Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The Coral Island House


I was finally ready for some color, so this coral color caught my eye on a real house in Key West. I also saw a brick walkway in a magazine that I just loved. So these were the inspirations for this Coral Island house.

The base of the house was a very old kit I got on eBay called the Theresa and was made by Greenleaf. The seller told me the kit was complete; however the huge piece that makes the first floor was missing! This was not fun! There was also no actual picture of the house only a line drawing on the two sheet instruction page.



I really like to have more than one color on a house for trim. I think it makes it more interesting. The white is very crisp and clean looking but I wanted a fuller pallet. The bricks accomplished that. They added not only a whole other dimension, they filled the color gap. I made all the bricks and painted them in a rosy terra cotta and cognac (a very trendy color) and some cream tones. All mixed together they create a rich warm feeling that works well against the coolness of the house.

The landscaping is all tropical zone 11 that you would find from palm beach to Miami and down to the Keys. The landscape is a mix of bits from craft stores, and the handmade clay flowers arefrom Thailand. Also moss and paper, and other natural materials. More beautiful palm trees from Marilyn: http://www.virtualdollhouse.net/Customer/Earthscapesbyheath.htm

The stained glass windows in the front door are from Pat who sells them on eBay under think*small .


The original design of the kit had the stairs facing the front, but I rarely like that, so I turned them to face the back of the house. The lovely stair runner came from Denise http://handmademiniatures.yolasite.com. Wanting more light coming in and a more open to the outside feeling, I added the French door and the full size windows. The house flows out to the garden by doing this, just as the homes in Key West do.

I enclosed the stairs and added a narrow door that opens and the inside under the stairs is finished. It could be storage or a small powder room.

The kit also had the small center window the same shape as the two dormer ones, but I felt the round window gave the house more character. I added a Widow’s Walk just for fun and to keep the Key West theme, as many of the larger homes there had them for actually watching for ships that crashed on the coral reef. Treasure salvaging was very lucrative around the turn of the century.



11 comments:

Kathi said...

Oh my goodness Robin! I have dreamed about this dollhouse! No kidding!
It is absolutely breathtaking! I love everything single thing about it! It is amazing!

contar said...

Realmente es la casa de los sueños de muchos sin duda.
muy hermosa y la decoración del jardín impresionante.
espero verla amueblada y deleitarme con su visión sin duda.
un abrazo

It really is the house of the dreams of many no doubt.
very beautiful and stunning garden decoration.
I hope to see furnished and revel in their view no doubt.
a hug

Unknown said...

This is a dollhouse of dreams....truly lovely! Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Esta casa es una maravilla. He estado viendo cada detalle y estoy asombrada. Has hecho un gran trabajo. La fachada está preciosa, pero el interior mucho más, con todos esos papeles y suelos tan bien elgidos y colocados.
El jardín es un sueño. El conjunto está resuelto con mucha inteligencia.
Besos Clara

Anonymous said...

Hello~ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS~Will Robin Carey be listing her Dollhouses for sale on eBay this year? I simply must have one !!!!

Vinweeda Magic said...

Absolutely stunning !

houses for sale philippines said...

My goodness, those are soooooo cute everything you create just makes me smile :)

Paula M

Queenie's Vintage Finds said...

These dollhouses are darling! So glad I found your blog...I'll be looking forward to visiting again and seeing more posts :)

Pat said...

Hi Robin,
I love the houses! You have an eye for design. Thanks for using my window in such beautiful houses.
Regards,
Pat
PSpatches@aol.com
Dollhouse Faux Stained Glass Windows

Hannah said...

This is better than great =) You are so talented!
Hannah

Tmarie said...

Robin,
This is so unique and each of your doll houses I see make me curious if you have a natural talent with an amazing eye for detail or have you been schooled in design?

I'm totally a fan of your work!