brinca dada - Bennett House

Altera posted this yesterday, but here are some photos; I'm still drooling.

UPDATED 5/14

Got an email from Modern MC who of course is super excited about the Bennett House, but with her collection is going to have to get creative to find a place for it. She has been getting emails asking about the "single set of stairs for the structure," and she wanted to pass along the information that "the Bennett will also have a working elevator. How cool is that?" Very cool indeed! Thanks so much for the update MC. We miss you!

UPDATED 5/13

Check out brinca dada's Facebook photos to see the latest designs of the Bennett House. Wow! Just heard back from Doug Rollins from brinca dada. Looking at the photos, I originally thought they were working on two different versions, but lo and behold, their beyond talented designer and architect, Tim Boyle, came up with an ingenious way to open the house. So the photos are the same house just opened and closed! I had to stare at the house for a bit to figure out how it opens; kudos dadas, the Bennett House is truly amazing. They plan to have the house ready for the holidays. Yes these holidays, 2010. I know what I'm getting for Christmas!

The Bennett House will be ¾" scale, same as the Emerson House. They have designs finished to furnish the entire house and are working on prototypes now. I love the living room designs on their website and can't wait to see what they come up with for the dining room, kitchen, kid's bedroom, master bedroom, bathroom and home office. I will be counting down the days until I can start buying.

(all images from brinca dada's facebook page)

Double Take

Wow. Its taking me long enough just to build one kit, let alone two?!? I can only imagine how many hours it took to build this 3 1/2 story house from two Lake View kits from Dolls House Emporium. Well if you live driving distance from Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, United Kingdom, this one of a kind house could be yours for £350.00 (auction starts at £300.00) on eBay UK.

The built house is cheaper than if you bought both kits, the £140 Bespaq fitted kitchen from Maple Street, the "wrought iron" staircases and wall cupboards in the garage.

(all images from eBay UK listing Item number: 220601854207. Seller dollshouseclassics0125)

MoMA Modern Play House Review

Petite Nouveau posted a ton of detailed pictures of the contents of the new MoMA Modern Play House, that you can check out here.

There are so many things I love about this house, first it's only $19.99! At that price I was really impressed by the quality. The sturdy cardboard of the reversible nesting boxes and thick glossy furniture/flooring look like they will hold up well with continued use.

The furniture is a snap to assemble. You just punch it out, insert the tabs into the slots, and you are ready to decorate. The table tops and seat cushions are reversible offering multiple options for the furniture. The vibrant walls and flooring along with the modern accessories lend to the "out of the box" approach to creating any design you can imagine.

The best part for me is that you can actually fit everything back in the boxes, making this a truly portable house that you can take anywhere. My 3 1/2-year-old son and I set up these rooms together and his favorite part was decorating with the vinyl clings. I can see this being hours of fun for kids of all ages, and young at heart adults as well.


ChronicleBooks.com:
MoMA Modern Play House $19.99
MoMA Modern Play Family $12.99

KidKraft Designer Dollhouse

I have to send a HUGE Thank You to KidKraft for building a truly modern kids dollhouse. The KidKraft Designer Dollhouse is 33.54" x 13.58" x 45.66" and 39 lbs, 1:6 scale and perfect for Barbie. Darn it! If only it came in 1:12 then I'd really be jumping for joy, but at least I know what my daughter's first dollhouse will be.


I love the couch and Flos Arco Floor lamp, and the faux orange Arne Jacobsen "Egg" chairs. The kitchen furniture is clean lined but dull compared to the modern Hoppy style bar stools and Eero Saarinen Tulip Table & Chairs in the dining room. Besides the great modern bed and nightstand, the bedroom boasts a faux Eero Aarnio Bubble Chair. Too cool!

I love the spiral staircase and the ultra modern bathtub. The Designer Dollhouse scores 5 stars from reviews on Amazon. It takes about 1-2 hours to assemble, but people are surprised by the quality and think the pictures don't do it justice. I own a KidKraft garage, kitchen, train table and train set for my son, and I'd agree that KidKraft makes durable and quality products, and has great customer service. This will definitely be in my, er um, I mean my daughter's dollhouse collection. Price ranges from $102.54-$170 depending on where you shop.

(all images from Sears.com)

FREE Giveaway: MoMA Modern Play House

Chronicle Books contacted me after finding my blog through the New York Times article. I jumped at the opportunity to review their new MoMA Modern Play House that will be released tomorrow for $19.99. One is in the mail and I can't wait to see it. Please check back for my review.

Free Giveaway

Chronicle Books has also generously offered a house to one of my readers with an address in the US or Canada (sorry everyone else). To enter the free give away, add a comment to this post, OR click on my profile and send me an email.
Enter by Tues. Apr. 27th 8:00pm PST. I will add all names in a hat, randomly pull a winner, and post results next week. I will contact the winner for their address on the 27th. Good luck and THANKS Chronicle Books!!!

Here are details on the MoMA Modern Play House, there's also a video to check it out and a Modern Play Family for $12.99 as well:
Create a delightfully modern house with this innovative set of modular nesting boxes! Aspiring architects and designers of all ages can create modern spaces, arrange furniture and accessories, and pack it all up to go with this distinctive house!

