This project’s story began in autumn 2023, when I decided to pause my graphic design commissions and return to what always reignited my inspiration: crafting miniatures by hand, a passion I’ve held since childhood. I started with the simplest foundation — a plywood shell of a two-story house with an attic. I thought I’d merely dabble with it for a couple of months, paint the walls, and return to my main work… but this little house charted my course for the next two years, becoming my entire universe.  

I immersed myself in studying miniature and diorama techniques. A full year went into breathing life into the structure: painstakingly crafting windows, laying parquet, applying plaster, mimicking textures, aging surfaces, and sourcing materials. Every touch of the house became a test of my accumulated skill. Wall by wall, as if by magic, an antique manor emerged.  

I deliberately dirtied and weathered freshly painted walls, wanting to infuse the house with the living spirit of time. I dreamed of making it look as though it had lovingly preserved the history of an old family for a hundred years — filled with happy traditions and the warm memories of generations. This sense of centuries-old breath ultimately defined the house’s final style: an antique English manor (though I was initially drawn to French charm, as hinted by the attic’s fleur-de-lis window).  

Luxuriously aged walls couldn’t remain empty. So, I created a full set of furniture and lighting for the house. Each piece was born like a jeweler’s treasure, meticulously scaled (1:16) and styled with aristocratic elegance. For all textile elements — curtains, drapes, bedspreads — I simulated gravity, achieving lifelike, delicate folds. Every detail had to exude maximum realism at such a tiny scale.

I drew inspiration from the exquisite dollhouses of 17th-century Dutch artists, who crafted miniature palaces not as toys but as objets d’art. My project, too, evolved into a collectible work of art — a tribute to artisan traditions, made without 3D printing, with every element warmed by the touch of my hands.  

To bring this dollhouse to life, I used sheets of plywood and balsa wood as its warm foundation — a sturdy yet tender canvas for the future manor. The walls, adorned with scrapbooking paper, took on the texture of vintage wallpaper, while layers of acrylic paint, decorative plasters, and hand-painted details gave them the patina of time. Every element — from hand-turned wooden components and tiny beads transformed into exquisite furniture embellishments to meticulously applied gilding — was considered down to the smallest detail. The house brims with hidden magic: drawers and cabinet doors that open and close, chandeliers that emit a soft glow, even a flickering fireplace that seems to have just been lit. And in the parlor, by the hearth, the lady of the house has already taken residence — a miniature doll in a "chemise à la reine" gown, her lace sleeve poised as if she might any moment adjust the folds of her delicate attire.

Over two years of magical work, this miniature Cottage transformed from bare plywood walls into true luxury, a piece of art. It shaped me not only as a digital artist (my field for over 20 years) but also in the tangible world of real materials, textures, and the alchemy of handcraft. I poured a piece of my soul into every detail of this house. It gained its own spirit and learned to breathe history. Now, it’s ready to become a new family heirloom — a keeper of warmth and stories — for its next owners.