Four Little Walls is a UK based miniature maker and enthusiast. In January, blogger Kat interviewed Chelseamakes to learn about our current projects. Check out the interview below or head over to Four Little Walls to see the original interview.
FLW: What first drew you to working with miniatures?
CHELSEAMAKES: "As a kid I loved miniatures, my friend and I would spend hours decorating and redesigning her dollhouse room by room. In high school, however, it wasn’t cool to be interested in miniatures and so my interest fell quiet for a while.
By trade, I’m a Landscape Architect. In college we often had to make physical scale models of the designs we were working on. That was when I remembered how much I LOVED miniatures. That was also when I discovered Laser cutting- the obsession that would carry over into ChelseaMakes and the Simplekits.
After college I moved to California from New York for work with Nick. Like any big change, it was scary, and the adjustment was depressing. I knew I needed help adapting. I really wanted to find a hobby that would help me ground myself- meet people, learn something new. That was when I got the flyer for TamMakers, a creative group and maker-space in town. I took my first woodworking class there and was hooked. I still teach the Laser cutting class there.
With only a 500sf apartment, the Bay Area doesn’t lend itself to being a great place for furniture building. That’s when I decided I would continue furniture making in 12 scale!
I bought a Glowforge brand laser cutter, and ChelseaMakes really got started. "
FLW: What is inspiring your projects currently?
CHELSEAMAKES: "Simplekits are designed to be assembled by anyone, young or old. And what really inspires me is finding different ways to adapt the same principals of assembly. There’s no better guide than trial and error. "
FLW: If you had to choose just one of your pieces, what is your favorite item to create?
CHELSEAMAKES: "I love making replicas of the furniture I actually have. One of the first minis I made was a replica of our Ikea Poang chair. That was my favorite for a long time. Right now my favorite item is the Moroccan pouf. My grandmother had two in her house and I absolutely loved them. If we had a bigger apartment I would have them everywhere. Since we don’t, I’ll just have settle for the 12scale version!"
Thanks Kat for the great interview and wonderful work you do to showcase makers from around the world!