Voila S553 Dollhouse

This weekend, I packed away the 360 dollhouse. It is quite easy to assemble and even easier to disassemble. In its place, I built the Voila Toys Large Dolls House. I am thinking of making some kind of miniature hotel scene with the structure but have not started on anything. The pictures above are some experimental shots to see how the space will photograph, etc. I still need to get more Plexi panels for this house...

Modern Bodo Hennig Items For 2008

There are some great modern miniatures being offered by Bodo Hennig this year. In addition to the modern Colora line, Bodo Hennig also has the new Solea furniture range in a bold red, orange and yellow palette. I look forward to acquiring a few of these sets. In addition, they have a few new accessory sets that I think any modern miniature enthusiast can appreciate:

Images:NIC/Bodo Hennig 2008 Catalog

Mo' Momoll

The Momoll sofas work very well in a more realistic miniature setting...

A surprise with the Momoll pieces. There are two different versions of the sink. One with a lifted base and feet (this one was in the Legno Deluxe set) and another without.

Bodensee by Bodo Hennig--Where Are You?

Another modern designed dollhouse from 1981 that needs to come home with me. It's quite large at 37"x24"x23". I love all the retro print and colors on the walls, appreciate the glazing and the staircase is fabulous! Where can I find this beauty? Well, with any luck, it will show up on eBay..maybe on Craigslist or at a local garage sale. See more images via the Puppenhaus Museum. If anyone has more information about this dollhouse, please comment.

Images: Puppenhaus Museum

Living Room In The Loft Space

I moved the living space from the first floor to the second floor loft of the Malibu Beach dollhouse. I think it looks kind of IKEA catalog, but I don't know. Shrug. I never have any idea what room I'll end up with.

The couch is from AG Minis. I cannot remember where the white pod chairs came from, but I know they are some 1950's or 60's piece that I got from eBay. The mirrored storage units are from Streets Ahead Dollhouse. The media units and tables are from Voila Toys. All the accessories are from Re-Ment, AG Minis, House & Garden Interior Decorator Sets by Irwin, the Kaleidoscope House and various action figures.

For those who want to know about rooms that take less time--this one took 20 minutes.

Momoll Legno Bathtubs

I did get a few sets of the Momoll Legno furniture. This is one of three rooms that I have incorporated pieces from the Momoll sets. Overall, I like them--good colors and decent quality. The felt applied to some pieces is a thicker pile that will lightly shed and pill. I wonder how these will look over time--especially after child's play. Anyway, they blend in well for more realistic miniature scenes.

The tubs are from Momoll, the sink combination is from Streets Ahead Dollhouse and Mighty World and the plants are from Breyer. All accessories that aren't from a crafts store are from Lil' Bratz, various action figures, Re-Ment and the Room by Room Dollhouse by Toy Island/Jazwares.

Cocina Verde

The best thing about the kitchen island, other than the fact that it houses an oven and features additional storage, is that the wood worktop slides away from the herb garden to reveal an induction cooktop and prep sink. I think it is rather ingenious…even if it’s all in my imagination.

The storage is from Voila Toys, the island is a combination of Voila Toys and accessories from various action figures; the chairs at the island are from Reac Japan; the sink, dishwasher and fridge are from Theo Klein; the dining table is made from AG Minis and other parts, and the chairs at the dining table are from vintage Flair Line. The picture is a grouping of old Arclinea ads that I printed out on photo paper. All other accessories are primarily from Mighty World, Re-Ment, Lil’ Bratz, AG Minis and Mega House.

A New KH Bathroom

If you really lived in a home designed like the Kaleidoscope House, would it be uncomfortable to use the toilet or take a bath/shower with all that glazing? We have a wall of glass in the rear of our house and sometimes I wonder if my neighbors can see me making a sandwich, muttering to myself (Everybody does it!), or snacking while sitting on the island to see TV in the family room (barbaric!). It makes me a little self-conscious when I remember that the curtains are open and the show is free. I don't think I could have floor to ceiling glazing that exposed the outside world to my bathroom unless it was the kind of glass that clouds over with electric current, but what do you do when the power goes out like it does so often here in California? In this You Tube era, I'd hate to be the most watched, emailed and laughed at video of "somebody in the bathroom".

Anyway, the images above are a bathroom design in the Kaleidoscope House. The tub is a small bowl that I got from Marshalls a couple of years ago. The sinks are from Voila Toys and the toilet (not so obvious in the small room behind the sliding door) is Theo Klein.

For those who routinely inquire: This room took about 10 minutes--mostly because I kept dropping the bath products. Putting together miniature scenes is sometimes like trying to rob a tiny house with hundreds of laser sensors. I don't use tweezers because they drive me crazy but on the odd occasion when I keep dropping items or bumping furniture with my hands trying to set tiny pieces down, I wonder if I should try the tweezers again...Nah!

Lundby Gotland Summerhouse Dollhouse

Lundby has a new dollhouse called the "Gotland" coming out this year. The Gotland appears to be a small modern dollhouse with great acrylic double doors, windows and a functional skylight. Anyone know more about this latest Lundby dollhouse product? I have written Lundby/Micki for more information and images. When/if they respond, I will update this post.

UPDATE 4/10/08
The nice folks at Micki let me know that this dollhouse will not be sold in the U.S. They are sending me a catalogue with Gotland dollhouse images. I'll scan and post the images when it arrives.

The Gotland has five play areas—including a dual-sided fireplace, cool porch swing, a vegetable garden and an outdoor bathroom (Love the outdoor shower but the structure with the toilet and sink remind me of an outhouse--Ha ha!). This dollhouse is designed by the same duo who designed the modern 2005 Stockholm dollhouse—Ann Morsing and Beban Nord of Box Design.

UPDATE 4/17/08
Here are the images from the catalog:

If you live in the United States, you will be able to get this dollhouse from The Shopping Sherpa and Cheeky Monkey Toys.

Images: Micki

Let There Be LED

The Designer Emulation Kits (DEK) by Mark McKenna would be interesting in a miniature abode. I dig on the versions inspired by Ingo Maurer’s Lucellino, Arco by Achille Castiglioni and Tizio by Richard Sapper. Each one of these LED lights (expected to last roughly 6 years) run on a standard 9 volt battery. Anyway, I think these would work in a miniature modern structure if you built some kind of casing or component around the battery. I think one might be able to use wood, polycarbonate, acrylic or concrete to hide the battery and give the light “sculpture status” or the illusion that it is sitting on a table. Course, you could forgo the battery altogether. The kits are $30.

(DEK1 inspired by Lucellino, DEK2 inspired by Arco, DEK3 inspired by Tizio, DEK4 inspired by Toio, DEK5 inspired by Miss K.)

Images and where to buy: mmckenna.com; unicahome.com

The Ruined Dinner Party 2

I couldn't help but finish this storyboard.