Interior Miniatures

For more years than I want to admit to I have been fascinated by interior miniatures. To call the detailed miniature reproductions 'dollhouse furniture' is on a par with insisting Monet's paintings were from paint-by-number kits. The opening scene for the children's show the Friendly Giant had a small miniature setting and as a child I watched the show more for a glimpse of that small furniture than for any other part of the show.( I think I just admitted to the number of years.)
A photograph of a well made miniature interior will often be mistaken for a life sized room. Take a look at many of the books that deal with interior design, if a photograph of a historically correct room is credited to the Chicago Museum of Art then you are looking a picture of one of the famous Thorne Miniature Rooms. They were all created in one inch to the foot scale.
That scale has been the standard scale for the miniature industry. But recently I have been more than obsessed by the smaller 1/4 scale. The facination for tiny perfect furniture and settings seems to increase exponentially as the size decreases. A tiny detailed dining room that fits in the palm of your hand becomes your own personal view of Alice's wonderland.
Despite the sceptical glances that every miniaturist receives when they try to explain their hobby, every person who has taken the time to look at my miniature collection has been fascinated and for just a moment they have that opened eyed wonder that you see on a child's face at Christmas. In a world where there are so many demands placed on every one of us isn't it amazing that we can still find a small spark of the wonder that is part of being a child. All it takes is a tiny fragile bit of fantasy.