mini.Futures

Lauren is a digital product designer, multimedia artist, oddities enthusiast and a newly minted miniaturist living in San Francisco.  In university, she studied theatre design and psychology - two fields in which she never worked directly, yet have been far more applicable to her professional and creative endeavors than she’d ever expect. Like most of us, COVID-19 gave her a LOT more indoor time apart from friends and family. Looking for a fun distraction, she bought a dollhouse kit on a whim and a bunch of southern gothic books to keep her busy and the world and they creative output and community she has created has evoked a virtual space of learning, healing, revelations and of course, breathtaking art work and skill. Please check out her miniature art work on Instagram: @southerngothicdollhouse

Montreal-based, Tamar Cohen, has always loved miniatures and only dreamed of making them, feeling that it would be too complicated until her sister sent her a 1:144 miniature kit! Tamar's dollhouse and her miniatures have a beautiful Mediterranean/Middle Eastern style that exudes comfort and simplicity and represents a lot of culture and history. The designs are intricate and colorful. What she loves most about creating miniatures is that anything is possible! She can create something that exists only in her imagination, a mini world to escape to. Tamar feels blessed that she can raise her daughter surrounded by creations and magic. And her process is purely sustainable--found, recycled and repurposed material! Check out more of her exquisite miniature art on Instagram: @miniatureit

As a child, Toronto-based maker, Roxanne Brathwaite @suitecitywoman loved to play with her dollhouse. More specifically with what adorned its interior—Roxanne threw out the dolls and played with the furniture. That fascination with furnishings continued into adulthood. Over the years she apprenticed with master upholsterers and eventually started the company Hollis Newton where she re-imagines antique and vintage furniture into bespoke, one-of-a-kind pieces. When the first Covid lockdown forced her to shut down production, she began looking for a new creative pastime. Miniatures became the perfect fit. Roxanne is my favorite miniature interior designer/artist on Instagram, and after exploring her website https://suitecitywoman.com, my love of her work and spirit is confirmed. She coined LeCaShe (pronounced Le-Ca-shay), an acronym she created which stands for Local economy, Craftspeople and artist, and Second-hand economy. She is a miniaturist, furniture designer/renovator and photographer. Her miniatures hold narrative, representation and local community engagement. She creates with a purpose and I love it! Check out her amazing art via @suitecitywoman and on Facebook

Oregon-based miniaturist, Corie Baker, @sugarbirdhollow is a self-described "unrepentant history, mythology, and folklore nerd" who has never met an animal that didn't charm her. Her creations are charming and distinctive and "full of tiny histories, fortean mysteries, dusty corners, forgotten objects and strange incidents." An exquisite and magical (and spooky) miniature collection and journey.

Based in Australia, med school student and miniaturist, Vanina Vergoz finds inspiration from the natural world, anatomy and the creepy and otherworldly stuff. She has built a wonderful Instagram miniature space @miniature.things.club dedicated to inspiring others to create using any media, just that it has to be small. The regular creative challenges are there to give a framework for creation to everyone. Vanina has one of the most unique array (and wonderful!) array of miniature creations that I've enjoyed on Instagram.

His birthplace and where he is currently based, is the southern island of Stockholm, Sweden, called Södermalm; product designer, Christopher Robin Nordström creates scratch-built 1:20 scale replicas of Tokyo buildings that are realistic and awe-inspiring. He's perfected that patina technique and creates a level of reality that captures the beauty and grit of urban spaces. He's been in many exhibitions and is also featured in the recent (and great) miniature book, Small Scale, Big World: The Culture of Mini Crafts published by Gingko Press. Check out his unbelievable work on Instagram: @TokyoBuild

Markus Oechelhaeuser (@Markus_o_mod, short for Markus Oechelhaeuser Models), is an engineer, miniaturist and photographer living and working in Cologne, Germany. Having studied architecture helps him balance two artistic worlds successfully: creating exquisite scale models of the Cologne (and surrounds) urbanscape.

San Francisco-based architectural lighting designer, Tamara Yurovsky @toma_katsu is building a beautifully detailed and intricately designed rowhouse inspired by "House No.1993" on a street in San Francisco." Join me in getting to know her and how the vibrant city of San Francisco and urban living inspires her miniature creation @rowhouse1993.

Cody is a self-proclaimed “30 year-old dude that plays with dolls”. He has been collecting Mattel’s infamous Ken doll for 12 years. As the doll community grew on Instagram, Cody decided to start sharing the daily life of his favorite doll, Stovall. In addition to building a fan base of over 12,000 followers, he has combined and shared his design and technical skill with 3D printing to the 1/6th doll world. 1/6th scale visual storytelling at its best! Check out his meticulously designed interiors, Stovall's wardrobe, and the really impressive array of PrintedByStovall's 3D artwork! Also, check out his Etsy Store!@StovalTheDoll@PrintedByStovallHere's the complete video interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NprnqWM35N8 

Join me for the first installment of my mini-Collectors' Series and Troy Bettridge is a miniature collector I really admire! Troy was raised in rural Nevada and now resides in Oklahoma. He is an architect, husband, father, writer, blogger, and a devoted miniaturist. Check out his substantial miniature collection that spans decades from the early 20th-century to the present via @Tulsatinystuff and his writings and musings on his blog at http://TulsaTinystuff.blogspot.com! What a miniature collection! Troy's collection is so prolific that he can celebrate almost any "National Day of...." with representation from his collection!