A little seduction never hurt anyone

I have a theory that one of the things miniaturists find so appealing about dollhouses is that we can create our fantasy worlds in miniature. Things that we may not be able to do or have in real life become possible in dollhouses and room boxes. Actually, that's not just a theory. I know a lot of miniaturists and I've asked around. They all agree. It may not be the primary reason for why we do what we do, but it ranks up there in the top ten. That's why there are so many dollhouses featuring witches, wizards and fairies. We love to exercise our fantasies in miniature.

So, why is it that mainstream miniatures are all so traditional? Are manufacturers missing a huge demographic? I mean, it's not like they don't ask around about what miniaturists like. If I can find out about the fantasy thing, I'm sure they know about it too. So why is it that all we see is the same victorian, mahogany, white upholstered, cabriole legged, brass handled furniture? Oh, there are examples of modern furniture and the occasional side trip into rustic country or shabby chic but who made the rule that all dollhouse furniture has to fit into a stereotypical form? I'm pretty sure that not all our fantasies have to do with victorian houses and Queen Anne furniture.

I know, I know, it's all about mass appeal and manufacturers and retailers are always going to cater to the mainstream. Believe me, I'm not complaining because it's that mainstream philosophy that gives us artisans a place in the miniature world.

I've made so many of the furnishings in my houses because I couldn't find retail miniatures that fit the themes. I built kimono chests and tatami mats and futon frames for my samurai's house. I ventured into the world of paperclay because I wanted leaf shaped furniture for my fairy's house. It's been more fun than the law should allow.

When I started dressing furniture for sale I began with the traditional styles. After all, according to the retailers, that's what people wanted. It didn't take long before my Muse insisted that traditional is just not what we do and pretty soon there were four-poster beds with enough sequins to make a mirrored disco ball feel inadequate and other four-poster beds made of leather and lace that came with accessories like a little leather whip.

I'm a very sensory person (a handy thing for a textile artist to be) so when I create miniatures I like to use a lot of textures so the owner will enjoy handling them as much as looking at them. I still make mainstream miniatures that fit into victorian or country decor and but they use vivid colors, textures and patterns that put a sparkle into small rooms. But more than anything else, I love using sensuous fabrics like silks and velvets. I love seeing a rumpled silk bed that makes one wonder what the little person of the house has been up to!

Sometimes it's a touch of virginal innocence and sometimes it's the steamy passion of heavy velvet and animal prints, but isn't it all delightful to see a hint of seduction or a touch of sensual expression showing up where you least expect it!

Moving pictures!

So, way back before I started off on my miniature adventure, I was a computer geek. To be specific, I fixed computers. It's something I enjoyed a lot because, well, I'm a Virgo and fixing things is something that we Virgos just loooooooove to do. I spent a few years working for one of those major cable ISP's when broadband was new (Yes Children, that was back when the earth was cooling and none of the dinosaurs had a laptop) Working for the ISP was interesting because I was one of the pioneer members of their corporate escalations/customer retention department. On one hand that was kind of cool because we had all the fun tools and complete liberty to fix anything that came across our desk. Not only did I have access to things in the network that most people didn't know existed but I could tell customers, "Okay, grab that screwdriver and let's pop open that computer case and see what we've got in there". On the other hand, I never got to talk to anyone who wasn't seriously pissed off so that part sort of dulled the luster on my crown of geekiness.

Anyway, before that gig with the ISP, I worked for a huge tech support company. I won't name names, but in the 90's they provided all the tech support for Apple Computers. I loved every second of it! Apple is such a cool company to work for. I was the technical training manager so I got to be in on all the new products and worked with Apple's research and development department. (now there are some true geeks!)


One of the really cool applications that came around in the 90's was a little bit of software called Avid Cinema. It was bundled on the Performa 6400 and turned the video world around. All the Apple Masters (a huge collection of celebrity musicians, artists and authors) were twitterpated and with good reason. This wonderous new technology had timelines and storyboards where you could drag and drop music and pictures to make movies. It was simple to use and opened up a whole new world for a lot of people. It was a little before it's time since digital cameras had yet to become household items, but oh, it was still glorious!

Storyboard video software is nothing new anymore since Windows grabbed the idea from Apple and started bundling something like it on all their computers. Now it's common technology and readily available to everyone.