• Kids and adults can create infinite designs and layouts
• Includes 6 nesting boxes that create walls and rooms, 8 pieces of furniture and 12 removable vinyl clings
• Chic, contemporary designs created with the New York Museum of Modern Art

(all images from Chronicle Books website listings for MoMA Modern Play House and MoMA Modern Play Family)

dreaming of Paris - FR8 House

Oh Paris, what will you think of next? I will be updating my earlier post with Paris's latest miniature masterpiece the FR8 House. LOVE THE NAME!

Modern MC added a link to his latest pictures on her blog minimodern.blogspot.com, I swear she is the first to know everything.


The FR8 House images are quite drool worthy. I'm astounded by Paris's eye for details. I love the bathroom lines, the artwork, the angle of the rooftop glass railing/half wall, the incredible staircase, I just want to move right in. Thank you Paris!

The angle of the second level pods reminded me of the VitraHaus in Germany on the Vitra Campus.

(all images for Paris's website m112podsbyprd.shutterfly.com and Vitra.com)

So you want a modern dollhouse

I have gotten several emails requests, so I thought this might be helpful for people interested in joining the mini world. Please send me links to other houses on the market, this is just a start. Here are some houses you may want to own (note, I haven't touched on Lundby, Brio & vintage options yet, more to come).

How to Get Started

My biggest piece of advice is to obtain a house first and then get the accessories that best fit the house. I started collecting accessories before I had a specific house to put them in, and now that I’m filling my Kaleidoscope House I’m realizing 80% isn’t what I want and is taking up space in boxes in the garage.

Step 1: Do some research. :D There are more and more great mini mod blogs out there but I recommend reading The Shopping Sherpa and MiniModern first. Most modern mini bloggers would credit one of them for inspiring them to start their own blog. The more you see, the more you’ll be able to pinpoint what you want to own.

Step 2: Find a house that best fits your personality, skills, time, budget and space. Do you have the patience, skills, time and tools to build a kit from scratch or renovate a house? Do you want a built, but blank canvas to paint and wallpaper? Do you want shiny, new, already assembled house ready to drop furniture and accessories in? What kind of space do you have for mini storage and to display your house(s)?

Out of the box and ready to play

M112 Pods 1:12 scale ($225 - $485) by Paris Renfroe Design www.parisrenfroedesign.com

Villa Sibi 1:10 scale? ($750-$850) by Wolfgang Sirch and Christoph Bitzer

Emerson House 3/4 scale (pre-order $299) by brinca dada www.brincadada.com

MH1 1:12 scale (wait list $299) and MH2 (check website for details, you have to REALLY want this big boy as it is a beast to ship) by Wes Christensen mymodernmini.blogspot.com

Kits (not many modern, but there are a few contemporary)

Clearview 1:12 scale (kit £395) by MIAIM based in London www.miaim.co.uk
Ocean Drive 1:12 scale (kits start at $99 but not available in US) by Dolls House Emporium based in London
www.dolls house.com

Lake View 1:12 scale (kits start at $179.52) by Dolls House Emporium www.dollshouse.com

1, 2 & 3 Waterside Way 1:12 scale (kits start at $250.24) by Dolls House Emporium www.dollshouse.com

Brookwood
1:12 scale ($102 and up) by Greenleaf Dollhouses www.greenleafdollhouses.com

Contemporary Ranch Dollhouse
1:12 scale ($162.95) by Real Good Toys

Summer House 1:12 scale ($121) by Celerity Miniature Homes www.celerityminiaturehomes.com

Auction sites, ebay, craigslist, garage sales, etc.

Look for an older dollhouse you can refurbish. Check out Craigslist, as many people don’t want to deal with shipping so you might be able to pick up a gem.

Search auction sites for discontinued houses
Kaleidoscope House 1:12 scale (discontinued) by Bozart Toys - Laurie Simmons and Peter Wheelwright

Malibu Beach House 1:12 scale (discontinued) by Dolls House Emporium www.dollshouse.com

Mackintosh House 1:12 scale (discontinued) by Dolls House Emporium www.dollshouse.com

Custom

Go to your local dollhouse shop/hobby shop/toy store, they might know someone who could assemble a kit for you, or someone who could design and build an original for you.

Put an ad on craigslist for a custom modern dollhouse. You might be able to find an interested architect/woodcrafter/design student that could build you a one of kind within your budget.

Please send me websites of other builders, but here are a few that do custom one of a kind modern houses and roomboxes.


Mark Turpin www.markturpin.com

Peter Tucker www.roomboxes.com

Tom O'Dea www.virginiadollhouses.com

Gidon Bing Australian sculpture www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist_profile//81041. Scroll to the bottom of his gallery to see the dollhouses, you can email him through this site.

Henry Colbert He doesn’t have a website, and last I heard he has a 2 year plus wait list.


Step 3: When you get a dollhouse, PLEASE share your photos. Start a blog or add pictures to the Modern Miniatures Flickr group. We just can't get enough!

Step 4: After you buy the perfect house, inevitably something better will turn up shortly after. It's easy to end up covering every flat surface of your house with this hobby/obsession. With enough money and space, we could all be so lucky to end up with a basement like Mary's Dollhouse Nook.

Thanks to everyone who has checked out my blog after the mention in The New York Times, and thanks to all of my readers who have inspired me to keep blogging.

Coming soon, where to buy modern miniatures...