The winter sun...


I have not made a lot of progress on my yellow room lately, as the beautiful winter weather we've been having has lured me outside, putting on my ice skates and touring the area on our frozen canals.

 
Last night we had such a beautiful sunset, the light was streaming through my dolls house windows.  I quickly grabbed my camera to take a few photos.  I love the orange glow in the room.  As you can see I did finish the fireplace and overmantel.  In the reflection of the mirror you can see the lights of my other canal house.   I also put up the cornicing around the room.  None of the walls, fireplace and curtains are permanently attached yet, so you can still see a few gaps here and there (and in my haste to catch the setting sun I put the curtains up too high). 



I have had the wood for the lower ground floor cut as well.  I have put it together with some tape to see what it would look like.  It is big!   I was not happy with the size of the dining room though, so I will have another wall cut for that so it will be 10 centimetres wider.  The total floor space will be 160 cm ( 5'3'' ) by 55 cm  ( about 21.5 inches). 



Here are the two main reception rooms put on the lower ground floor.   The hall will run in front of the two rooms.  To the left will be an open area (which has the courtyard below)  and on the far left will be the Great Hall (which hasn't been cut yet).  All the rooms will be individual boxes which, when put together, will form the complete dolls house. 

OK, time to put on my skates again!

Comments

  1. Josje, it looks wonderful. The colour in the yellow room is bright yet warm. Lovely! And the antique'd mirror works so well.
    I like your lower ground floor plans, I think you have made the right decision to make the Dining Room a little wider.
    Keep up the great work
    Simon

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  2. It starts to get shape ! The most creative thing is that you are making it without using a kit. Are you going to put bricks inside the fireplace? I would also like to ask what do you use for bricks ?

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  3. It's a beautiful room - so real looking and I can't wait for more progress.

    5' 3"? That's me in my stocking soles! This is going to be one marvellous property. I'm itching to see what else you do with it.

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  4. This is going to be great to watch. I love the warm color in the dining room. The fire place looks fantastic!
    5'3' tall... WOW!!!
    I am also excited about the court yard. That is going to be FUN!!!!!!

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  5. Een erg mooie foto met het winter zonnetje.
    Nou dat wordt zeker een flink huis maar wel leuk om te zien hoe je het in stukken opbouwt.
    En de tegeltjes ook zo mooi gedaan.

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  6. Thank you Simon! When I was dry fitting the lower ground floor I realised the dining room was only slightly bigger than the first one, the room I felt was too small as a dining room. The new room needs to provide some kind of passage to the garden as well, so it had to be bigger.

    Tam toum, no I won't put bricks inside this fireplace. In general the fireplaces in the reception rooms in canal houses didn't have brick showing. They always have a dark grey or black fire box. I don't know if that is steel or blackened plaster or something like that. I still have to look into that.
    If I do use bricks somewhere I cut them from sandpaper and then paint them the colour I like. You can spray the with mat varnish and them grout them if you like.

    Hi Irene, so in theory you could come and stay in my house if I knock a few walls down ;-) Yes it will be big and I'm sure it will take me another 10 years to finish it!

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  7. My mind is officially boggled by your gifts! The first photo here would be a stunning room and photo at earth size. But as a miniature, perfection of the beauty and detail, scale and proportions, is beyond belief.

    Supremely great work.

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  8. Hi Catherine, the house will be around 54 inches tall, but 5'3'' wide (or deep actually). Big! Love it though. I like the fairly high ceilings I can make this way. You courtyard is something a lot of the old canal houses have. Because the houses are so deep, it is a way of getting light into the center of the building.

    Hallo Gonda, dank je wel! Het wordt een hele klus, maar het heeft geen haast.

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  9. Wow, thank you Shelley for the great compliment!

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  10. Beautiful! I must know how you aged the mirror? Do tell? Please?

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  11. The light coming through the saffron-coloured curtains is one of the loveliest things I've ever seen -- such a beautiful room! Brava!

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  12. This is such a wonderful project, I am going to thoroughly enjoy watching your progress....I know it is going to be a treat!!!

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  13. Hi Josje,

    how wonderful to capture that transient glow, the colour is so rich.

