Josje Bouwts’ Slaapkamer. The chandelier is a small part of the room.

Josje Bouwts Slaapkamer Chandelier

This is from a Josie Bouwt post in her blog on September 29, 2011. It was titled “Lights, Camera, Action!” and is one of many reasons why I find her blog invaluable. On “A Beautiful World,” Josje not only shows you her gorgeous miniatures but how she brought them about. A periodic visit to this blog is always a “look and learn” experience for me.

Josje Bouwts’ Slaapkamer Chandelier Close-Up

Chandelier Clos-Up

I was taken with Josie’s description of the chandelier: “When this was all finished I felt the room needed more lights. I didn’t want to wait until the next dolls house fair so I rummaged through my drawers and found an old silver … well, I’m not sure what it was, but I could call it a ‘jewelry finding’. I played around with it a bit, using some glass paint and silk string and made it into a very eclectic light to hang above the chest of drawers. It is a bit odd, I admit, but I rather like it”.

Jacobean inspired drawing room box by Ron Hubble

Increase Apparent Space

If a room in your project needs a more open feeling, changes in the amount light or the color of the wall can visually increase the size of the space.

Wall Color

A fundamental change would be the paint color. Evaluate the color tones used and see if they can be lightened without going to a stark white. Always keep in mind that the darker the color, the smaller an area will

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Dan Ohlmann’s 1:12 scale Maxims Restaurant in Paris, found on MAKE:

Dan Ohlmann Miniature Artisan

Formerly a cabinetmaker, Dan Ohlmann started creating scale furniture in Paris in 1985. Fascinated with the Art Nouveau style, he built a 1:12 scale model of the world-famous Chez Maxim’s restaurant in Paris. Combining artistic talent and architectural knowledge, this hyperreal piece came as a surprise in France and caught the eye of the media and the general public.

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