The Centennial: a Magical Dolls House.

On a rainy evening in September, I set course to Amsterdam to pick up one of the most magical dolls houses I've ever seen. It was huge, one hundred years old, and it was being offered to me for free!

'The Centennial' sitting on my drawing table.

The friendly couple welcomed me in their beautiful apartment, and there it was, sitting on the floor, ready and waiting to be picked up! I couldn't believe my luck to see such a one-of-a-kind dolls house 'staring' at me! And to think that I might just as well never have seen it, were it not that I learned of its existence only through my curiosity!

'The Centennial' sitting on the living room table, shortly after arriving in her new home. I hardly managed to get it through the front door!

The lady of the house, Mrs Lona, was selling the dolls house's furniture, and had put some pics of the items online, but there was no mention of any dolls house. Yet, looking at the pics, I was actually drawn more to the background, than to the furniture on sale! This background revealed a bit of what appeared to be an mysterious, weathered room box. So I inquired further, and the lady said that it wasn't a room box, but an entire house, and that I could just come and pick it up if I wanted it! I had not seen any pictures of it at that point, so all I knew was that it was very big, and very old, a century old, to be precise!

So I took my car and off I went to Amsterdam, not knowing what was in store for me! Crazy as I am for old, weathered dolls houses, this one was like a dream come true! I didn't know where to look, or how to feel... and as 'cherry on the cake', Mrs Lona knew the interesting story of the house's origins...

At the beginning of last century, a man with three young daughters made this house for them to play with. That is the reason it opens up on three of its sides, so they could play with it all three at the same time! A very smart solution to keep the three little scoundrels busy! I could picture them playing with the house so long ago, and found the thought very endearing.

Later on, back home, I studied it in more detail, and saw that the house had been through some changes during its long life. Someone, at some point, had added things to it, like drawing pins to uphold some of the curtains, a few pieces of furniture of a later date, including a plastic shelf, and maybe new wallpaper in some places on top of the original one. But even this 'new' paper had faded and grown old with time, just like in a real house!

Needless to say that 'm totally in love with the house, which I called 'The Centennial' for obvious reasons! I have several other houses, vintage ones, some of them in their 80's, and I love them all like children, but none of them is as old as this one, nor give me the feeling of awe that this one does! It's all wood, cardboard perhaps, and glass: basic, natural materials which I love to work with myself! And although it's not 'fancy' or posh or anything, it definitely has a soul that makes it beautiful!

And it was born out of the love of a man for his three little darlings, so it has a certain 'aura' around it which I can literally feel, but not describe.. 

None of them are alive today, yet I really hope that they come to visit their house from time to time, while I'm asleep, and play with it as they did a century ago...

The images you see here are but a beginning. The house will surely feature in future photo shoots! There is so much to see and photograph! By the way, it's shown here with its side panels removed, to allow you to look inside, but the panels are there, the house is complete!

I cannot thank Mrs Lona and her husband enough for this wonderful and generous gift! They know that I'll take very good care of mister Willemsen's beautiful creation, for that was the name of the dolls house builder: mister Willemsen.

An engraved glass panel above the front door.

Above image: the house has ancient light switches in most of the rooms, so you can lit them individually. Having no switch of its own, the bathroom is lit with this one, which also services the kitchen.

Thanks for visiting, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author. 

A corner of the Rust & Steel Train Maintenance facilities.

Hi all, I hope you're doing well!

This pic shows a corner of the Rust & Steel Train Maintenance facilities. 

Here, old, disused toy trains arrive for inspection, before going into storage or display. Many will star in fotoshoots that will show their intrinsic beauty to full effect. 

Note that one of the train tracks has three rails instead of two. That's because it's meant for trains that run on electricity

Some are in very poor condition: rusty, bended, mangled, and unable to move due to being rusted up, or missing vital parts like wheels, or having broken engines.

But, despite their derelict state, they're welcome at the facilities. In fact, they are selected because of it! Because I believe in the beauty of imperfection, and the charm of the touch of Time.

Thanks for visiting, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

The Metamorphosis project is completed!

Hi all, I hope you're doing well! Today I'm proudly announcing the completion of my "Metamorphosis" project! 

As mentioned on previous blog postings, this is my personal tribute to the great Franz Kafka and his unforgettable novella "The Metamorphosis" (German: "Die Verwandlung"), first published in 1915.

