Saturday, April 18, 2009

City Kitchen



This kitchen was inspired by the New York Times article that ran last week about how the $200,000 studio apartment is making a comeback in Manhattan. I suspect that with the exception of a very few cities (Tokyo comes to mind), $200,000 for a teeny box little over 200 square feet would be not be considered a bargain. Husband lived in a studio before we got married, although as these things go, it was a rather spacious bachelor pad at 480 square feet. Most studios have kitchens (if any) that are set along one wall of the main living space. Husband never cooked a single meal in his studio - go figure.

Most kitchens in the city are set up galley style - long and narrow, like in the galley of a ship - with counters and appliances set along two opposing walls.



Looking at these photos, I realize that the set up of this kitchen does remind me quite a bit of my own kitchen. Also as these things go, I realize that ours is pretty spacious and light-filled, with a large window overlooking the river on one end.



Truly, the sign of a roomy Manhattan kitchen is if two people can both fit in there and pass each other without turning and scooting sideways.



Rui and Moe usually manage to share the kitchen without bumping elbows too much.



Moe, like me, is pretty grumpy in the morning before she has her first cup of joe.



Credits:
Kitchen set - Lundby.
Accessories - Plan Toys, Bratz, Wanju, Re-ment, Megahouse, DHE, Mighty World, Bertie's Dollhouse miniatures.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Why, hello there!

It's been a good long while since my last post. Even though I had been on vacation, we were traveling and kept so busy during the day that I really didn't have time for much else other than enforced relaxation. And then when I got back to work and a regular schedule, I ironically had the time to spend with the dollhouses, but Husband and I borrowed The West Wing, the complete series from my brother and we've been obsessed with watching the exploits of Jeb Bartlet in the oval office.

I've been meaning to do a completely new interior in the Stockholm House and finally got around to gutting the previous set up. I was also inspired by the arrival of a new mini sofa - from the super-talented and inspiring *annina* over on flickr. The construction is just incredible (and I'm not surprised from seeing her fantastic scenes on flickr), but I was blown away when I flipped over the cushions and saw that the foam inserts are removable and the seams and hems were stitched. Each cushion kind of resembles one of those pocket kleenex holders that you can tuck into your purse, with an overlapping flap opening in the back. I've been thinking about attempting to construct my own sofa (and staring at the huge roll of foam next to my dining table), but this idea had never crossed my mind. Wow.

The new sofa immediately went into the bottom floor of the Stockholm House.











My favorite french treat: macaroons!

I've also been tinkering around with this bathroom for a while. I'm a bit bored with it *shrug*, so figured I might as well just take some pictures and share before I change it up again. Color me fickle.





Mostly, I wanted to use these super cute bath accessories from MiniSquare. The mini loofah is too adorable.



Credits:
Living Room: Sofa is handmade with care from *annina*. Leather chaise is Paris Renfroe. Coffee table is from MiniSquare. Glass side table is an ebay find. Accessories are Lundby, Re-ment, Megahouse, Bertie's Dollhouse Miniatures, DHE and Bratz.
Oh, the rug is cut from a large sheet of Lama Li "bark" paper that I picked up at Kate's Paperie on Friday. I love their selection of fine paper.

Bathroom: Pieces are Voila and Momoll. Accessories are Bratz, Lundby, Selecta, Re-ment and MiniSquare.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Creative Playthings Dollhouse



After my naughtiness with the Selecta Casa Bella house, I'm lucky to find this one. Well, sorta. Lucky in the sense that it's not easily available (if at all), so I don't suffer any buying temptation. Unlucky, I suppose, because the lack of availability makes me want it all the more.

Sure there are a number of houses that resemble the construction and shape of this vintage one from Creative Playthings. The Momoll Ray Ray house springs to mind, as does my very own Voila House. I could even use that oft uttered phrase in my home "I could make one myself." Nevertheless, the heart wants what the heart wants.

Dollhouse by Creative Playthings. That's all I got. Maybe someone else out there has more info on this lovely?

Update: Thanks to callsmall for the tip re: the Daddy Types blog and Creative Playthings. A quick seach of Daddy Types revealed this new picture with furnishings.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Selecta Casa Bella (and Selecta has been Auf'd)

For those of you kicking yourself for not buying the Selecta Casa Bella before it was discontinued, there's one on ebay right now, with a Buy It Now price of $160 and free shipping, open to Best Offers.


I confess, I had a momentary failure of resolve and pitched a lowball offer before I was saved from myself (and dollhouse overcrowding) by a rejected offer. Shame on me.

In related news, if you were eyeing any of the Selecta Ambiente furniture (or their other children's toys), Selecta has apparently ceased distributing in the United States as of December 31, 2008, due to the higher testing requirements imposed by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. The CPSIA, although it seems like a well intentioned but reactionary measure, appears to be having the unfortunate result of reducing the ability of quality overseas toy manufacturers and small independent US manfacturers (not to mention etsy sellers) to compete in any meaningful fashion in the US toy market. Full article from Z Recommends here. Retailers will be allowed to sell their remaining stock.

