It is hard enough to make beautiful things in full size, but making them in miniature seems like a whole ‘nother ball game. Kiyomi, a Japanese artist and mother of two makes the most realistic dollhouse pieces I’ve ever seen – I honestly can’t believe it! Many of her scenes and miniatures are inspired by the Victorian Era in France, and combine old world haberdasheries, delicate pastries, and dusty umbrellas. Each teeny artifact seems to have had a life already – a scratch on a door makes it looked used, and weathered labels decorate delicate boxes as if from an antique faire. The attention to detail is simply incredible, and the only way you’d figure out that these items were not from a film set is because the teeny thing is balanced on the artist’s own finger!
While it’s easy to admire these beautiful works of art, the maker/sleuth in me wants to desperately know her process. How does she create these tiny masterpieces? What are they made from? Is that plastic? Or clay? Or 3D printed material? One of the articles I found mentioned wire and perspex, but after scouring her entire Instagram account, I discovered very few details. I can tell you that the tiny chairs she makes, and delicately detailed wardrobes, are in fact made of real wood.
Chair legs are whittled from dowels, toothpicks are used here and there for details (handles of the parasols?), while drawers actually function – opening and closing probably better than the ones you have at home! And as I glance over more of her work, I am equally impressed by the lifelike qualities of each object. The textures, sheen and transparency is exact: porcelain shines, pound cake has pores, powdered sugar is dull, and baked bread looks glossy from egg wash. It’s almost a little too much detail to soak in!
To see what I mean, take a look at more of her incredible work below:
The dusty lighting in each scene, exceptional photography, and shallow depth of field showcase her pieces so well. I literally can not spend enough time examining them.
Wouldn’t it be amazing to own one of these incredible little shops? I never had a dollhouse, but I wouldn’t mind having one now!
Give Kiyomi a follow on her Instagram here! And if you don’t mind Google’s bad Japanese translation, take a look at her website (be patient if it doesn’t load right away). Her work is sold only in Japan at miniature fairs, but hopefully she’ll expand to shipping overseas. Any guesses on how she makes these amazing pieces? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
