Back from
London. I finally made it to London to visit my friends and go to the Kensington
Dollhouse fair.
Surprisingly, the Kensington fair was not very crowded. First thing was to get
the wood supplies I needed. Mission accomplished. Then I went round to see what
I would (could) buy. Finding Art Deco miniatures is not easy, not too many
artisans make them. One in particular attracted my attention: Art Deco
silverware made by Hestelle Mare from South Africa. She makes exquisite silver
items, some so tiny you wonder how it’s possible to make them. She had an Art Deco
tea set presented for the PIMA competition. Hestelle also had a wonderful set
for sale; unfortunately, someone else beat me to it, so I settled for a water
jug and a coffee pot:
A few other items I brought back:
Also found a companion for my lady, dressed in thirties outfit (I think it’s thirties…). Not sure I like his hair, I might make him a hat. However, the clothes are really finely made. He has a vague resemblance to Tintin (a Belgian comics character) 😄
I also got some haberdashery to make dresses for my Lady as well as a few other items.
I’m amazed at the talent of the artisans. The great thing about the fair is you get the opportunity to chat with some of them. There were some other items I would have liked, but had to make choices. Regretfully, Neil Carter and Arjen Spinhoven were not around this year. Some of the artisans went to the Chicago fair that took place on April 29-30 and I guess they could not participate in both. And then there was also a train strike.
My favourite items in the PIMA competition (in that order):
Last but not least, on show at KDF: the Cabinet of Steve Putnam – absolutely fabulous!
and a medieval diorama:
As I was in the area, I also went to the Victoria and Albert and the Design Museums. The V&A has several dollhouses in store, but only one was on display (Jessie M King dollhouse - 1912 - see pic below) next to the Mackintosh items (real size). Exact copies of the Mackintosh chairs in 1:12 were also at the KDF; amazing craftmanship; I didn’t think to take a picture of the miniatures.
That's all for today. Now I really must get on with the mini-house, finish the skirting boards and lighting on the ground floor and my next challenge: the staircase.
