Hoje conto-vos a história da Mari, e do seu projeto de um talento enorme que nos honra tanto como portugueses.
A Mari é estónia, mas mora em Portugal. Cresceu no teatro. Tanto o seu avô, como os seus pais era atores. Acabou por licenciar-se em Cenografia, diz-me em jeito de piada que basicamente tem uma licenciatura em cortar cartão! Fartou-se do mundo dos palcos cedo, mas o que aprendeu deu-lhe uma experiência vasta. Na Estónia fez ilustrações para livros, arte em paredes, caligragia, um mundo de trabalhos relacionados com a arte!
Vieram para Portugal há já alguns anos, e o seu nome não significava nada… não conhecia as pessoas, a língua, a cultura. Começou do zero.
Então chegou o dia de fazer uma casinha de bonecas para a sua filha. A paisagem ao seu redor, da nossa linda cultura portuguesa, fizeram a Mari dar asas à imaginação e construir casinhas de bonecas inspiradas nas nossas casas portuguesas. E a paixão pela arte ainda lá estava, e fazia-a muito feliz.
Os detalhes são incríveis! Dos candeeiros, às portadas, ao azulejo e aos tapetes, nenhum detalhe fica ao acaso!
Aqui fica a história da Mari, nas suas próprias palavras, como que uma história para criança se tratasse, repleta de humor, de amor e paixão pelo que a faz feliz! (em inglês)
DOLLHOUSESMade with loveInspired by the streets I walk every day.
“ABOUT THE START.
Once upon a time I graduated Estonian Art Academy as a scenographer.
Which basically means that I have a degree in cutting carton.
It’s been a while since I built.
But as I made the Pippi house for our daughter, I realized, that the process still makes me happy.
And that I like myself happy.
We live in the area surrounded by real-life dollhouses, where something is blooming all the time.
I look out of the window and BAM!, there’s an inspiration.
Blue sky, white houses and screaming pink bougainvillea.
I grew up in real carpe-diem-climate. When it comes to sunlight or colours, its not much available in that part of the world. So the constant visual happiness, that surrounds me now, can be quite overwhelming and to be honest, even annoying.
I had to deal with the beauty.
I’m not into architecture per se. I just like houses, with visible stories, imperfections, wrinkles.
They don’t even have to be old, or nice. I like houses with the character. The houses that have been part of being the family.
Therefore my goal with the dollhouses is not the plastic perfection, but handmade and unique.
Not one house will look like another. Because, there’s a small selfish secret: I want to have fun also😉
With next houses, i will move more towards the real life-like look, but always keep it playable for the kids.
THE STREET
All 3d details, like windows or opening doors, balconies etc are on the front side.
The sides of the houses are flat or just painted.
So by putting 2 or 3 (or more) houses side by side, you can create the street. And if you turn the houses around, it looks like one bigger house with more rooms.
For example, siblings can have both their own dollhouse. But two houses standing together makes a complete by itself.
SCALE
The scale is 1:10. (1 meter in real life equals to 10cm on the dollhouse)
Mostly everything small is made 1:12, but my brain doesn’t work in inches. I’m the child of devilish metric system, so to avoid stupid mistakes I keep it 1:10.
Also, as I figured that at least in our home not one doll is in same scale as the other, then it really doesn’t matter too much, if the dollhouse is 1:12 or 1:10. In the end, when the situation requires, even 30cm dolphin will be squeezed into the dollhouse and game on!
The difference is not very big, so usual furniture, made 1:12 doesn’t look gulliverishly weird.
SIZE
I choosed the bottom size 20x30cm because then the house won’t take up enormous floorspace in kid’s room. But there’s still enough space to play inside the house.
Height of the houses differes and my plan was not higher than 70 cm.
So when the kid is already too big to play with dollhouse, but sometimes still does, it can wait under the schooldesk. Or can be used as a shelf for small stuff.
That was my plan…and then I went I made 4 houses 73cm high. So yeaaah … I’ll try to keep it under control. Also I will make more different heights of the houses, to get the feeling of Portugal, where nothing ends on the same level as it starts. New smaller houses in post-production progress!
MATERIALS
Basic building material is wood, paper carton, white glue and acrylic paints. Wooden base gives the bottom weight, so it won’t tilt over so easily.
The carton I buy, is said to be recycled, but not by me.
For all the details I try to use all possible materials and things, that already have been something else before. For instance the terracotta roof is made of carton boxes. For lamps I used some mysterious office pins and broken neckles etc
SO WHAT ABOUT THE FURNITURE AND FUTURE…
Yes, there will be furniture.
And hopefully also the future.
The furniture I was taught to make for set design models as a scenographer, is way too fragile to play with, and too time consuming to make.
So I’m working on more playproof and wallet friendly solution.
Future designs will move wider from the current neighbourhood.
I’m planning different design lines like Lisbon, Sintra, North Portugal, beach, countryside etc, etc.
Also, I haven’t forgotten the boys – fire station, police, lighthouse etc etc.
Farmacy, church, school – everything still in this standard bottomsize (20x30cm), not to break the “street”.
CUSTOMIZED HOUSE
To step up the game there will be an option for a customized dollhouse.
You can send me a picture of your house, (or any house!) and I’ll make a dollhouse based on that.
The example of that is on my page, with the photo of real life house.
The purple lined restaurant is a rough copy of the restaurant I pass by daily.
Or you can just send me a note and I’ll customize already finished design according to your choice of colours, details. Or maybe add only a little azulejo with the name required…
So no stairs between the floors?
Nope.
In general I decided to avoid stairs as much as possible. Anyone who ever found themselves vacuuming the dollhouse, will be with me on this one. As a custom order, for sure I can make the stairs, but I did warn!
Building materials stay reused and recycled, as long as common sense is involved and everything serves the purpose.
Progress before perfection.
For more details, price information or custom order, feel free to contact me on @marileenpeep on Instagram
935507455 (also on WhatsApp)”
Thank you Mari!
We love your dollhouses, and we make us, portuguese, so proud of our culture and traditions!
Cada casa de bonecas feita pela Mari custa entre 40-100€.
Texto e fotos: Mari-Leen Peep
Edição: mum’s needs