Above: the ominous shadow of a bug, projected on the wall above Gregor Samsa's bed.

The project - a roombox designed and built from scratch by myself- took me months to complete. It represents the bedroom of Gregor Samsa, the main character of the story, who wakes up one day to find himself transformed into a giant bug. It had its challenges but I'm very proud of the end result!

More to come on this platform very soon. So, if you're interested in the 'Kafkaesque', make sure you keep an eye on it! Be well!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author. 

Jane of the Attic: stories should be told...

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

The Methamorphosis project: a sneak peek into Gregor Samsa's bedroom.

Hi all, I hope you're well!

As the "Metamorphosis" project nears completion, I'm sharing with you a sneak peek of Gregor Samsa's bedroom.

"The Metamorphosis" (original German title: "Die Verwandlung"), was written by the great, Prague-born novelist and short-story writer Franz Kafka, who's regarded as one of the most influential figures of 20th-century literature. It was first published in 1915, and this is a personal tribute to both writer and book. 

The story is centered around Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman who wakes up one day to find he has transformed into a giant bug. The  project is a 1:12 scale reproduction of Samsa's bedroom, where most of the story takes place. 

Above: sneak peek into Samsa's bedroom through his bedroom window.

Below: partial view of the room as seen from the main entrance door.

Given that Kafka's novella wasn't originally published as a picture book, you will understand that this rendering is based on how I personally 'saw' it while reading the story. Which, of course, can be quite different than your image of it, if you happen to know the book. In any case, this one was definitely on my bucket list, so I'm happy to see it worked out!

More to follow soon, so please keep an eye on this blog if you're interested in the 'Kafkaesque'!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

The Wealden house's little secret....

I just knew there was something odd about the old Wealden house! And I was right, for it came with a little secret..! I was studying one of the vacant rooms, when I heard something moving in the room next to it. It sounded like an object rolling and squeaking, accompanied by what sounded like a faint children's laughter. And although the sound of a child's cheerful mirth invariably puts a smile on my face, this one actually made the blood in my veins run cold.

And, suddenly, the spectre of an infant riding an old, wooden go-cart came out of the darkness, and through the open door! His arms up in the air and his eyes, well, I don't think I'll easily forget those! And as it drove towards me, grinning, it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared...

I just knew there was something strange about the Wealden house, and now that 'something' had manifested itself to me.

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Rust & Steel: a New (Old) Dolls House.

Hi all, I hope you're well!

Today I'm sharing with you my latest dolls house, which arrived from the UK last Friday.

It's an historical, 1:16th model of a so-called Wealden house, traditional in the south east of England.

When I saw it on eBay I immediately fell for it! Worn down, desolate, and in desperate need of TLC, what more could I wish for!

I contacted the buyer (a gifted miniaturist and dolls house builder, whose houses are constructed to stunning perfection) and the deal was quickly done. He took great care to make sure the old lady had a save journey to her new home, for which I'm thankful!

The pictures that you see here, are meant to share her forlorn and totally authentic beauty with you all. They were taken by the buyer as part of his ad on eBay, and he kindly granted me permission to post them here.

I'm totally in love with this house, to which the passage of time has given an incredibly realistic look!

The house is totally hand made, probably as far back as the 1930s. It does miss the removable panels it once had, and my intention is to try to reconstruct them, and add them to the house. This will be done with the greatest care and respect, trying to get them to match with the house as close as I possibly can. And, being removable (add-ons), it means that they will not alter the original structure of the house in any way. It will take all my skills to make weathered panels to match a weathered house of this quality, but I gladly accept the challenge!

Above and below image: check out those weathered wooden panels, the hand-painted glass windows, the plastered walls, that front door, the cracks... what a beauty!!

Below: this is what I call the 'blue room'. Honestly, I don't like this color very much, it does not go well with the rest of the house! The problem is that painting it over with a color similar to the other rooms will prove very difficult because of the limited accessibility to the room. But I'll figure something out..

Above and below: pure magic!! That interior wall shows lines which look like humidity, as if the house was exposed to water at some point. I can't stop looking at it, and every time I check her out, I discover something new!

That's all for now; I hope you enjoyed the old house and the photo's!

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Thanks for visiting!

© José Pereira Torrejón, except for the photo's, published courtesy of Frances.  All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.