1/12th Scale Country Cottage Kitchen

[Camwader]

I’m showing this here as I think this room box doll house kitchen qualifies as a diorama. My late mother was an avid dollhouse maker, and this was a project she created in later life when she needed something that didn’t take up too much room. I made the MDF box for her, but she did all of the decoration and furniture installation. I scratch built the range over twenty years ago. Mum spent her last few years in a care home, taking this model kitchen with her. Unfortunately it suffered a bit of a bashing over those years, requiring some restoration. When I first restored it I kept it as Mum created it - the only change being the addition of genuine family photos on the walls. Over the years since then it has started to reflect the fact that it’s owned by a single old man - becoming a little more cluttered with life’s essentials.

 

 

Edited May 29, 2022 by Camwader

[ErikT]

Adorable!  Your mum seems like she would have been right at home here.  I've never been into dollhouses, but with my love of model building, I can see how easily I could get sucked into that as well.  That kitchen is excellent!

[Bertie McBoatface]

I was going to deny that it was a diorama on the grounds that with no figures, it fails to tell a story. Then, as I scrolled down and saw the dogs, the changes, the hobbies, I realised that it's the story of a family, even if they all happened to be out when the photos were taken. It's a charming thing whatever it is and I'm glad to have seen it. Brilliant work!

[Camwader]

Bertie, Thank you for your comments. I am interested to know why you consider figures to be essential in a diorama, though I accept that in the most common aircraft/military vehicle dioramas figures do play a large part. Seems like a bit of a grey area to me. My most recently posted 1/12th scale scrap yard and farm vehicle model displays were accepted without question as dioramas despite not having any figures in them - though I concede that they may have been better with suitable figures.  I did wonder if something ‘doll house’ related might be considered inappropriate, but I thought I’d chuck it in anyway and let a moderator delete it if required - I wouldn’t have been offended.

 

Edited May 28, 2022 by Camwader

[Johnny Tip]

Lovely work, I'd want to live there! (without the car parts) What's more, it certainly is a diorama. There are dogs and a - or should I say the? - penguin! 

 

(people may say I am stark raving mad and say ze word 'penguin' after each sentence) 

[Crayons]

A diorama to me is a scene that tells a story regardless of how obvious or subtle that story may be and can be told with or without the need/use of figures. This easily qualifies in my book. Nice work.

[TonyW]

Beautifully done., it's Modelling taken to another level. It's almost like reading a book, seeing the changes that time brings with the viewer taking part in the story.

 

I think figures can distract from the imagination somewhat, and faces on show distract even more. The scene then becomes the person, not the place.  Entering a room with someone in it, your whole attention is given to the person rather than the surroundings. Enter a room that has nobody in it, your mind starts to ask questions and invent scenarios to fit what it sees. 

[stevehnz]

That is fantastic, as I scrolled down the smile of pleasure became as chuckle as the "stuff" multiplied, brilliant, the canoe was the icing on the cake.

Steve.

[dnl42]

Bravo! That's fabulous work. Excellent craftsmanship, wonderful humor, and most importantly, love. 

 

And if you want to add a TV, https://tinycircuits.com/products/tinytv-diy-kit

[Norseman 3:16]

Simply divine!!!  I bloody love it!!

[Pete in Lincs]

Yep, wot they all said. Love it. Penguin!

[Vince1159]

Great job but forget about the penguin,Gromit Rules....

[GrahamS]

On 5/29/2022 at 11:11 AM, dnl42 said:

 

And if you want to add a TV, https://tinycircuits.com/products/tinytv-diy-kit

Oooo, I wonder if that would fit my Space 1999 Commlock kit?

 

But on topic, love the transformation from one kitchen to the other. Problem I find with figures is that, unless they are very very good, they can sometimes ruin the realism of the scene.

 

Graham

[Camwader]

3 hours ago, GrahamS said:

Oooo, I wonder if that would fit my Space 1999 Commlock kit?

 

But on topic, love the transformation from one kitchen to the other. Problem I find with figures is that, unless they are very very good, they can sometimes ruin the realism of the scene.

 

Graham

Graham, I agree with you about the realism of figures. I think realism can be achieved at the smaller scales where you can't see enough detail for the 'not real' to stand out, and at larger scales where you can get all the detail in, but there's a grey area in between. I do a lot with 1/6th scale figures where a high degree of realism is relatively easy to achieve, like with this Tamiya Yamaha.

[Pig of the Week]

The kitchen is a lovely piece of work, I love the way it's cased like a museum exhibit too !

In my opinion a diorama certainly does not need figures, it's a representation in miniature of a slice of the world, sometimes humans are present, sometimes not..

Your mum was very talented, bless her wherever she is now..

[Bandsaw Steve]

Fabulous.

 

There’s nothing wrong with models of aeroplanes and ships and guns and so forth but it’s really lovely to occasionally see something so peaceful and homely and charming.