Trick or Treat? Beware...

dolls are used in this post.

Colette and Daphne meet up for lunch.

"Let's see if Pubdoll can join us." suggested Daphne," I wonder what is up with her."

"Good idea, say Hi from me", said Colette."What did she say?"

"She is still recovering from one of her big parties last night, she won't be able to make it..." Daphne told her.

"Try Amy, I know Norma is in school..." added Colette. "Say Colette, are you still house hunting?" asked Daphne? "Always!" Colette replied.

Credits: J.P. Stevens antique metal couch, contemporary Caco dolls, costume bracelet cut up for belt and jewelry, Black atheletic sock for Colette's knit dress, child's white sock for Daphne's, rement coffee cup, purse, wallet. Chanel bag by CDHM artist, Dawn Carrol. Trick or Treat??? C

Poster on the frige

Want to attend Minitura!

Would love to see Elf's set up! C

Credits: table, chairs, pillows, Miniamodernista, Kitchen, PRD, art by my assistant. Plantes, croissants and tableware by Mighty world.

How minitiatures reflect real life

I was fooling around while having my morning coffee taking pictures of the MH1 bathroom. I looked down and noticed coffee stains on the sleeve of my bathrobe.

When I looked more carefully I noticed that some coffee had splashed on the sleeve of this bathrobe hanging in the MH1. First I thought, "I had better wash that right away".

But then I realized it is actually a miniature version of me so I might as well leave it. You can see it better in the second picture!!! C

Credits: Elf sink, rement lotion bottle and nail polish from "Girls in the City", room from the MH1, shower door a plastic box lid with a towel rod for handle from Elf. Robe and shoes from Mannor House.

Paris Renfroe in real scale.

I had Paris and Lisa Renfroe over for lunch last weekend and it was so interesting. We were talking about my house and Paris was available to come see it. It was built in 1929 and was one of the early houses placed for the view from the East Bay Hills. The rooms are small as it was made before cantilevering was known. My house is colonial style and "quaint" and frankly I'm bored with it. He asked me what I couldn't live without and helped narrow down my desire for modern touches. I had a BLAST!
He and Lisa are a great team. She is beautiful and a software designer who runs her own company.   I served white wine, bread and cheese, and squash soup.Then pumkin pie. It was a Fallish day in the Bay area and I felt like Martha Stewart!
I showed them my Gottschalk house, MH1, and the hexagonal Eagle 1950's house. We talked about the growth of the mini design world and how great the DWR event was.

He has an interesting story about his name as he has a Greek heritage. Do you know who Paris was in Greek mythology? He was the greatest judge of beauty in the world. Good name for an artist.. He also started the Trojan War, but that's another chapter. He said it is wild being named Paris with Paris Hilton in the news all the time.
Then he said the most amazing thing. He and Lisa had a view of the East Bay Hills when they lived in San Francisco. They used to watch the setting sun reflect off the windows of the east bay houses in the evening.
 He said my view was a miniature, that the feeling one gets from a view is the same we get from looking at mini scenes. He said his favorite character growing up was Gulliver. He said he could see stepping into my view and being gigantic and walking aound! I had never thought of it that way before.
I said I had been taught Bonkai when I was a little child living in Yokahama, Japan. It is the art of making scenery from clay then coloring it with colored sand. I remember making waves in the ocean was my favorite because even a small child could drop white sand on the blue in wavery lines and it looked real. I thought that was my beginning with miniature scenes.
He said it was interesting to see how people reacted when people they respect or admire took mini design seriously. I showed him my collection on Flickr but his soul is firmly rooted in modern design.
Thank you Paris and Lisa for visiting. I  look forward to the next time you are in the Bay area. C

Mini dork is a misnomer

If I had to elect someone President of the Bay Area Mini Modern Association, it would be Megan. She is intelligent, diplomatic, and helpful. (I've already cannonized Mini Modern). Ok beautiful, charming and serene too. This is high praise for someone who has a 1 year old and a 5 year old.

She noticed the Antrim House and man did she take it to the finish line. Remember she bought it on SALE.

It is sort of the hot property right now because Paris Renfroe is her contractor. AND decorator. I mean everything about it is top notch. Even the back has special treatment with a suede like paint, Notice the wood siding. Gorgeous.

She has always been so welcoming to all us Bay Area mini peeps and created the SF Moma event when our friend Susan Hale visited from Toronto. Obviously we mini sorts are not the kind to organize but I just want to recognize her leadership in making us all feel welcome to the clique. She EVEN let me put Colette in her masterpiece and took pictures! She truly understands the obsession.

You know some times things just happen for the right reasons! C

and Doris!

My real modern design needs were met when I googled "modern miniature furniture" one day and Mini Modern's blogspot came up showing Doris Nathanson's work under the name Minimodernista. She was also on Flickr. I had to have her works. My first purchase was the long red couch. If you look back at my flickr pictures of that time her white ceiling light is in almost every one. Instant mod design. The forms are so pure and the execution so well done they take over the spotlight.
We had emailed many times so meeting her in person was like meeting an old friend.

Her displays were dazzeling!
 Now that I look at the pictures I wonder if the white "fish tank" display is hers or Mini Modern's? I assumed it was used by Doris but now I think I missed it if it wasn't. I have always wanted to see that up close. Gee, when can we do this again...

It was great to hear in her own words her experience becoming a modern miniature designer.

She also told us she will be featured in the December issue of Marths Stewart's Home magazine, so keep an eye out. Do I have the right name of the publication? Can't wait. C

Doris's daughter and son in law were there. We asked  her daughter about her mother's style and she said the patterns were always a part of their decor growing up.
We asked if Doris's grandkids had a dollhouse.She told us her mother made a "Batman" doll house for her two boys which they love. It had a "Batroom", with toilet and sink and the little boys really used it.

