I bought a whitewood bed and display cabinet from Vilia Miniature some time ago, intending to turn the cabinet into an armoire. (I highly recommend Vilia Miniature, by the way. Beautiful details, well-made, somewhat less pricey than Bespaq, and ideal for collectors who prefer to customize dollhouse furniture. I will be making quite a few more purchases when my budget permits me to do another house.)
Staining the furniture was easy. Delicately plucking the brass knob out of the cabinet and replacing it with a Swarovski crystal "knob" was easy. Dressing the bed involved a lot of sewing (I prefer not to use glue), but was not difficult. I even managed to scratch-build a decent bed crown (so far, all of my other attempts at scratch-building furniture have been disasters).
But...an armoire needs a mirror.
The mirror sheets I bought from Dolls House Emporium look exactly like real mirrors, but cutting them did not go well. Even with a jeweler's saw, the sheet cracked and splintered all along the cut line.
I test-fitted the sheet behind the cabinet glass anyway - no luck. It's simply too thick. If I glued it in place, I wouldn't be able to close the door. (I attempted to remove the glass, to no avail. It is to Vilia's credit that their furniture is VERY sturdily made, in spite of its dainty, delicate appearance. Oh well, at least I know the glass will never fall out.)
So...back to square one. I am determined to have a freestanding armoire in my tiny bedroom, so hopefully I'll be able to find some sort of mirrored paper that can be cut with scissors or a sharp knife. (I also tested some silver paint on the backside of the glass, just to see. It did not look good.)
Anyway...the bed is done, the crown is fixed in place (with curtains), and I will figure out the mirror somehow. (Any ideas, readers?)
The bed and armoire, finished in pecan satin.
My scratch-built bed crown.
The furniture in situ. I'm still undecided on the artwork, and haven't found any bedside tables I like yet. (Also, I think this room needs a chair somewhere.) The wallpaper is a scaled-down Cole & Sons "Woods", and I painted the ceiling.
A better angle on the bed (please forgive the blurring, I am a lousy photographer). The pillowcases are embroidered to resemble a pair of Louise Bourgeois pillowcases I bought at the Tate Modern three years ago (but only on the front, as the back would be mind-bogglingly hard to do in 1:12 scale and won't show anyway).
Happy New Year, and THANK YOU for reading.
Hi Anna,
ReplyDeleteI love your bedroom suite and I'm really pleased to have your advice about Villa Miniatures, I know Irene from Small and Stately bought a lovely piece from there and I am currently looking at an unfinished cabinet, so your words are timely.
Thats a shame you had all that bother with cutting the glass, I wish I could offer some advice. I think the armoire looks lovely as it is. Could you change your direction a little and have it filled with lovely white linens and personal items then have a free standing mirror. Is there a doorway you could make look like a walk in robe?
If thats not your cup of tea you could try painting the glass black because essentially that is what makes a mirror. Perhaps test it on a separate piece of glass first. I would try a few very thin layers of paint so you don't get brush strokes.
Well I hope that helps in some way. You have done a lovely job of your room so far, it looks great.
ML Fi xx
Thanks, Fi. I will try painting some glass black and see how it looks. I did look at freestanding mirrors but didn't see any I liked.
ReplyDeleteYou will not believe the detail on a Vilia piece until you are actually holding it, and their customer service is very good too.
Hi Anna,
ReplyDeleteJust LOVE that wallpaper! Is that 'real' glass you were trying to cut? I know the acrylic mirror sheets cut well with a scissors, but perhaps you want the real thing...Martha Stewart makes mirrors by using real silver leaf on the back of glass. If I remember correctly, she applied it with clear gelatin...of course this could be wrong so you might want to google it! Thanks for the tip re: Vilia Miniatures --can't wait to check it out!
Happy New Year!
John
Thank you, John! It wasn't "real" glass - it was acrylic mirror sheeting, and unfortunately scissors didn't work either.
ReplyDeleteI did recently find something that'll work, and it's on its way to me. More about that when it's all done.
Why don't you hire a professional to do the cutting of the glass? That way, it will be clean and perfect for the mini bedroom. It looks fabuous by the way.
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