    It is incredible to see your house in this early stage, to look at your room in a photograph congers an image of grander, then to see it as its tiny self amongst the early stages is lovely.

    I love the idea of the courtyard, I have been quite interested in miniature gardens, something I would like to try at a later stage. 160 cm is huge, what a lot of work, i can't wait to see it evolve.

    Fi x

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  14. Kathi, I used gold wax and black paint on the mirror. Rub the gold wax on until you are happy with where it is (it takes some elbow grease) then rub the black paint on and wipe off again. It is one of those methods where you just have to keep going until you are happy with it.

    Thank you Nina!

    Lind, it will be quite a project, keep me busy until I am 60!

    Fiona, I suppose in the last photo the yellow room loses a bit of its magic, but it is quite fun to see the early stages of the build.
    The courtyard is there to supply light into the middle rooms, not much room for a garden of any kind, but I do look forward to a few pots and maybe a statue or so.

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  15. Josje, You have captured the Beauty of the REAL world in your Mini room! It is MAGNIFICENT! I Love it when the real sun finds it's way into the dollhouses.... and Your Room is Such a Gorgeous one to begin with! I am looking forward to seeing more!

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  16. Wonderful "yellow" room! The sun, as it infuses warmth, enlivens it! First time I thought that room I see a 1:1. I look forward to developments in the other room! Are you sure you will be beautiful!Many times I am visiting your blog because it feels good to see the beautiful results of patient and accurate work.
    Anda

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  17. Gorgeous light in a gorgeous room! :D

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  18. There's sompething about that rich coloour that is just what I need in Februaruy - it promises sunshine and long Summer evenings.

    I am very inspired by your room box idea, when it is finished, will it be 'stand alone', or will you put it inside a cabinet?

    Can't wait to see the development!

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  19. What a wonderful picture with the warm colors ! Jeannette

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  20. Hi Josje,

    Spectacular photos...I can't wait to see when it's completed. So exciting!

    Pei Li

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  21. Josje, when I eventually build my palace, I suspect it too will be this size. 54" tall? That's about the height my brother envisaged for my palace. My problem will of course be where to place it when it's built and then where to work on it.

    Mine will probably take 15 years to realise. 5 for me to hone my skills and 10 to build :).

    For now, I shall content with learning from masters like you.

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  22. The golden light streaming through the windows adds a lovely warm glow to your room, It looks almost real!

    It is strange how where you have photographed the same room from a distance with its plywood outer walls, it looks like an old Hollywood film set!

    Looks like you have plenty more work to keep you busy on the rest of the house! looking forward to seeing a lot more

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  23. Wow! It's tall!

    Will look forward to seeing it progress :)

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  24. Thank you all!

    Jonquil, When the room is finished, it will form a dolls house together with 15 or so other roomboxes (which I have hardly started on yet). I will build an outer shell for it which will have the front and back gable of the canal house.

    Sans, I don't know about being a master, I learn as I go along. The space I have to put the new house dictated the maximum size for it. I really like my first house but find the rooms too low, that's why this new one will be much bigger. I'm building it with separate roomboxes so that it will be easier to move if necessary.

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  25. The light is changing here in Minnesota, too, Josje, (and it's so lovely to see it fall across my living room at 5:30 --instead of total darkness)! The wafting light looks particularly gorgeous filtering through your exquisite room! Do we dare welcome Spring?

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  26. Oh Josje it is beautiful! And it will be wonderful when finished. 5'3" is how tall I am. I just love big houses - I think one of mine will be about the same when I finish renovating it (but I have to have some more room before I can do so). I love the way the sunset shines through the curtains - it is stunning. Thanks for sharing.
    Sandie

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  27. Het blijft bijzonder om al dit moois te zien!

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  28. Hi Josje,het is al heel wat maanden geleden dat ik op je blog heb gekeken, maar ik ben weer helemaal bij;) Bij mij staat het miniaturen gebeuren helemaal stil, maar jij hebt niet stil gezeten zie ik:) Alles is zoals gewoonlijk weer, erg mooi in al zijn perfectie:)

    Sabihax

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