Loft No. 1961, my entry in the 2012 HBS Creatin’ Contest

Way back in early 2012, I happened across a photo of a Brinca Dada dollhouse, and everything changed. Over the next few weeks I obsessively researched this awe-inspiring world and rapidly determined that building modern miniatures was the one thing missing from my life. And so it began.

My entrance into the realm was via HBS’s MiniTown Loft kit. I had no idea how to build a dollhouse, and totally learned by doing (and undoing, and re-doing). I read everything I could find, and followed the tutorials faithfully. Over the months of the build, I acquired more tools and supplies and ideas. Soon I started hearing whispered stories and catching glimpses of tiny rooms with perfect furniture. I started staying up late.

And I found a community of other people devoted to scale modeling and the pursuit of wee perfect things, eager to share what they are doing and how they are doing it.

The door is open, come on in

Loft No. 1961 went through a few incarnations, until I realized it was the studio of a woman writing a book about her father’s death. Lots of storage was required for reference and research materials, as well as artifacts and mementos. Big desk. An uncluttered bed to sleep in if the work went late, with an open window. A couch to think on.

A good place to work

A garden to sit in, to smell the salt air and watch the fog blow through, and warm your face in the sun.

Build a little secret garden in your soul

I built and rebuilt intuitively. I remember clearly the moment I grasped the concept of scale. Not that I always achieved it, but that it was the goal, as well as the quest.

I was so happy to win a first-time entrant’s award and recognition (as well as the sweet cash that could only be spent on more miniatures :) Someone else saw what I saw in my build! And they liked it!

Finally, who among us miniaturists do not have versions of this photo?

Napoleon and Albie approve!