on posting a few pictures there.

Potential: Children’s Wooden Dollhouse Sets

Ahh, let me repeat myself and express the woes of a modern miniature collector, “It’s so hard to find modern stuff!” This lack of available merchandise in the market has led me (and all my other fellow mod collectors) to get very creative. I have found some use in pieces designed for the popular children’s wooden dollhouse market.

At first glance, these pieces look too clunky and childlike for modern collectors who typically like more realism reflected in the pieces they display. However, a closer look reveals a ton of potential. It’s this potential that has directed me into using a few pieces included in some kid-friendly wooden dollhouse sets. I take what’s useable and donate the rest to charity, daycare centers or sometimes I ship what I can’t use (don’t want to use) to nieces and nephews who are amused with and benefit from my toy interests.

You might actually recognize some of these pieces pictured above incorporated into my mini mod scenes of previous posts. Of the above pictures, here’s what I have found useable or consider as having some good potential:

Wanju 1:
http://www.wanju.de/wanju.php

The Master Bedroom set has a great platform bed, complete with Perspex night tables. However, it’s the closet that has my greatest interest. The sliding acrylic doors are a beauty. I simply remove the pink/red drawers in the wardrobe to give it a more realistic look. Two to Three of these in a row look good in a mini modern bedroom or mudroom entrance. I’m not fond of the dresser or the beanbag.

The Office set’s Perspex desk is nice. I also think the bookcase might work—looking a bit Ikea if left as is, but probably much better with some paint.

The Bathroom set has a good sink and shower. Course, they both need to be hacked to get a more realistic look but they have good bones.

The Living Room set has a useable coffee table and the TV stand would work nicely as a modern bench. Again, some paint on the bench might give it some “umph”.

The Child Bedroom set only has the cat table and little chairs that I think would work well in a modern nursery. Everything else can go.

The Dining Room set has a Perspex dining table that would work really well in modern settings.

The Kitchen set doesn’t do it for me. Maybe you all have ideas. Shrug

Selecta 2:
http://www.selecta-spielzeug.de/index.php/selecta_en/

Again, The Master Bedroom closet is quite lovely. The platform bed and night tables are just okay.

The Kitchen set is too chunky, though the sink could possibly work with some paint. The best piece is the shelving unit that sits on top of the sideboard. This shelving piece makes a nice headboard for a bedroom scene, complete with sliding acrylic panels and storage.

The Living Room set’s greatest offerings are the two storage units. Nice left as is but paint can give them added glory.

The Décor set has a very useable floor mirror and rugs. The clock works in a mod scene if you change the hands. In addition, the little picture looks good in a modern kid’s room or removed and posted on the fridge in your kitchen scene.

The Bathroom set’s bathtub and sink are my favorites. The shower could also work with some paint and a change in hardware.

The Dining Room set’s best piece is the sideboard (you can see it in the Malibu Beach pics), but I’ve found the table and the chairs work well for any modern décor—especially if you want to do a dining room that has an Asian modern flair.

The Child Bedroom set’s bunkbed has great bones. The chunky cut works because it mirrors some of the modern designs of kid’s furniture coming out in the market today. The orange and red colors work great, but I’ve been thinking of painting mine chocolate or white to make it look more minimalist. Also, the storage set is good.

Notable others:
Ryan's Room sets: Fine Dining (the dining table), Dream On (the table and stools, the wagon, the rocking horse, the toy cars), Living In Style (coffee table), Livin' It Up (TV that would work well as computer monitor), Splashing Good Time (Hot Tub),...
http://www.smallworldtoys.com/product_list.asp?cl=rr

Plan Toys sets: 71400 Modern Furniture Set (lots of pieces to pluck), 7441 Bathroom (The Tub...maybe the sink), 7442 Living Room (lots of pieces to pluck), 7443 Dining Room (the dining table), 7444 Bedroom (the wardrobe),...
http://www.plantoys.com/products.asp?parentid=2

Voila Toy sets: 555A Furniture Set 2 (bathroom sink, shelving units, wardrobe, bunkbeds, platform bed), 555B Extra Bedroom (using the fold-out couch as a permanent bed),... http://www.voilatoy.com/product/imagination.html

Liliane Doll's Villa for 1:6 and Larger

This massive modern dollhouse created by Liliane M.E.M Limpens has some nice playscale furniture. The house, which is roughly $2,000, comes with all of the furniture that a little home could need. I am impressed with the kitchen and bathroom pieces. The shower is easy to recreate with some craft items in 1:12 scale. I wrote Liliane--a very nice woman who surprised me by responding personally to my inquiry--to see if she would be producing a 1:12 version of this house. She said "no" because, in short, the market is better for larger scale dolls and the larger scale is better for mass gender appeal. I gently pleaded and tried to state a case for smaller mini modern collectors and design-savvy parents, but I'm sure she was just amused. Oh well, the house and furniture are very cool, but not my preferred scale.

http://www.liliane.nl/index.html

Le Corbusier Guiette House Model

When I ordered this model, I had originally planned to stain and decorate it, but after it arrived, I decided that it was better left untouched. Not just because I would have a hard time accessing the second and third floor to furnish it, but because it simply looks cool in its unfinished form.

360 Dollhouse Update

I haven't had time to work on the 360 dollhouse as of yet. It's still wrapped up in packing materials on the floor of my home office. I plan on giving it a new coat of paint and adding some plexi to the staircases--so that's adding more time to this process. I will try and hurry up and post pictures for those who have asked me to.

I said before that I wouldn't be selling this dollhouse--even after being offered five times what I paid for it, but three weeks ago, an acquaintance of a friend offered me a sum that was tough to turn down. It's funny because the amount of money people are offering for this little gem, they could get something much better built to their specification. It kind of reminds me of what's going on with the Kaleidoscope House. You see it selling today for around $2,000 and sometimes up. I purchased my Kaleidoscope House for $169. You could get a customized one-of-a-kind modern dollhouse for $2,000.

Anyway, I hope to have pictures of the process of painting and decorating the 360 dollhouse posted in about two weeks...depending on whether or not I have any major all-consuming projects at work.

Guess What's On Ebay = No. 786

Those hard to find High Rise Doll House Plans by Toadstool Studios
Price is currently $7.99. Auction ends on September 19.

1:12 Eames La Chaise 2

My order of 1:12 Eames La Chaise chairs arrived this past Saturday from Hong Kong. It's a lovely miniature chair of good quality. It looks pretty good in the Kaleidoscope House. All the Reac chairs have been very sturdy and good quality thus far except the Mezzadro stool (pictured above) which looks great in a miniature scene but cannot support the weight of a figure.

The Malibu Beach Rooms

Okay, these rooms are starting to look a little better after adding some more furniture and accessories. The bathroom still needs the open shower and toilet installed...also need to add art, mirrors and accessories. The observation deck and piano room also needs some work but it's all coming along.