A blog from Army&You’s summer 2024 edition by Ssgt Jennifer Lavery.
I had always been interested in miniatures and doll’s houses and started my hobby in 2020 when I saw a French-style doll’s house online. I messaged the lady who posted the picture and she made me my first custom French chateau doll’s house. I then began to start furnishing it and filling it with miniatures.
I usually buy the miniatures in kit form and paint and decorate them in my favourite style – French baroque.
I take inspiration from antique and Renaissance pieces displayed in museums, on Instagram and also a visit to Paris gave me lots of ideas.
I love the architecture of French buildings and I once made a key holder with the front as a façade of a French building complete with an oeil-de-boeuf window.
If there is something that I cannot find that I want for my houses I make it myself using materials such as wood, clay and card. I have made lots of things including an armoire, wall panels, miniature food and coffered ceilings.
I have several houses that I display in my home, including a French patisserie and a room box which I made into a pub, named the Plump Pug. I also have several animals displayed inside the doll’s houses, which include two pugs (modelled on my own pugs), a Siamese cat and a chihuahua.
My latest project included completely renovating an old doll’s house, which took me about 18 months. This included completely re-wiring the electrics and decorating it to a high standard.
I have built a large following on Instagram and the community is very supportive. I regularly go to miniature fairs and shows and meet up with fellow miniaturists.
My work colleagues at the Defence Serious Crime Unit are amazed by my hobby and are always intrigued by how I do it.
It’s an escape from everyday life and I enjoy spending time visualising how I want a certain piece to look and then seeing the end result. It fits into military life in my spare time, usually doing bits after work or at weekends.
See more of Jennifer’s work at instagram.com/miniature_french_world