You're probably yawning by now and wondering where my rambling is leading and how this relates to miniatures. In a way it does because slideshows and movies are a fun way to get our miniatures out there for the rest of the world to see. Our little miniature world doesn't get a lot of recognition in the mainstream world because people don't even know it exists or they think dollhouses and miniatures are toys for children. As miniaturists, we need to take every avenue available to us to share the joy of minatures with everyone we can. The internet has caused a resurgence of popularity because it made it possible for us to network with each other and even bring new miniaturists into the hobby. What better use for technology than to reach out to a younger generation?

Flashing pictures, special effects, and music make any content more appealing and storyboard software makes it easy to do. I spent yesterday playing around with some storyboard software and created some video slideshows set to music, then posted them to You Tube. I've seen all my pictures before but seeing them in that context made them all new and exciting. I hope that it has the same effect on others when they see them and maybe inspire a few to take up minatures as a way of life.

It may be small, but it still needs to be comfy!

Wanna know one of my wee obsessions? I think that miniature furniture should be comfy. Yes I know, the dolls aren't real people and they won't notice if a bed is comfortable or not. That doesn't change the fact that my brain insists tiny furniture should be soft and inviting. For one thing it adds to the goal of realism in miniature scale and that's always a good thing. But my obsession goes one step beyond that to actually making the furniture so comfortable that if you let your imagination take you away for a moment you can really feel yourself sinking down into deep cushions and downy pillows.

I'm very sensory oriented so that probably explains my obsession but I love being able to put it to use in miniatures. When I dress a bed, I use fabrics that are a delight to the senses. I combine different textures in each bed to create a piece that's not only visually stimulating, but are also irresisitble to touch. Run your finger across the top of a bed and feel silky satins, soft cottons, sensuous brocades and delicate lace. I like to add in surprising touches of velvet and buttery soft suedes. Most of all, I like to create a contrast between the wood and fabrics that brings out the best of all textures.

Recently one of my best clients asked if I could get him a specific style of living room furniture. I dug around thru my dealer catalogs and found the style he was looking for. The next thing I knew, we were discussing re-upholstering the furniture to match the decor in his miniature living room and how many pillows and throws would be just right. Somewhere in the middle of that conversation I realized that we were discussing a custom order and that I'd be venturing into a new type of miniature textiles. I was delighted! For one thing I like trying new things but mainly I loved how our conversation of "what if" had naturally evolved into a real dressed living room....something I'd thought about but had never gotten around to making.

I'm going to digress just a little bit about how much I love the planning process. I spend a lot of time with my clients when they request something special. It's a rush for me to discuss miniatures and get a visual of someone else's ideal dollhouse room. I love to find out what kind of wallpaper they'll be using.........what type of flooring.......will there be heavy woodwork in the room.......how many windows........will the room have lamps or will it be a little dark......... Those questions not only delight the miniaturist in me, but it gives me the information to create the furniture to make that room picture perfect!

The conversation can go on for days and even weeks. I like to learn everything about the room. I want to know the era of the house and what styles are represented in other rooms in the dollhouse. I ask about the story behind the dollhouse or roombox and what kind of people live there. Finding out the personality of the people living there is one of the most important things to know since the furniture will reflect that personality. So in addition to getting to know my clients, I also get to know their dollhouses and the little people who live there (even if there aren't any dolls in residence) When I learn things like "she's a very practical lady with strict victorian sensibilities but she does appreciate the finer things in life", I know to make a bed that's spartan and functional yet has the softest cotton blankets and a silk bedspread. Learning that "she's a world traveler who likes the exotic, yet she still has a sense of girlish whimsy" leads me to making a bed with unique and sensual textures and just a light touch of femininity. I think the planning process is so much fun for me because that's when the creating process begins.

That ties into my obsession with making comfy miniature furniture. I don't perceive it as dollhouse furniture.........I see it as a small representation of our dream homes. Therefore the furniture should be as inviting as it is in our big houses. Chairs and sofas should have soft cushions that sink deeply when pressed with a finger and pillows should be fluffy. A throw casually tossed over the arm of a chair or daybed is close at hand to snuggle under if one should want to drift into a sweet nap. All these little comforts come together to make miniature furniture that transforms a dollhouse into a miniature home.