 Oh Boys! Lucky guys to have Doris as a Grandmother. I can tell people this because you are SO chic! C

Paris in San Francisco

Paris brought several models of his work. He attracted a lot of attention and I it didn't even occur to me to shop. Everyone remarked about using his Art Gallery as a house. He is so creative and productive. I think he is the undisputed  leader in mini design, each piece is a work of art.

The famous pod.

His work is cutting edge.So it will take a week or few to produce the pictures in the SF Chronicle and I cannot wait!!! Take that New York Times..

Doris is tomorrow, then Mini Dork

OH! I do have to tell you how funny it was when introducing myself to the DWR people who were the best hosts, "Hi I'm Leftcoast mini, oh I see Minidork, is Mini Modern here?" their eyes would look confused, read alarmed, "You are Mini what?" they said politely.  Love the blog world. CM aka MR, aka LCM

Brinca dada

The Emerson house is a triumph in design and form, it is beautiful. It is solar powered! AND it condenses to a reasonable size for storage.

My first thought upon seeing it with my own eyes was would it work with my 1:12 scale people? You might not have to limit yourself to a smaller scale.
 I wish I'd played with it more. The DWR event was kind of formal for me to start pulling things out of my purse and start PLAYING with, but now I wish I'd stayed after to do just that. I REALLY would have liked to snatch one of Doris's tootsie roll couches, oh ,say in camel, one of Paris's beds, oh say in brown tones, some plants and tables from Mini Modern and art from Mink Dork's works and started arranging. That would be a mini freaks DREAM! But the signs said DO NOT TOUCH, and I could just see security being called and my first foray into the glamorous word of Modern Mini exhibits ending with me being dumped on the sidewalk outside, plus, it would have embarrassed my friend,

again, I'm just saying.
 If you have one will you put a 1:12 figure in it to show us? Like this Caco.

(HA! me cropped)

My buddy (who came with me) realized her brother lives in Connecticut down the way from the house the Emmerson design was copied from. Tim was the architect and his wife was a charming hostess (read manager?) Loved her.

He is developing 2 more designs after the Bennet. Hmmmm. 4 total.
The Bennet will be more pricey.
 I would like to know what is in the pipeline before I invest.
Don't they realize I have 18 mini houses now and have to be choosy about space in my collection. I am well...discerning. Especially when it is a larger one like the Bennet. Do they think this is just a situation of lust?  Well..
 Do they speak Gottschalk as well as Mies van der Rhoe?
This Emerson is too prairie style for me but I still want it....
Well, I simply have to find out when the Bennet House will be on view and where. C

Party Favors! from the DWR event

Paris gave us PDR carpet tiles. They are beautifully boxed with his Logo and I can't wait to play with them! Cool, no?

Look at the Brinca Dada business card then Minimodernista's next to it. It is tiny and has pictures of her work on the front, and the writing on the back! So clever.

We also received a cd sized cardboard packet from Brinca Dada that opened and when you folded it as instructed made a 3D Emerson House. It even included punch out wire chairs and a table Too cool! I don't have mine here, MiniDork or MiniModern do you have your's available to show a photograph of, Or Lorna?  Pretty ritzy advertizing. Obviously done by an architect .

And our hostess, Yuki, served us yummy wine.

Found it! I thought I brought it to my daughter's!

Ruh Roh! The Assistant found it. How cool is it? Look at the wire chairs!!!! C

Mini Modern: DWR Event

This is the interior of Mini Modern's Oceanview House I wish I had asked if those plants are real. There were so many sights to take in and people to meet that the evening went by in a whirl.

Mini Modern is very modest about her talent.

She isn't a blogger like me saying "ME ME ME " all the time. You have to respect her wish to let her work speak for her but if I had to pick someone to narrate a piece about minis I'd choose her because she has a great voice, too.

Does she realize she is like the patron saint of modern mini design? AND she does all this  with a 4 year old child. Talk about saints!

Check out the terrace! As always she was a BIG HIT! C

The DWR Event

As we walked into the Design Within Reach store the mini houses were arranged in a U.Doris Nathanson of Minimodernistas was the first person I met. She is great!My buddy Lorna, who lives in the city, met me there. Here she looks at Oceanview Dr. by Mini Modern whom I felt lucky to meet.  She is a brilliant designer and beautiful too. She says she likes to stay in the background and let her work speak for itself.Then came her Villa Sibi.Then we met Tim Boyle and the Emerson House! He said it took him one hour to put it together that night before the show. We all laughed as he has had a lot of practice and many people want him to accompany the Emerson House when they get it for set up.Then came Doris Nathanson's amazing work. She had beautiful lucite tower displays. I will blog later about each designer individually. This is an overview.She makes many different scales.Then came Mini Dork's Antrim House. It was stunning. Paris Renfroe had filled it with his furniture and it was fabulous.Notice the Mighty World umbrella on the roof. She painted it white to look sleek like the loungers.Last was Paris. The San Francisco Chronicle was there taking pictures.

We sipped delicious wine and met other bloggers. I met a wonderful woman named Andrea who has a house made of Paris' freight containers. She was from Florida. 

 After an hour or so each Designer spoke about what led them to this kind of design and where they hope to go from here. It was facinating. Our hostess from DWR collects miniatures too, she is one of us. I got to meet Megan, Paris, and Tim's spouses and they are all great teams. This event was well attended and I'm sure each successive exhibit will increase in attendees.That is my daughter in the tan coat. The exhibit was well done and we had a great time. Did I mention the after party???