Issues of scale.
Rosehill Cottage is acquiring a small collection of furniture, including these two chairs. The one on the left is a Bespaq wing chair that I found on ebay. I removed its upholstery and wings, cut it down, and re-upholstered it in a silk from Brodnax Prints. The one on the right is a Cassidy Creations wing chair kit. I did a similar cut-down job and used a white cotton to approximate the look of a modern linen slipcovered armchair. These two armchairs will sit in the living room, across from a sofa. The photo below is one I worked from to try and replicate the furniture.
After finishing the chairs and seeing them next to each other, I was struck by how much bigger the Bespaq looked. I was just motoring along, assuming that since they were both in 1/2" scale they would be the same size. This threw into question the whole project for me, as scale has been a tricky beast to tame. In past posts I have shared how I have cut apart walls and added to them, and am working off of photos to guess measurements. This project is supposed to be a fun hobby, just for me to enjoy, but the issues of scale have been a continual source of doubt. I have to admit, I want this thing to be perfect, and I am positive that my tendency to worry about that perfection has paralyzed me into not working on it at all. I almost considered starting over! That would be crazy, right?
So anyway, the Bespaq chair will just be one of those slightly overstuffed pieces of furniture that a comfy and eclectic cottage has to have. I am positive that my tiny tenant will just love curling up in it with a book and a cup of cocoa.
PS - I found a mini wicker furniture maker who is going to replicate the adorable round table from the kitchen! More to come in a future post.
Hello Alessandra,
ReplyDeleteI am a new follower of your blog. I like your project very much and from what I see, even if the 2 armchairs are totally different, the size of the first one doesn't shock me at all. There are big armachairs, cosy, where one likes to curl and read and others which are not as important. So don't the issue of size slow down your progression.
Have a nice day
Patrick
It love the chairs. It is going to be beautiful when you finish it.
ReplyDeleteI think your chairs are fine, IRL some chairs are bigger than others I think it should be that way in our world too.
ReplyDeleteI cant wait to see how your rooms turn out
Hugs
Marisa :)
Thank you for your comments! I am mostly happy with the chairs, and my other work too. I may redo the cushion on the floral piece - make it a bit thinner. I also want to glue tiny beads to the feet of the other one to look like casters, since the movie chair has casters. That would be a sweet little touch, I think, even though most folks wouldn't notice it. I am getting excited about this project actually being finished!
ReplyDeleteHi Alessandra! I have to agree with all of the others as furniture is not all created equal even in real life.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking at your inspiration photo, the chairs will be separated in profile from the viewer which will alleviate some of the obvious differences since that perspective will automatically modify their proportions. Also, once the rest of the space is dressed the viewer will become too intrigued and distracted by the cosy surroundings to be eyeballing up the sizes of the chairs. Don't fret! Your work is Beautiful and these To Scale chairs are too!
elizabeth
Your chairs are beautiful and I don't think they're too big. In real life, we so often have chairs that are bigger than others. Don't let the fear of not being perfect enough prevent you from going forward. Anyways you are already perfect enough, okay. You're very perfect. Trust me, I know! Just look at all you have accomplished. That's proof enough!
ReplyDeleteLucille, you are beyond sweet!
ReplyDeleteI am enamoured by this cottage as well. I think the work you have done thus far is quite amazing. I agree with the others that no two styles of chairs would match up in real life. Sometimes we find beauty in imperfection. I'm curious about what you will do on the second floor. The space is larger than a one bedroom with bath. Also, why does the wall slope in the bathroom but not the bedroom? What about the window on the first landing? Put it in and the back "addition" (library/shed) will cover it. I look forward with bated breath to see your solutions.
ReplyDeleteHi Melinda! I dealt with those very questions in a past post - the differences between the interior and the exterior. This happens a lot in movie houses. I think what I will do is tailor the interior to conform to the exterior, except for the window on the landing. I think it wasn't a noticeable incongruity in the movie since not much of the library was shown, and you weren't shown the back of the house. I will keep the door to the library as it looks on the outside, since you don't see that feature in the movie. On the set the door and the window locations were swapped. I will be sure to write about those decisions as I make them.
ReplyDeleteI love watching your progress on this project. This was one of my favorite movies. I think you are capturing the house perfectly, can't wait to see more!
ReplyDeleteI agree on different styles of chairs. It depends too if you are going to put them directly opposite each other. Then I would agree with your comment to simply flatten out the cushion and then I think you're just fine.
ReplyDeleteI am a stickler for scale too - so I don't 'wander' off, I always keep one finished piece next to me in order to keep my brain in the correct mode. If I'm making an original, I don't want to chain myself to a scale ruler but it just helps on a subconscious level I think, to stay on the right path. Nice Blog.
I'm dying to see the finished Project. I'm in love on what your doing <3_<3
ReplyDeleteYour remake furniture looks super and I love the wicker table you are having made. I know what you mean about the variation in furniture in the same scale, some items just don't go together but as long as you keep the size consistent in a room and it looks right then it doesn't really matter that much.
ReplyDeleteI agree that scale is a vexing issue but in real human size there is such a variety of size in furniture that it's inevitable in mini I think. I bought a 'real' living room set once of couch and two arm chairs thinking it would be just right for the room but when it was delivered it was clearly a massive - and I use that word deliberately - mistake, fortunately the store took it back again. In this case I think the variety in size will add character to the room and the idea of the 'overstuffed' armchair makes me think of a cup of tea and a good book :)
ReplyDelete