The timing of this interview couldn’t really be better. With Halloween just around the corner, I know quite a few of you will be looking for something a little darker or more unusual to add to your dollhouse or miniature scenes.
Kristen makes wonderful 1:12 scale miniatures with a mix of Victorian and Gothic style, from upholstered chairs and ornate furniture to ravens, skulls and all sorts of curious little accessories.
Some would fit perfectly into a Halloween miniature scene, while others could easily find a permanent home in a Victorian or Gothic dollhouse.
What caught my attention, though, wasn’t just the style of her work. Kristen has a rather fun story about how she ended up in the miniature world in the first place.
I asked Kristen about how she got started, where her love for Victorian and Gothic miniatures comes from, her favorite things to make and what she has planned next for Kristen’s Parlour of Miniatures.
– Image courtesy of Kristen Dixen
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It All Started With a Tiny Chair
Kristen actually started out making book nooks before moving on to room boxes and smaller individual pieces.
Her first real attempt at making something specifically in 1:12 scale was a chair.
And apparently, it went rather well! Just look at these pictures!
“The first thing I made specifically in 1:12 scale was a chair, and it turned out pretty damn good! I think I surprised myself.”
Of course, once you’ve successfully made one tiny chair, it’s very easy to start thinking, “Well, maybe I can make everything else too.”
Kristen began making more pieces and gradually discovered just how big the dollhouse and miniature world actually is.
“At some point, I realized I was making all these little things that other people might want for their dollhouses. I had no idea how big the dollhouse world was until I got into it!”
The funny thing is that despite making furniture for dollhouses, Kristen doesn’t actually own one herself — and she doesn’t particularly want one either.
As she says, apparently she’s just here to furnish everyone else’s!
From Making Miniatures to Selling Them
As Kristen made more pieces, people kept telling her the same thing: “You should sell these!”
She admits that opening the shop felt a little scary at first, but she also had a pretty good way of looking at it.
“I figured the worst that could happen was I’d end up with a lot of tiny furniture and accessories. Which, honestly, was already happening.”
And so Kristen’s Parlour of Miniatures was born.
Today, you’ll find all sorts of handmade 1:12 scale pieces in her collection, but there’s definitely a recognizable style running through them.
Why Victorian and Gothic Miniatures?
If you’ve already looked at some of Kristen’s work, you’ve probably noticed that she has a thing for Victorian style — usually with a slightly darker Gothic twist.
And that’s not accidental.
Kristen says
” she has always felt as though she was born in the wrong era, although she is quick to add that she does appreciate modern plumbing!”
She loves the detail, romance and elegance of Victorian design, especially when things get a little darker and moodier.
In fact, even when she isn’t deliberately trying to make something Gothic, it has a habit of sneaking into her work anyway.
That also explains the name Kristen’s Parlour of Miniatures. She wanted something that would suit her love of Victorian style without limiting the more Gothic side of what she makes.
I think Kristen described it best herself:
“It sounded like somewhere you might find a lovely antique chair, a dramatic mirror, and perhaps a very well-dressed ghost.”
Honestly, that’s a pretty accurate description of the shop!
Inspiration Can Come From Just About Anywhere
Kristen doesn’t have one particular place where she goes looking for ideas.
Sometimes she’ll simply spot a piece of furniture or an interesting detail while she’s out and immediately start wondering how she could make a tiny version of it.
Considering that this whole adventure more or less started with a chair, it’s quite fitting that chairs are still among Kristen’s favorite miniatures to make.
A big part of the fun for her is choosing the fabric.
And I can see why, because if you look at her chairs, the upholstery really does give each one a completely different personality.
Does she really need to add another hobby to the miniature hobby?
Apparently not. Does she still want to?
“Absolutely.”
That sounds very familiar!
Finding Your Hobby at Almost 50
This was probably my favorite part of my questions for Kristen.
She didn’t discover miniatures as a child and then spend decades making them. In fact, she was close to 50 when she discovered that this was something she really loved doing.
Before that, she says she had spent years wondering how other people found a hobby they were so passionate about that they actually looked forward to doing it every day.
Then she found miniatures, and suddenly she understood.
So I asked what she would say to somebody looking at her work and thinking, “I could never make something like that.”
Her answer was simple:
“You never know until you try.”
Your first miniature doesn’t have to turn out beautifully. Kristen admits that her first chair happened to be pretty good, but she’s made plenty of questionable things since then!
I think that’s something worth remembering, especially if you’re new to making miniatures: you really don’t know what you’re good at until you give it a try.
What’s Next for Kristen’s Parlour of Miniatures?
It doesn’t sound as though Kristen is going to run out of ideas anytime soon.
Kristen Dixon
She wants to keep designing new pieces, grow her Etsy shop and attend more miniature shows.
According to Kristen, her brain now has about 400 new projects lined up!
There’s also something rather exciting coming in 2027, when she plans to vend at the Tom Bishop Chicago International Miniature Show.
Ultimately, Kristen would love to make miniatures full time someday.
Unfortunately, there is still one small obstacle:
“Apparently bills do not accept tiny chairs as payment.”
For now, she’s simply enjoying making new things and seeing where Kristen’s Parlour of Miniatures takes her.
Most important: Where Can You Find Kristen’s Miniatures?
If Victorian dollhouse furniture, Gothic miniatures or slightly unusual little accessories are your thing, you can see more of Kristen’s work on these platforms:
And with Halloween coming up, now might be a particularly good time to have a look if your dollhouse could use a raven, skull, Gothic bookcase or something else with a slightly spooky touch!
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed hearing how Kristen ended up in this hobby, discovered a miniature world she hadn’t even realized was so big and eventually ended up opening her own Etsy shop.
And all of that happened when she was approaching 50.
I think that’s a lovely reminder that you’re never too late to stumble across something you absolutely love doing.
Have a look at Kristen’s work and let me know what you think.
Would you go for the elegant Victorian pieces, or are you more tempted by the darker Gothic miniatures?
