A selection of dollhouses by artist Robin Carey, compiled by Sumaiya Mehreen
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
The Key West Island House
The Key West Island house is a theme house that depicts all the pleasures summer, and of island living. Key West is a 3 by 5 mile island that sits at the very end of a small chain of islands off the tip of Florida. It is the southernmost city in the continental U.S. and is only 90 miles from Cuba.
The house started out as a kit of the” Alison” by real good toys. It has a two story room addition, as well as a custom tower. Extra windows and doors were also modifications to the original design.
The large white Heron bird is on the fence sits very stately and quietly. The white are my favorite but they also are in brown. They have a huge wing span when they take off.
Riding a bike is very common, and in the basket are Longans, one of my favorite tropical fruits and a loaf of Cuban bread. You have to buy Cuban bread every day ... it doesn’t keep. There is a small scene on the table for butterfly collecting. There are just tons of them all year round.
On the lounger is coco frio, a fresh coconut that they take a big machete to and chop the top off, put in a straw and you just drink the fresh milk.
The Spiral Staircase Room: Many houses have towers and widows walks for watching for shipwrecks. In the spiral stair room are maps and charts and books on navigation and sailing ships. Finding treasure especially after a storm is always a possibility. There is a treasure chest by the desk.This room is the fantasy and endless possibilities of finding the great treasure.
The Beatrix Potter Bedroom
The Sitting Room: The sitting room is a quiet getaway room ... a place to sit in a comfortable chair, have a drink, and maybe smoke a Cuban cigar and read a great book. All through the house are books by Hemingway, Samuel Carter and subjects pertaining to the sea.
There is a bucket of shells by the lounger as well as the shell collection upstairs on display. These are actual real shells. There are very few shells on the beach except after a tropical storm or hurricane since a large coral reef sits just out from the island preventing the forming of natural sand. However this reef was the cause of the many shipwrecks that occurred making the salvage business one of the main businesses around and before the turn of the century.
The 2nd Bedroom
The Garden Room addition depicts the passion for raising orchids. On the tables are slices of Key Lime pie, the most popular desert on the island.
The Kitchen: In the kitchen are tropical fruits and of course, fresh caught fish and shrimp. The shrimp boats sail out in the evening and you can watch them around sunset, and come back in the morning. There is fresh fried fish on the plates at the table.
The living room and foyer depict the social life of Key West. Living on a 3 by 5 mile island means you have a lot of friends. There is always a party. The party here will be an after sunset party where everyone will come after watching the sunset from the pier. There will be drinks, and gourmet treats, and piano playing. The front door will be open and the evening breezes will blow through the house. You will be able to smell the aromas of Cuban food and coffee from the neighborhood wafting by. And as the evening moves on, the fragrant smell of night blooming jasmine and angel trumpet blooms permeate the air as the guests leave and walk down the quite streets home.
The living room and foyer depict the social life of Key West. Living on a 3 by 5 mile island means you have a lot of friends. There is always a party. The party here will be an after sunset party where everyone will come after watching the sunset from the pier. There will be drinks, and gourmet treats, and piano playing. The front door will be open and the evening breezes will blow through the house. You will be able to smell the aromas of Cuban food and coffee from the neighborhood wafting by. And as the evening moves on, the fragrant smell of night blooming jasmine and angel trumpet blooms permeate the air as the guests leave and walk down the quite streets home.
Special special thanks go to Denise from http://handmademiniatures.yolasite.com for the exquisite hand made furniture, and Robert Dodd from http://captainsawdust.com for the magnificent nautical wood trim that he custom made for this Sea Captain’s house.
I also found a new friend named Rapeepong, from whom I was able to purchase all these wonderful tropical fruits and foliages made from clay. She is in Thailand and sells both privately at rapeepoi@gmail.com and through eBay at http://myworld.ebay.com/bestminiature.
~ Robin Carey