The inspiration for this slightly involved little project was drawn from real life events.
This past July we found a beautiful remote lot of land. It being summer in Arizona I had plenty of very hot days to while away hours on one of my favorite diversions...playing with house plans and layouts. And I drew A LOT of them! Small cabins, average three bed houses, log homes, barn dwellings, metal building; traditional styles, rustic type, farmhouse and even contemporary. We finally agreed on a unique rustic contemporary design which I redesigned the interior space to better meet our wants and needs.
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| Can you see what I saw? The kit is the right wing... |
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| "Serendipity Shed"@ miniatures.com |
It dawned on me one day that the great room of our design was the perfect dimensions to build it into this years Hobby Builders Supply Creatin' Contest kit BUT in half inch scale. (The kit is designed in one inch scale.)
By this time it was the end of August leaving only four months to build, furnish and finish an entire three bedroom house. To complicate the process I kept tweaking the life sized floorplan. I finally had to stop playing with the layout and accept that the model would not be an exact replica of the real house but would have to have some dollhouse attributes.
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| Life-sized house plan |
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| One of the discarded model floorplans... |
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| Mock up of the final model floorplan... |
Now, there isn't a plethora of 1:24 scale furniture and fixtures but what's commercially available has some very nice detail. I didn't have time with the deadline fast approaching to custom create the decor so I shopped it all online. eBay had the most to offer with a couple little finds on Etsy.
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| 3D printed tubs and toilets from Shapeway |
During the course of this project I stumbled across the terrific detailed pieces now available through 3D printing. This new technology provided me with the refined tiny detail I crave!
Important Lesson: start collecting pieces early because it really helps with the room layouts and design. Once the furniture was in hand the spaces evolved around it. Then the walls could be measured and drawn on paper then transferred to MDF sheets.
I spent many hot afternoons running in and out from my makeshift front porch cutting station. I used a jigsaw to make the walls for the rest of the house and manipulate the openings in the kit to be a smaller scale than the 1:12 it was meant to be.
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| Cutting MDF on the porch |
The jigsaw cuts sometimes got a bit wonky...it was more of a hatchet than a scalpel. I have a in-the-box fine detail table saw that would've done a nicer job but with the time crunch I ran with the tool I was most familiar with. That resulted in A LOT of sanding and A LOT of installing trim to cover imperfections which really show when your building in smaller scale.
The next time consuming step was the custom windows.
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| Left the protective plastic over the acetate until finished |
There are a crazy number of them and none but the french doors are a standard size that could be purchased. Hours and hours spent cutting (a little too thick) acetate and wood sills and interior/exterior trim. Walls of windows, transom windows, sidelight windows, clerestory windows...holy moly it became tedious but they got finished!
Before assembling I did apply finishes to the interior and exteriors of the walls. I was hoping it would be easier to touch up the corners than apply paint/paper into such a small space.
I wanted to use real wood planking and stones on the exterior but, again, time was against me. I decided to use printed papers to get it done for the contest. I plan on going back and redoing the outside with my original idea for materials later but it looks ok for now.
I struggled for awhile about the interior colors. The entire scheme was going to have to be based on the unique kitchen cabinets. The soft sage green of the uppers kitchen cabinets was tough to work into the design until I saw the perfect combination in the desert. The light blonde of the unfinished doors, wood floors and trims was the shade of the carpet of low dry grass. The palo verde green was reflective of the native trees and cactus. The darker walnut stain on the cabinets and furniture gives the whole scheme a contrasting accent. The inside walls were painted a soft green that matched the upper kitchen cabinets in the main room and the rest of the house several shades lighter. My concept of the actual house was very light inside and I feel it was accomplished with this color combination.
The kitchen became the jewel of the house. The contemporary layout, corner pantry, center island and hooded stove just works!
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| Stove is vintage Renwal piece painted stainless |
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| Fridge is 3D printed and painted stainless |
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| Little powder room just off Great Room |
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| Convenient corner pantry |
The living space in the Great Room did turn out light and bright with ALL THOSE WINDOWS. I ended up with several furniture kits and, again, the time constraints limited what I could make in time. I will have to post updates as I finish the little detail projects that are waiting on the craft table.
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| Fireplace is vintage Lundby |
One of my favorite additions was the one car garage that houses my little Jeep. I found two online listings with an exact replica including its unique grey color and they were both out of the country.
Well, neither actually had the color shown in the postings so I settled on a white version. I do have a garage door and will be installing it now that the contest is passed.
As you go down the hallway paved in herringbone brick there is a second bedroom. I wanted walnut finishes in there too but found a complete bedroom set in white so ran with it. I had found a native American painting that inspired the room so to tie in the white I made a traditional wool camp blanket for the bed.
Past the front entry is the small office/studio. The drafting table has copies of the actual house plans as well as a computer rendering on the cork board. The Spanish rustic desk is inviting surrounded by shrunken equine artwork by Jaime Corum.
At the end of the long windowed hall the laundry is tucked into an alcove just inside the bathroom door. The washer and dryer are G scale and used for train scenes.
They got a "stainless steel" makeover too. I plan on installing some sort of bifold doors in front of the washer and dryer.
Finally-the Bohemian-style master bedroom. With its bright coverlet over the detailed bed, matching ornate chairs and large wardrobe it is very inviting!
So that concludes the tour. I will leave you with a couple exterior photos and a promise to post updated photos when I finish the odds and ends!
They got a "stainless steel" makeover too. I plan on installing some sort of bifold doors in front of the washer and dryer.
The jigsaw cuts sometimes got a bit wonky...it was more of a hatchet than a scalpel. I have a in-the-box fine detail table saw that would've done a nicer job but with the time crunch I ran with the tool I was most familiar with. That resulted in A LOT of sanding and A LOT of installing trim to cover imperfections which really show when your building in smaller scale.
I struggled for awhile about the interior colors. The entire scheme was going to have to be based on the unique kitchen cabinets. The soft sage green of the uppers kitchen cabinets was tough to work into the design until I saw the perfect combination in the desert. The light blonde of the unfinished doors, wood floors and trims was the shade of the carpet of low dry grass. The palo verde green was reflective of the native trees and cactus. The darker walnut stain on the cabinets and furniture gives the whole scheme a contrasting accent. The inside walls were painted a soft green that matched the upper kitchen cabinets in the main room and the rest of the house several shades lighter. My concept of the actual house was very light inside and I feel it was accomplished with this color combination.
One of my favorite additions was the one car garage that houses my little Jeep. I found two online listings with an exact replica including its unique grey color and they were both out of the country.
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