Photo: Selecta Spielzeug

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Clearview on Ebay

Remember the MIAIM Clearview house that Modern MC blogged about? Yep, the gorgeous looking one rocking the vague Miami Vice vibe (in my mind) in a good way? I really wanted one, but the price and overseas shipping put it just a bit out of my price range. Especially after the Kaleidoscope House expenditure. Plus I don't really have the work space to put one together. I still have an almost finished ELF vanity taking up valuable real estate on our dining room table.


MIAIM has placed a Clearview House on ebay. And I believe shipping will be half the regular $250 cost (i.e., $125). My heart bleeds. If only my current budget weren't in the $5 range (due to the much lamented self-imposed spending embargo). This way though, I'm willing to blog about it rather than trying to keep the news to myself like a greedy girl.

Check out the auction, ending Saturday, here!

Pic: MIAIM Miniature Design & Architecture

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

A Room While I'm AFK

Okay, I'm clearly not technically away from my keyboard, as I am lugging my laptop around with me. I am, however, on vacation from work (hooray!) and currently in Vermont catching some late season skiing. I started this new KH setup two weekends ago while I was cleaning and dismantling the Voila House, but didn't get a chance to finish until right before we left (while I should have been packing).



I liked the way this kitchen fit in, leaving a good deal of extra floor space for a big Paris Renfroe dining table.



The dining table is actually the fulfillment of another real life design wishlist item. When we moved into our new place, I desperately wanted a new coffee table. Specifically a wood slab one, like from urban hardwoods. We're slowly replacing our respective "bachelor/ette pad" pieces of furniture, but haven't gotten around to the coffee table yet. Our current one is not terrible - a modern glass and mock wood (ie pressboard) piece from some cheap Chinatown place that my dad bought for me before I was gainfully employed.



The pillar sculpture by the fireplace is a small chinese calligraphy chop!







Everyone has these Re-ment mugs, of course. The real question is: "Who doesn't love these mugs?" Not I. *shakes head in vigorous denial*



The wok is from another one of the Re-ments sets I bought off ebay right before the spending embargo.



This toaster oven is slightly off scale, but I loved the set and the red color so much, I had to have it. It's generally okay, so long as I don't set anything next to it that is so glaringly off in size.

We're swinging by Boston to visit some of my college friends on the way home. I have two Pinky girls with me, as they do enjoy a good trip. Husband balked at the thought of packing a dollhouse in our trunk so I could continue to photograph. I jest, this didn't really cross my mind. Although I *did* want to smuggle our cat with us for the trip. I miss her.



Credits:

Kitchen is Theo Klein. Shelving is Sanrio from ebay.
Dining table, coffee table and cowhide rug are Paris Renfroe.
Chairs are from Take a Seat.
Sideboard/tv cabinet is vintage from ebay (part of that big mishmash grab box I got here).
Accessories are Re-ment, Mighty World, megahouse, DHE and Bertie Pittman.
Kitty is one of a kind.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Writer's Block


It appears that Hana is suffering a bout of writer's block in her quest to write the Great Pinky Novel. I had been thinking that this space in the Kaleidoscope House would be well-suited for a posh walk-in closet or a small office nook, as the Shopping Sherpa did here with a fantastic custom built-in. When my last pre-spending embargo batch of ebay Re-ment arrived, including a fantastic typewriter, I promptly decided to go the office route.


Hana's expression looks so despairing, it cracks me up.


I put this scene together while Husband and I were watching Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer face off on the Daily Show. (Yikes, talk about awkward and painful interviews - I almost felt bad for Cramer at the end of the half hour.)


Yes. Hana is a hard living Pinky, like any cliche struggling writer. I'm sure hitting the Gordon's and the cigarettes really won't help her creativity issues. And she is certainly not being a good role model for the younger Pinkies out there. But, the booze and cancer sticks really made Husband laugh, and I aim to please.

The art, of course, is Futurama (by Matt Groening). I loved that show, and the fantastic witty writing would be an inspiration to any struggling auteur.


My mother used to give me these Chinese pills whenever I had stomach nausea. To this day, I still stock them in my medicine cabinet, even though I suspect that the ingredients might actually be useless (or worse, harmful). In addition, they look exactly like rabbit droppings and smell even worse. While the chinese name for these pills is zhen luyuan, I always called them the "rabbit poo pills." I went crazy when I spotted them in a Re-ment set. Again, I bet poor Hana wouldn't need them if she just laid off the sauce and lucky strikes.

Credits:

Desk is Ryan's Room.
Chair is Reac Japan.
Accessories are Re-ment, Lundby, Petit Princess, Mighty World and random ebay finds.